Many users often complain about the lack of benefits they are reaping from all the fresh fruits and vegetables they consume in their diet. There are two reasons why this might be happening. Whether your diet isn’t fulfilling the requirements for your body, or there is some problem with the methods you are using to consume fresh farm produce. Either way, you need tips which can help you maximize benefits from foods you eat.
Healthy fruits, vegetables, proteins and limited fat portions along with useful minerals and vitamins; all these things form a balanced diet. Even then it takes time for the body to reflect the benefits of food.
From the street food in Dubai to home cooked food, all of them have their ups and downs. As the choice of ingredients and way of cooking the food varies, you need to make sure it’s done in the right way or else you might be wasting a lot of nutrients. With these 10 tips to maximize benefits from food given below, you can speed up the process.
10 Tips To Maximize Benefits From Food
1. Eat raw food in the right way:
Have you ever noticed that all the food recipes require soaking, crushing or cutting the raw materials? Ever thought why? It’s because by doing these chores, you actually enhance the nutrient value of the food item. Cutting fruits results in the breakdown of the rigid cell wall and crushing vegetables like onions release an enzyme which further enhances the enzymatic chain.
2. Do you drink and eat? Don’t do that!
We are often in a habit of drinking water at the end of the meal. Drinking while eating may wash away the digestive juices and results in improper digestion. Similarly, drinking soft drinks or alcoholic beverages may not be a smart choice as well. Alcohol is known to impair the digestion of vitamin B, folic acid, and zinc.
3. Follow a diet schedule:
Take note of when you eat your meals throughout the day, and try to stay consistent. If you eat three meals and no snacks, or two meals and snacks in between, keep a consistent eating schedule as much as you can. Providing food on proper timings will keep the nutrient store full and the person active.
4. Consume produce from the fresh farm immediately:
All the fruits and vegetables get their nutrients from the soil and as soon as they are separated from their nutrients source, they start losing their effectiveness. This is the sole reason why you should consume fresh farm fruits and vegetables as soon as possible. Either grill them or stir fry them in a pan, just make sure you have them in your system before the nutrients are out of theirs.
5. Do not overcook food:
Mentioning stir frying or grilling in the above tip is an indication to the fact that you should avoid overcooking your food. The excessive heat will only burn up the nutritional value of the fruits, vegetables and meat as well. Another reason why you aren’t able to reap hundred percent benefit from the food you take might be overcooking it.
6. Pay special attention to food storage:
While storing food, make sure it is placed in a clean, dry place. Avoid contact from moisture and heat. If it’s protein we are talking about, you need to wash it properly and put it in your freezer. As far as vegetables and fruits are concerned, keep them in your refrigerator or at room temperature.
7. Are you sure you paired up the food items right? Check again!
Pairing up foods with nutrients that help you absorb another enhances the benefits they provide. The top pairs include eating dietary fats with fat-soluble vitamin rich foods, iron with Vitamin C or zinc and sulfur. The right balance of food nutrients offers the right benefits.
8. Enhance your creativity skills:
Creativity is the key to coming up with innovative and useful ideas. From your kitchen appliances to the ingredients you use and the dishes you make; everything needs innovation. If you have a handful of vegetables or a container of legumes, how you use it is your choice.
Make Italian pasta and add some extra veggies in it or stuff your sandwich with meat and veggies; the choice is yours.
9. Smoothies are beneficial and yummy, try them:
Fruits, milk, and non-dairy milks; none of the formerly mentioned ingredients are unhealthy and consuming them together would even enhance the output of these items. So what’s it going to be, a strawberry smoothie or a blueberry one?
10. Get into the habit of using the salad bars:
We all love to dine out, right? Why not make it beneficial? Along with a steak or some other healthy menu dish, you can go for the salad bar as well. Replace your dessert with the fresh slices of fruits in the salad bar and see the wonders it would do.
Did you notice something in the above mentioned 10 tips? They are more or less the things we do with a little bit extra care and responsibility. Thus, following them would actually help you enhance your body’s nutrient levels and maximize benefits from food.
About The Author: Rachel Stinson
Rachel Stinson has always had a knack for writing, food, fashion, and places. Blogging has combined all four for her with an added bonus of enthusiastic audiences. She expertly analyzes real estates and restaurants with respect to pricing and people involved and can express her opinions in an unhesitating, engaging manner.