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Our diet plays an important part in our over all well being. Some people start eating healthier foods to lower their cholesterol levels, prevent cancer or to lose weight. While others start eating healthier to look younger and some to live longer. The fact of the matter is, eating an all around healthy diet will help deal with all these things and prevent other diseases as well.

In our fast paced lives, it is so easy to get away from healthy living. If mom is working, chances are she is bringing in take away fast food or processed foods that are faster and easier to cook. She may fool herself into thinking that the frozen dinners she has in the micro wave are healthy. After all they have meat, they have veggies and even a desert there for the sweat tooth. Is it really healthy though?

All processed foods after being processed have lost all their nutrients, even if they claim to be fortified with vitamins and nutrients. For a healthy diet think fresh. Fresh fish, meat, poultry, vegetables and fruit. Eat lots and lots of leafy greens as they are choc full of anti oxidants, omega 3 fatty acids and fiber and don't forget the whole grains and bran's. If you eat these foods everyday you will have enough vitamins and minerals which you need for a well balanced diet.

A simple guideline for eating healthier is to eat a variety of foods, that way you will know that you are getting all the nutrients you need. Maintain a desirable weight; avoid too much saturated fats and cholesterol laden foods. Eat foods with adequate starch and fiber. Avoid too much sugar and too much sodium and while a little alcohol is fine don't over indulge. Eat organic that way you know your food is healthy.

Foods other then what you normally eat which you can include in your diet are avocados, they contain healthy fats which improve cholesterol levels, melons are pulpy so fill you up and are packed full of vitamins, figs and bananas contain potassium and papayas have photochemical and antioxidants which fight cancer.

Walnuts contain omega-3 essential fatty acids, green veggies such as broccoli which is proven to boost the immune system and kale. Fresh berries are high in anti oxidants and beans contain protein and anti oxidants. A glass of red wine after dinner helps to fight age related diseases because it contains resueratrol and green tea which has high concentrations of chemicals the body needs. For a little treat you can also eat a small amount of dark chocolate which has a balance of fat which is not harmful to our bodies, but watch it's high in calories so control your intake. Guava is another fruit that is good to add to your diet as it contains five times the amount of vitamin C then oranges.

Studies have shown that going vegetarian is the best diet to live longer, and you can go another step further by eating your food raw, because when cooking the nutrients are destroyed or leaked out making the food useless. The best way to cook your food and retain nutrients is to stir fry as the Chinese do, but make sure you use a vegetable oil which is healthier.

If you maintain a healthy diet your whole life, you can extend your life expectancy. We all can't be that good all the time so it can't hurt to have that cheese burger from take away, just don't over do it.

Learn more about this author, Teresa Anne Ng.
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