nutrition food for a healthy immune system

Foods that build your immune system are rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements and omega-3 fatty acids. Including these foods in your weekly diet can improve your energy. Some people rely on daily multi-vitamins and dietary supplements, instead of nutrition food for a healthy immune system and good supplements.

Crabmeat, lobster and oysters are all rich in calcium, magnesium and vitamin C. Salmon is an important food for a healthy immune system because it contains numerous vitamins and minerals, plus a healthy amount of omega-3 fatty acids, believed to be beneficial in preventing heart disease, cancer and arthritis. Tomatoes, peaches and apples are good sources of Vitamin C and are all foods that build your immune system. Broccoli is another food that contains numerous vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin C, calcium, magnesium.

Choose to eat more foods that are high in fiber and/or water such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and beans
Add vegetables to as many home-prepared foods as possible
Consider eating fruit for dessert.

It is believed that when you eat a protein food with a carbohydrate food such as steak and potatoes, digestion becomes impaired, since these two compounds cannot fully digest in their competing environments. Without complete digestion, nutrient absorption is incomplete. This incompletely digested food can also sit in the gut and become fodder for bacteria, which can ferment and decompose the food, causing a build-up of toxins and gas in the digestive tract. Furthermore, as nutrient absorption decreases and digestion slows, the metabolism becomes less efficient, and fat and cholesterol become more likely to accumulate.

A healthy food nutrient

A healthy and energetic body is the result of a well-balanced diet.

It is important to be aware of your food nutrient requirements, which include vitamins, proteins, minerals, carbohydrates and fiber. A diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, fish, nuts, and vegetables oils, and that includes low-fat dairy, and lean poultry and meat.

Once you begin to move beyond basic background information, you begin to realize that there's more to food nutrition than you may have first thought.

Take oat based cereal and some fruits, milk and orange juice for breakfast So, I got my whole grains, protein and fiber.

The soy bean is the only complete protein from a vegetable source, with all the amino acids. Soy bean is good for cancer disease.

Get the most food nutrition out of your calories. Choose the most nutritionally rich foods you can from each food group each day.


I hope that reading the above information was both enjoyable and educational for you. Your learning process should be ongoing--the more you understand about any subject, the more you will be able to share with others.

food nutrition : Why Do Kids Need Calcium?

Calcium is a mineral found in many foods that does lots of good things for the body.

Calcium makes bones strong. Bones may seem hard and lifeless, but they are actually growing and alive. Because bones grow most during the childhood and teenage years, these times are especially important for getting them strong and healthy. By eating and drinking lots of foods with calcium, children and teens can help build their "bone banks" to store calcium to keep bones strong for the rest of their lives.

Calcium helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition that makes bones weak and break more easily. Getting enough calcium as children or teens can help protect against osteoporosis. Although the effects of osteoporosis might not show up until adulthood, kids need to get enough calcium when they are young to help prevent it.

Bones also need weight-bearing exercise to become stronger. Activities such as walking, running, jumping rope, dancing, climbing stairs, and playing team sports, like basketball, soccer, and volleyball, help make bones stronger.

Calcium makes the whole mouth healthy. Calcium keeps teeth strong and healthy throughout life. Even before baby and adult teeth come in they need calcium to develop fully. And after teeth come in they stay strong and resist decay by taking in calcium. Calcium also makes gums healthy. Getting enough calcium as a young adult may help prevent gum disease later in life. And calcium makes jawbones strong and healthy, too.
food nutrition

by Dr. Duane Alexander

food nutrition : Milk Matters for Your Child's Health!

Your child’s bones are growing every day, and growing bones need lots of calcium. Milk is an excellent source of calcium. We hope that this book will help you learn more about milk and calcium so you can help your children grow into strong, healthy adults.

That’s because milk and dairy foods have lots of calcium and other nutrients that make bones grow strong and healthy. Children and teenagers especially need the calcium and other bone-building materials in milk because their bones are growing more than at any other time in their lives.

Studies show that most kids don’t get the calcium they need. In fact, more than half of teenage boys and girls don’t get the recommended amount of calcium.

by Dr. Duane Alexander

food nutrition : Can I trust nutrition information I get from newspapers and magazines?

Nutrition tips from different sources can sometimes conflict with each other. You should always check with your doctor first. Also, keep in mind this advice:

There is no "magic bullet" when it comes to nutrition. Short-term diets may help you lose weight, but they are difficult to keep up and may even be unhealthy in the long run.
Good nutrition doesn't come in a vitamin pill. With a doctor's recommendation, a vitamin pill can help you get enough vitamins and minerals, but your body benefits the most from eating healthy foods.
Eating a variety of foods is best for your body. Learn to try new foods.
Stories from people who have used a diet program or product, especially in commercials and infomercials, are advertisements. Remember, regained weight or other problems that come up after someone has completed the program are never talked about in those ads.


What changes can I make now in my diet?
Almost everyone can benefit from cutting back on fat. If you currently eat a lot of fat, try just one or two of the following changes, or those suggested in our handout on healthy food choices:

If you eat meat, eat it baked, grilled and broiled rather than fried. Take the skin off before eating chicken. Eat fish at least once a week.
Cut back on extra fat, such as butter or margarine on bread, sour cream on baked potatoes, and salad dressings.
Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables with your meals and as snacks.
When eating away from home, watch out for "hidden" fats (such as that in salad dressing and desserts) and larger portion sizes.
Read the nutrition labels on foods before you buy them. If you need help reading the labels, ask your doctor or your nutritionist.
Drink no- or low-calorie beverages, such as water, unsweetened tea and diet soda.
Balanced nutrition and regular exercise are good for your health even if your weight never changes. So try to set goals you have a good chance of reaching, such as making one of the small changes listed above or walking one more day per week.

Copyright © 2001-2005 American Academy of Family Physicians

food nutrition : Tips for Improving Your Health

Good nutrition is one of the keys to good health. This means making sure you regularly eat foods that have a lot of vitamins and minerals in them, as well as foods that are not high in fat.

Do I need to change what I eat?
If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you may need to talk about nutrition with your doctor:

Has your doctor talked with you about a medical problem or a risk factor, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol?
Did your doctor tell you that this condition could be improved by better nutrition?
Do diabetes, cancer, heart disease or osteoporosis run in your family?
Are you overweight, or have you gained weight over the years?
Do you have questions about what kinds of foods you should eat or whether you should take vitamins?
Do you think that you would benefit from seeing a nutritionist? (A nutritionist is a registered dietitian who specializes in nutrition counseling.)


Won't it be hard to change my eating habits?
Probably, but even very small changes can improve your health considerably. The key is to keep trying to eat the right foods and stay in touch with your doctor and nutritionist, to let them know how you're doing. Here are a few suggestions to help you improve your eating habits:

Find the strong points and weak points in your current diet. Do you eat 5 to 7 servings of fruits and vegetables every day? Do you get enough calcium? Do you eat whole-grain, high-fiber foods regularly? If so, good! You're on the right track. Keep it up. If not, you can learn the changes you need to make.
Make small, slow changes, instead of trying to make large, fast changes. Small changes will be easier to make and stick with.
Keep track of your food intake by writing down what you eat and drink every day. Use this record to help you see if you need to eat more from any food groups, such as fruits, vegetables or dairy products.
Think about asking for help from a nutritionist if you haven't already done so -- especially if you have a medical problem that requires you to follow a special diet.

Copyright © 2001-2005 American Academy of Family Physicians

food nutrition : The Four Food Groups

With the release of the new food group pyramid, there are officially five food groups. Oils and butters are now included as a food group; but for the purpose of this paper, we are still going to consider ourselves to have only four. The four food groups are grains, fruits, vegetables, meats, and dairy. Let’s take a look at each food group and discuss a few of the more important points from each group.

Grains cover a broad range of food: breads, cereals, rice, and pasta. That’s quite an array of food. Breads come in so many varieties; pita, rye, white, and wheat are the more popular varieties. Cereals are so numerous there’s not enough room on fifty pages to discuss the varieties offered. Rice and pasta are a little more limited in their offerings, but are still quite varied. Almost every choice we make in this group will have vitamins and minerals added for our nutritional supplementation. That’s a good thing, since most of us won’t consume our recommended dietary allowance, or even get close without the fortification of our milk and grain food group.

The next food group to be discussed is the vegetable group. Okay, here is the opportunity to score real nutritional “brownie” points, since it’s almost impossible to make a bad choice, or even overeat. The only members of this food group that we must be careful to not overdo are the starchy vegetables. These vegetables have a tendency to turn into sugar once consumed, and we usually don’t need an excess of sugar.

Fruits are a healthful category, so long as we remember to watch our consumption of fruits that provide too much sugar. Most fruits contain naturally occurring sugars; although these occur naturally in the food, it doesn’t mean we need to consume uncontrolled quantities. A healthy daily allowance of fruit includes about 4 servings.

The meat, poultry, fish, dry beans and eggs food group contains the protein your body needs in order to develop properly. Without protein, your brain and many other body organs do not properly develop. If not properly developed, they will not work properly. Protein is one of the most important pieces of our growth and development needs. The down side in this food group, would be the fact that animal meats have naturally occurring cholesterol, and although some cholesterol is good for us, too much is unhealthy.

The last food group we’re going to discuss is the dairy food. Milk, yogurt, and cheese belong to this food group. Again, one of the most important vitamins we need can be found in this food group. Calcium is essential to the optimal functioning our cell processes, and the growth of our bones. Calcium has a tremendous effect on the health of our heart and other vital organs. Inadequate consumption of calcium can lead to long-term life altering consequences. Osteoporosis is the leader among crippling of post menopausal women, and it is simply due to a lack of needed calcium during the earlier years.

It is absolutely necessary for everyone, children and adults to understand the importance each of these four food groups plays in our healthy development, from childhood to old age.
food nutrition

By Michael Bens

food nutrition : This Kid Nutrition Activity Includes a Food Group Relay Race

This kid nutrition activity combines learning about nutrition and physical fitness. Children who are well nourished and physically fit learn more in school. Using the five food groups, kids will learn how much of each food group they need each day, how to recognize what foods belongs to each group, and plan a sample menu.

With the technical age of computers, video games and television, there is concern that children are not getting enough physical fitness in their day. Encourage children to participate in movement games, sports, dance and exercise at least one hour each day.

First, review the five food groups with kids. Discuss their favorite food and what group this food belongs in. For example, if a child’s favorite food is pizza, ask them what food groups pizza belongs to. The five food groups and servings for kids ages 2-11 are:

Milk: 2-3 cups
Fruits: 1-2 cups
Vegetables: 1-2 ½ cups
Grains: 3-6 ounces
Meats & Beans: 2-5 ½ ounces

The serving size varies according to the age of the child. One slice of bread is one serving. Three ounces of meat is approximately the size of a “deck of cards”.

Next, have them plan a sample menu for one meal. Younger children can cut out pictures from a magazine and glue into sections on a paper plate. Older children can write out a sample menu on paper. For example, have kids plan a nutritious lunch they might want to take to school.

Finally, play a food group relay game. Make five signs, each labeled with a food group in large letters. Glue on several pictures of food from each group. Using 3” x 5” index card, put one food item on one card. Make lots of cards. For younger children, paste a picture of a food on each card.

To play the game, divide the kids into teams (no more than four teams is recommended). You need five volunteers to hold the food group signs. Have them stand a distance away from the teams, facing the teams and holding the signs up. Place a basket or bucket at their feet. Another volunteer will have a bag of food (index cards), and the first child in line will draw a food card.

When you say “go” or blow a whistle, the first child of each team runs to the correct food group, shows the sign holder to verify they are correct, and places their food card into the basket. They will run back to their team and go to the end of the line. The next player in line will draw a card and continue the relay. In this relay game everyone is a winner!

food nutrition : Empty Those Calories

If a calorie falls into your mouth, does it make a difference?

A bite of a mini candy bar here, and a taste there of a sample at the grocery store may not seem like much when you are eating, but do it enough and it adds up. You want to be careful not to taste test your way to weight gain, and consuming enough "empty" calories can contribute to that.

Contrary to the term, an empty calorie does not refer to a food that is low in calories, but a caloric food with very little nutritional value. For example, a breakfast fruit bar and a candy bar may have the same number of calories, but where the fruit bar contains fiber and some vitamins and minerals essential to good nutrition, the candy bar may be completely sugar. You could consume one or the other for the same amount of calories to burn, but in the end which is healthier for you? Which food will provide you with more energy and health benefits throughout the day? Which food will be processed better to feed your body valuable nutrients, and which food will be processed immediately into fat?

Some calories may be empty, but be assured they can be full of trouble.

Foods high in empty calories may include some daily staple, but often they are classified as "junk" foods:

Candy - Chocolate bars, hard candies, mints and gums

Soft drinks - Sodas, flavored drinks with a low percentage of juice as opposed to sugar content

White bread - Made with white flour, this starchy food has to be fortified to give the appearance of a healthy food

White rice - High in starch and natural sugars

Olios - Margarine, butter, shortening, and other spreads

Alcohol - Beer, wine, and hard liquors

Fast foods - Staples like hot dogs and burgers, French fries, fried chicken and other foods traditionally fried in fattening oils and olios

For a proper, nutritious diet, foods such as the ones listed above should be avoided or severely limited. To improve eating habits and consume calories that will prove beneficial to your body, make thoughtful replacements. For a sweet snack, enjoy some fruit instead of candy. Try a whole grain bread for your sandwich, long grain rice or a green vegetable as a side instead of white rice, and water instead of soda.

But what about spreads for your toast? Most jams and jellies could be considered empty calories as well for their high sugar contents. If you must have a spread, check labels to see what you are eating. A homemade apple butter may have more nutritional value than the squeezable bottle of grape jelly.

Such substitutions add up in the long run, and you just may find that as the empty calories go away, so will the fat.

By Kathryn Lively