Tips for Choosing Nutrient-Rich Diet

We should strive to eat nutritious foods and achieve balance in order to lead healthy lives. The ideal way to go about this is to select from the basic food groups. These include vegetables that are vibrant in color, fruits that are colored brightly, whole-grains and legumes, low-fat dairy products and lean meats, fish, poultry, nuts and eggs.

Here are some tips to help you incorporate nutrient-rich foods in your diet.

1. Make sandwiches out of whole wheat or whole rye bread. Add lean slices of ham, beef, chicken or turkey and add vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes and slices of avocado.
2. Make cereals using low-fat milk as it will be creamier. To this you can add a variety of crushed nuts, raisins, cinnamon and dried cherries or cranberries.
3. Drink beverages made from low-fat milk. Drink juices that do not have additives or synthetic ingredients thrown in.
4. Sprinkle low calorie dressing on your salad platter. Eat fresh lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, broccoli, red, green and yellow peppers and celery. Keep a stock of celery and carrot sticks in your fridge. Slice cucumbers and parboil cauliflower florets. These can be eaten as snacks by all the members in the family.
5. Try to make one-pot meals when you are tired and not up to preparing a regular family dinner. Make this soup nutritious by adding fresh vegetables and beans. Throw in some lean-meat and tomatoes to make the soup tasty. Avoid throwing in sauces as they have preservatives which are not good for you.
6. You can also serve macaroni and cheese or chilli with low-fat yoghurt. These can be accompanied by bread rolls.
7. Cut up fruits that are in season and mix it with either yoghurt or low-fat milk. Add flavors such as chocolate sauce to your ice-cream.
8. Make smoothies with yoghurt and fresh fruits. Serve them chilled.
9. Add chopped nuts to savories and pasta dishes as they are rich in nutrients.
10. Eat salmon especially wild salmon as it contains omega-r fatty acids and important vitamins and minerals. Research on the subject indicates that fatty fish can lower cardiovascular diseases, depression, dementia and a host of other diseases.
11. Garlic is excellent as it provides Allien which is an important nutrient that is required for the body. It has excellent cancer-fighting properties.
12. Shellfish is also nutritious and provides B12, copper and zinc.
13. Fresh green leafy vegetables such as Kale provide excellent sources of vitamin C, A, K1 and other antioxidants.
14. Seaweed is very nutritious and provides magnesium, manganese, calcium and iron to the body. Buy supplements if you do not like the taste of seaweed.
15. Do not forget the humble potato. It contains potassium, iron, magnesium, manganese and copper. It is filling and has many health benefits.
16. Eating dark chocolate has proved to have amazing results as it is full of manganese, iron, fiber, copper and magnesium. Apart from being an antioxidant, it also has the power to lower blood pressure, improve blood flow and stimulate the brain.
17. Eat egg yolks. Contrary to the misconception that yolks are bad for you, it has been found that egg yolks provide natural multivitamins to our bodies. They also contain vitamins and minerals and does not raise the bad cholesterol in the blood
18. Eat liver at least once a week. Our liver stores nutrients for the rest of our body which we can get when we eat liver.
19. Eat oily fish such as sardines and mackerels. They contain high nutrients and healthy Omego-3s
20. Eat different kinds of berries as they provide vitamins and minerals to the body. Blueberries are loaded with powerful antioxidants and Phytochemicals. Patients suffering from memory loss find that these berries help them improve their memory.