Healthy Living Through Healthy Living Through Fruit & Vegetables Fruit & Vegetables “The Healthy Alternative”“The Healthy Alternative”

What is Healthy Living?

• Healthy Living is about making healthy choices every day; healthy choices that keep us fit physically, mentally and spiritually. Eating well, being physically active and not smoking are three of the best things we can do to stay healthy. By staying healthy we can help prevent chronic diseases and reduce our risk of becoming ill or seriously injured.

• Living healthier is a personal choice, but everyone has a role to play. Individuals, families, communities, governments and other organizations can work together to create environments and conditions that support healthy living. Some examples include creating smoke-free public spaces, making nutritious foods easily accessible or developing communities and buildings that promote physical activity.

World Health Organization (WHO)

• WHO has identified low Fruit & Vegetable intake as one of the Top 10 risk factors contributing to mortality, and that adequate fruit & vegetable consumption could help prevent major Chronic Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs).

• In addition, low consumption of fruit & vegetables also contribute to hunger and malnutrition through micronutrient deficiencies, which increases the risk of mortality & morbidity throughout the life course.

Extracted from;

Promoting fruit and vegetable consumption around the world Report of a joint FAO/WHO Workshop, Kobe

Japan

Health

• Good health is the single most important thing in our lives without it any other accomplishment is meaningless and futile

• In this new millennium the key words are:– Healthy ageing – Wellness

• We are all ageing but we are not ageing well

• This can be rectified by adhering to basic principles of health . They are well documented and proven

Healthy Eating

• Food nourishes the body and gives us energy to get through each day

• Healthy eating is fundamental to good health and is a key element in healthy development

• From prenatal and early childhood years to later life stages

• Healthy eating is equally important in reducing the risk of many chronic diseases

Healthy Eating

Hippocrates the father of medicine stated simply -

“Not the doctor but nature heals”

“Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food”

• Eating well is a positive choice to make

Are You Eating A Healthy Diet?

• EVEN THOUGH MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT THEY EVEN THOUGH MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT THEY ARE EATING A HEALTHY DIETARE EATING A HEALTHY DIET

– Most people do not eat enough fruit, vegetables and fibre

– Eat too much sugar, salt and fat especially

saturated fat

– It is important to enjoy your food

– Remember that “Variety is the spice of life”

– A wide variety of foods will help to ensure

you get all the nutrition that you need

Healthy Food

• Healthy food can be:– Tasty

– Nutritious

– Prepared in different cuisines

-

Is easy to prepare

– Affordable

A conscious effort A conscious effort

should be made when eatingshould be made when eating

Cancer

• Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide: it accounted for 7.9 million deaths (around 13% of all deaths) in 2007.

• Lung, stomach, liver, colon and breast cancer cause the most cancer deaths each year.

• The most frequent types of cancer differ between men and women.

• About 30% of cancer deaths can be prevented. • Tobacco use is the single most important risk factor for cancer. • Cancer arises from a change in one single cell. The change

may be started by external agents and inherited genetic factors.

• About 72% of all cancer deaths in 2007 occurred in low- and middle-income countries.

• Deaths from cancer worldwide are projected to continue rising, with an estimated 12 million deaths in 2030.

Cancer

• Up to 30% of all Cancers are linked to a Poor Diet This is a scary statistics until you think of - “How Much Power We Have To Control It?”

• Diet is one of the few controllable risk factors for developing Cancer.

• Studies demonstrate that People who eat “A Plant Based Diet Rich In Fruit And Vegetables And Whole Grains” have significantly lower risk of developing many types of Cancers.

Cancer

• The Plant World is filled with thousands of varieties of Fruits, Vegetables, Legumes And Grains. It should be easy for people to select enough of these foods to keep themselves Healthy and running at Peak Performance for a lifetime.

• The National Cancer Institute recently approved this statement:

“Diets rich in Fruits And Vegetables may reduce the risk of some types of Cancer and Chronic Diseases”

Cancer

• While it is true all Plant Foods provide Vitamins Minerals And Enzymes important for Good Health,

A few stand ahead of the pack for their Cancer Fighting Abilities.

10 Anti-Cancer Foods

1. Tomatoes– Tomatoes are rich in Lycopene. A Plant Chemical that has been shown to reduce The Risk Of Prostate, Ovarian And Cervical Cancer– Particularly concentrated sources are in Spaghetti Sauce,

Tomato Paste And Ketchup.

2. Broccoli Sprouts – An excellent source Of Sulforaphane, a plant chemical

that may Reduce The Risk Of Stomach, Breast And Skin Cancer.

– Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage And Brussels Sprouts are also sources of Sulforaphane. Broccoli Sprouts are especially potent

10 Anti-Cancer Foods

3. Berries– Berries get their rich color from plant chemicals

called Anthocyanins.

– These compounds are potent Antioxidants and Protect against A variety of Cancers including Colon and Esophageal

4. Soya Beans– Iso-flavones present in Soya beans and other Soy Foods

such as Tofu, Soy Nuts and Soy Milk

– It helps to Reduce The Risk of Breast and Prostate Cancer by protecting cells from the harmful effects of Estrogen.

10 Anti-Cancer Foods

5. Tea – Green and Black Teas are natural sources of

Catechins, potent Antioxidants that act as a powerful inhibitors of Cancer Growth

– This may Reduce The Risk of Liver, Skin and Stomach Cancer.

6. Pumpkin – Pumpkin along with Carrots, Squash, Red and Yellow

Peppers and Sweet Potatoes are excellent sources of Beta Carotene

– Eaten regularly these power houses help Reduce The Risk of Many Types of Cancer through their potent capacity.

10 Anti-Cancer Foods

7. Spinach– Spinach is known as “The Gold Standard”

of Green Leafy Vegetables packed with Luteins, Vitamin, both powerful Antioxidants

– Spinach helps ward off Cancer of the Liver, Ovaries, Colon and Prostate.

8. Garlic

– Has been shown to Reduce The Risk of Cancer of the Stomach, Esophagus and Breast

– Mince Garlic 10 minutes before cooking to increase its Cancer Fighting Potential

10 Anti-Cancer Foods

9. Pineapple– Is a good source of the Antioxidant Vitamin C

– In addition it contains the enzyme Bromelain which may protect against Breast and Lung Cancer

10. Apple

– In addition to their Antioxidant benefits, Apples contain the plant chemical Quercetin which has been shown to Reduce Lung Cancer Risk and Slow the Growth of Prostate Cancer Cells

Summary of Anti-Cancer Food

• Each of these Foods has been shown to impact Cancer Risk on their own however countless studies indicate a synergistic effect when eaten together meaning that Plant Chemicals work together to produce a greater effect than if they were working alone.

• The Best Anti-Cancer Diet is rich in brightly colored Fruits, Vegetables and Whole Grain with an emphasis on the foods mentioned earlier.

Summary of Anti-Cancer Food

• Vegetables and Fruits are clearly an important part of a Good Diet. Almost everyone can benefit from Eating more of them, but variety is as important as quantity. No single Fruit or Vegetable provides all the Nutrients you need to be Healthy. The key lies in the variety of different Vegetables and Fruits that you eat.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid.

• The Healthy Eating Pyramid, built by the faculty in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. 

• Based on the latest science, and unaffected by businesses and organizations with a stake in its messages, the Healthy Eating Pyramid is a simple, trustworthy guide to choosing a healthy diet.

• Its foundation is daily exercise and weight control, since these two related elements strongly influence your chances of staying healthy.

• The Healthy Eating Pyramid builds from there, showing that you should eat more foods from the bottom part of the pyramid (vegetables, whole grains) and less from the top (red meat, refined grains, sugary drinks). 

5 Quick Tips –Following The Healthy Eating Pyramid.

1. Start with exercise. A healthy diet is built on a base of regular exercise, which keeps calories in balance and weight in check. 

2. Focus on food, not grams. The Healthy Eating Pyramid doesn’t worry about specific servings or grams of food, so neither should you. It’s a simple, general guide to how you should eat when you eat.

3. Go with plants. Eating a plant-based diet is healthiest.  Choose plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats, like olive and canola oil.

4. Cut back on staples. Red meat, refined grains, potatoes, sugary drinks, and salty snacks, but they’re also really unhealthy. Go for a plant-based diet rich in non-starchy vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. And if you eat meat, fish and poultry are the best choices.

5. Take a multivitamin, and maybe have a drink. Taking a multivitamin can be a good nutrition insurance policy. Moderate drinking for many people can have real health benefits, but it's not for everyone. Those who don’t drink shouldn’t feel that they need to start.

A thought to ponder:

• Experts say:

“ THE REAL KEY IN PREVENTING DECEASE AND PROMOTING HEALTH IS

NOT CERTAIN FOOD BUT A LIFESTYLE OF REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND

HEALTHY EATING”

A thought to ponder:

• Make no mistake eating Healthy-fully at least most of the time is your best defense against chronic diseases.

“ TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY AND YOUR BODY WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU”

Ingredients• Garbanzo Beans• Sweet Potato• Cucumber• Honey• Mustard• Watermelon• Cantaloupe• Honey dew

For more information:From the creator of the award winning:VEGEMANIA! and FRUITASTIC! VEGEMANIA! and FRUITASTIC!

Head on over to http://vegemaniac.com for more healthy living tips and articles!

or contact us at info@vegemaniac.com