Fruits are our friends

Before, the Health Institute said that we should eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day.Now 7.What you need to remember is that you need fruits and vegetables in your diet.

Fruits and Vegetables are all-stars. Not only are they low in calories and high in fiber, they also contain unique phytochemicals, or antioxidants, that boost your health. It’s more than important to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables every day to reap the health benefits. That’s because each color contains different sets of phytochemicals that provide different health benefits.

These are Super Fruits and Vegetables to Add to Your Diet

• Super Red: Pink grapefruit, red bell peppers, tomatoes, and watermelonLycopene shows promise in fighting lung and prostate cancers. Lycopene is actually more available after cooking or processing so don’t ignore canned tomato paste!
• Super Purple: Concord grapes, blueberries and prunesThe anthocyanins that give these fruits their distinctive colors may help ward off heart disease by preventing clot formation. They may also help lower risk of cancer.
• Super Green: Spinach, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collard greens and bok choyLutein appears to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke as well as guard against age-related macular degeneration. Dark green leafy vegetables are usually high in folate, a B vitamin that shows promising results in preventing heart diseases. In addition, Sulforaphane, a photochemical present in cruciferous vegetables, was found to detoxify cancer-causing chemicals before they do damage the body.
• Super Orange: Carrots, mangos, pumpkin and orangesThe beta carotenes in these orange super fruits and vegetables may prevent cancer, particularly of the lung, esophagus and stomach. They may also reduce risk of heart disease and improve immune function.
• Super White: Cauliflower, mushrooms, banana and onionsThese contain anthoxanthins and allicin, which can help lower blood pressure and protect against stomach cancer.

The First Diet Menu (2200 Calorie)

When you choose a weight-loss, make sure that you are consuming a balanced and complete diet. You have to set realistic and attainable weight loss and diet goals. Start by following the simple guidelines below.

Guidelines

1. Consume 4 - 6 small meals and snacks everyday.
   
2. Plan ahead by packing your foods the night before. Thus, you should always have fresh and low-fat foods around.
   
3. Keep it simple. Don't get too caught up on the specifics or your diet. Start by simply just counting calories.
   
4. Eat your foods slower.
   
5. Make healthier food selections like fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals, and beans, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, low fat meats, fish and skinless poultry.
   
6. Avoid foods that are high in fat and calories.
   
7. Avoid foods that are high in sugars such as pastries, candy bars, pies and candy.
   
8. Use a variety of fruits and vegetables in your nutrition plan. Start by trying to eat 5 total vegetable and fruit servings every day.

Here is a sample diet Menu (2200 calories).

Breakfast
	Amount	Item	Protein	Carbs	Fats	Calories
	12 ounces	coffee-w/caffeine	0.40	1.40	0.00	8.00
	1.5 cup	cottage cheese - 1% fat	42.00	9.00	3.00	246.00
	1 tbps	cream,fluid,half and half	0.44	0.65	1.73	19.55
	0.5 cup	fruit cocktail	0.51	29.76	0.09	114.40
	Total:		43.35	40.80	4.82	387.95
AM Snack
	1 each	apple-medium with peel	0.30	21.10	0.00	81.00
	1 each	Banana-medium 8 inch	1.20	26.70	0.60	105.00
	Total:		1.50	47.80	0.60	186.00
Lunch
	1 each	apple-medium with peel	0.30	21.10	0.00	81.00
	2 each	bread whole wheat-slice	6.00	24.00	2.00	140.00
	2 cubic inch	cheddar cheese	8.47	0.44	11.27	136.88
	.15 cup	mayo	0.32	8.47	11.77	137.37
	3 ounce	turkey breast/white meat	25.50	0.00	0.60	114.75
	Total:		40.58	53.96	25.64	610.00
PM Snack
	2 each	bread-slice rye 7 grain	10.00	72.00	4.00	180.00
	4 tsp	jelly-any fruit flavor	0.00	16.00	0.00	56.00
	2 tbps	peanut butter	8.00	7.00	16.30	190.00
	Total:		18.00	95.00	20.30	426.00
Dinner
	4 ounces	chicken breast/ white meat	35.20	0.00	4.00	187.00
	1.5 cup	rice-white cook steamed	9.00	93.00	0.00	246.00
	4 tbps	Thousand island-reduced cal. Kraft	0.00	12.00	4.00	80.00
	0.25 cup	croutons-plain	9.00	5.50	0.50	30.50
	1 small	salad-sm. Garden w/tomato, onion	1.30	9.50	0.40	49.00
	Total:		54.50	120.00	8.90	592.50

GOOD LUCK!