Sugar Blossom

You can usually get all the essential vitamins and minerals (i.e., micronutrients) that your body needs to function optimally through a healthy and varied diet (see Tables 1.2 and 1.3 later in this chapter). For example, the B vitamins are necessary for the body to effectively process carbohydrates in your diet as well as proteins, and some of them even assist in the production of red blood cells to carry oxygen. In general, consuming a wide variety of vegetables and fruits in suf? cient quantities (i.e., a bare minimum of ?ve a day, but likely much more) is a smart practice. Focus on dark green, leafy vegetables (e.g., lettuces, kale, broc­coli, spinach), orange-yellow varieties (such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, squashes), and tomatoes for optimal nutrition. Eat them raw, lightly steamed, baked, or microwaved to preserve their nutrient content, because boiling them leeches out impor­tant micronutrients into the water. The other sure? re plant-based foods to include regularly are legumes (e.g., black, navy, kidney, and garbanzo beans and lentils), whole grains, fruits of all colors, and a wide variety of nuts.

Read the rest of this entry »

read comments (0)