Remember when you were young and your only complaint in the morning is that you didn’t want to get up from bed. Now you wake up in the morning, first thing you do is stretch and say ouch.
Every time you take a step, something is popping or cracking. Then, when we finally make it to the bathroom, we stare at ourselves in the
mirror. We look at our tired puffy eyes, wrinkles, gray hairs, etc. And if that wasn’t enough, even if we slept eight hours, we are still exhausted.
What we would give to feel young and full of energy again. Many of wonder how is it that some people can be 40 and look 20. How they can be so full of energy and have a hectic schedule? What is their secret, what are they doing different? Well, it’s easy, they take care of themselves. They eat right; avoid habits such as smoking, excessive alcohol drinking, junk food, fast foods, etc.
Some of us may call them health nuts. But they are nut, they are the smarts ones. They take care of themselves and do everything possible to add years to their lives. One of the ways they keep young is by exercising daily. Yes, some may spend a lot of time in the gym but others actually just walk 30 – 45 minutes a day. They drink lots of water and avoid soft drinks or those energy drinks found in the market nowadays.
However, the secret is in the foods they eat daily. First, they avoid greasy foods, sweets, fast foods, excessive salt, etc. They stick to a more nutritional diet. They eat lots of vegetables, fruits and fish. A lot of them will avoid red meat completely. After all it really isn’t that healthy, no matter how lean it is. They may eat poultry but in small amounts. Of course, fruits and vegetables are not enough so they eat plenty of legumes. There are many to choose from and give you as much or more protein then eating meats.
A healthy diet can do so much for a person, not just keep you looking young and full of energy. Eating a healthy diet can reduce the risk or eliminate the possibility of certain diseases. Imagine, not having to suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems, cholesterol, arthritis and cancer. Studies have shown, time after time, that eating a proper diet can do wonders for a person.
Right now, the majority of us eat lots of processed foods because it’s convenient and easy. It’s time we start eating right. If we don’t want to do it for ourselves, how about doing this for our children? Today, our kids are obese, suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure at a very early age. Let’s think about them and teach them the proper way to eat and the right foods to eat. We can do this, by doing it with them. Make it a family choice. Here are few of the foods you can eat and what they can do for you:
- Apples are full of antioxidants, helps reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
- Carrots have beta-carotene that converts to vitamin A for healthy skin and eyes
- Red grapes to help improve your memory
- Oatmeal to help lower and maintain a low LDL cholesterol level
- Eggs which are rich carotenoids, choose those with omega-3, great to reduce inflammation
- Guava which helps keeps your blood pressure normal
- Walnuts has omega-3 and eating them regularly helps reduce coronary heart disease
These are just the tip of the iceberg and they are tasty. Don’t think for one moment that we will lose out on anything because we switch to a healthy diet. In reality, after a couple of weeks, we would notice a big difference. Lots of energy, less aches and pain, healthier and weight loss, what more can we ask for? Oh, not to forget, a few more years to spend with our loved ones and enjoy life a bit more. Why wait a minute, start today. Remember that saying, “An apple a day will keep the doctor away”? Well eating right and exercising will keep you out of the doctor’s office.