Healthy Eating
As an
athlete I know the value of eating healthy. Playing basketball and baseball I
have come across many different coaches and nutritionist that have made me
change the way I eat. Whether it’s to make me gain weight or make me lose
weight but in both instances they said this is the healthy way to lose or gain
weight. Eating a healthy, balanced diet provides
nutrients to your body. These nutrients give you energy and keep your heart
beating, your brain active, and your muscles working. Nutrients also help build
and strengthen bones, muscles, and tendons and also regulate body processes,
such as blood pressure.
Eating certain
foods can get boring and redundant. There was a time that I had to gain weight
and I had to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with meals. The process
worked I gained the weight that I needed to, but just knowing that everyday I
would have to eat that food its boring. In my mind, I’m thinking ugh, I have to
eat this again. That’s why I think that you must be happy as well. In my
opinion, one of the biggest problems with eating healthy is it cost more and it
doesn’t make you happy all the time. Usually you have to stop eating the good
stuff like ice cream and fried foods and fast foods. Although those foods make
you feel good they are bad for your body. I would recommend a mixture of both with healthy exercising.
Think about this Good nutrition can lower your risk of developing a range of chronic
diseases, For example, eating more fruits and vegetables can help lower blood
pressure and may lower your risk of certain types of cancer. Here is a list of
healthy foods to eat:
1. Kale
2. Sardines
3. Pomegranate
4. Oatmeal
I also want to
list a few different categories of foods to get for you home:
1) Refrigerated Items
i)
Eggs
ii) Feta cheese,
iii) Low fat
milk,
iv) Skim or low-fat soy
v) Orange or grapefruit juice (100%) with pulp
vi) Part-skim mozzarella cheese
vii) Yogurt with active cultures
viii)
Low fat
sour cream
2) Poultry/Fish
i)
Chicken
breast halves,
ii) Skinless and boneless
Chicken thighs,
iii) Skinless
Deli meat,
iv) Sliced and skinless (not processed cold cuts)
Salmon
fillets, Skinless
Whole fish or fillets: trout, tilapia, snapper, or sea bass
3) Frozen Food
i)
Blueberries
and raspberries,
ii) Frozen and unsweetened
Fruit
iii) Sorbet
Vanilla frozen yogurt
4) Health Foods
i)
Chia seed
ii) Flaxseed
Soy
iii) Protein Powder
5) Blue/Purple:
i)
Blueberries,
ii) Blackberries,
iii) Plums,
iv) Eggplant
6) Orange/Yellow:
i)
Carrots,
ii) Sweet potatoes,
iii) Squash,
iv) Mangoes,
v) Pineapple
7) Red:
i)
Tomatoes,
ii) Cherries,
iii) Cranberries,
iv) Red peppers,
v) Red apples
8) Yellow/Green:
i)
Avocados,
ii) broccoli,
iii) spinach,
iv) kiwifruit,
v) lemons,
vi) limes
9) White/Green:
i)
Garlic,
ii)
onions,
iii)
bananas,
iv) mushrooms
