Healthy Food

By Dan R Morris

What makes a food healthy? A food is healthy if it provides your body what it needs, when it needs it WITHOUT adversely affecting your body's functions.

Let's take a look at the types of foods a body needs in order to function effectively.

Protein, the kind found in lean meat, dairy & nuts. Protein acts as a muscle builder, it repairs tissue, and helps kick-start your metabolism. Protein builds cells, enzymes and hormones and it forms antibodies to combat invading bacteria & viruses. And including protein at each meal makes you feel fuller.

Carbohydrates, the kind found in whole grains, fruit & vegetables. Carbs are absolutely necessary to fuel the brain, muscles and your metabolism. It's also an appetite suppressor. Fiber is an important part of your diet, and it's not found in proteins or fats.

Fiber expands in the stomach, taking up space, slowing the digestive process, and keeping your energy and hunger levels even for several hours. Remove the fiber and there's a rush of blood sugar as the carbs are quickly digested. That creates a burst of energy, and then a sudden drop in energy as the blood and your body crave more.

There are two types of fiber. Soluble is the kind in oatmeal, apples and other fruits and grains. It likes to hangout in the stomach, slows down the digestive process, giving a longer-burning energy throughout the day. A diet without fiber is full of spikes and troughs.

Insoluble fiber doesn't like to hang around. It shoots through your digestive track picking up miscellaneous fats and whatever else happens to be loitering in your system.

Finally, Fats - the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated kind. Our bodies need fat to deliver nutrients throughout our bodies. Polyunsaturated fats, one of the good kind like omega 3's found in fish, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil helps to clear your arteries. Monounsaturated fats like the kind you find in nuts, olives, avocados, coconuts and olive oils reduce cholesterol levels, help burn fat, keep you satiated.

While these are the basic building blocks of healthy foods - your education isn't over yet. You need to read about antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and healthy herbs. I'd like to invite you to start that at http://www.benefits-of-resveratrol.com/foods-high-in-antioxidants.html I'll even throw in a free ebook on Blueberries and why they're healthy. Dan Morris - Antioxidant Researcher, Owner and Founder of http://www.benefits-of-resveratrol.com and other nutrition-based information sites. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_R_Morris