Food Choices - Fats, Sugar, Salt
It’s essential for us women to make our food choices healthy. We are aware of the benefits of having a nutritious diet rich in vital minerals, vitamins and food rich in fiber. At the same time we also need include food that is less in unwanted fats, no excess added sugar and salt in our diet as they can raise cholesterol levels and high blood pressure which can be harmful to health.
Fat can actually do us good if the right kinds are taken in right portions but there are some fats which can do the damage. Go for foods low in saturated fats like fruits, whole grain foods, and vegetables, no fat or low fat dairy products, lean meats, fish and poultry with no skin. Completely avoiding fat is not good for the body either, reasonable amount of fat intake gives you the calories required by the body which takes care of your hunger, keeps you full for a longer time ,helps you maintain weight and the required blood cholesterol levels .
Saturated fat raises blood cholesterol levels, which can in turn lead to heart disease. Saturated fat is mostly found in beef, lamb, pork, poultry fat, butter, cream, whole milk dairy products. Oils like coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils which are used in cakes, cookies, and snacks also contain saturated fatty acids .Processed and canned foods can also contain high amounts of saturated fat, it’s advised to verify package labels before buying them.
Including soluble fiber, in day to day diet will to a great extent help lessen blood cholesterol levels. Good sources of soluble fiber are oatmeal; beans, rice bran, barley, peas, and citrus fruits .Though insoluble fiber has no role in lowering blood cholesterol level, it is good for bowel function. Good sources of insoluble fiber are whole wheat breads, kidney beans, almonds, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans. Key is substituting unsaturated fat with saturated fat and keeping the total fat intake on check.
Sugar
You must have just gorged on a juicy rich dark chocolate cake and along with it without realizing also fat with all the cream, loads of added sugar which only contain empty calories. Sugar that we use is refined and is stripped of all the essential vitamins, minerals, proteins, and other beneficial nutrients. Excess sugar in the body leads to obesity, heart disease, pancreatic cancer in women, affects the body’s immune system and the most common problem, cavities, since sugar uses up the calcium present to neutralize its effects. Diabetes is another disease that is most common and is caused due to the excess sugar content in the blood stream which is in turn caused due to the breakdown of pancreas to produce the required amount of insulin when the sugar level exceeds. Hence, lessen the amount of sugar in you tea and coffee, avoid soft drinks, reduce the amount of sweets, cookies, substitute honey for sugar, instead of a spoonful of sugar use half the quantity. Please your sweet tooth cravings with a bowl of fruit instead of a candy bar.
Salt
Salt in small amounts is an important ingredient of our diet however excess salt in the body can lead to high blood pressure and cholesterol. Though we may not add surplus salt in our food and drink, processed food that we buy usually contains more salt than that is required by the body. It’s extremely important to check labels before making purchases. Women with high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol must to a great extent lower salt intake. Recommended per day salt intake even if there is no high blood pressure or cholesterol, is not more than 2,300 milligrams .Choose low-salt foods, moderate amounts of lean meat. Avoid flavor enhancers like curry cubes, Soya sauce etc. Include fresh fruits and vegetables that are rich in essential nutrients and rich in fiber.