Food Selections that Contribute to Health

If you are trying to lose weight, or if you are just a supporter of healthy lifestyle, it’s likely that you have excluded the following foods from your diet: chocolate, butter, cheese and other products which you consider “unhealthy.” You don’t have to say “no,” however, to your favorite foods. Remember that there are “right” ways of eating them, and if you control the portions they won’t be as unhealthy as you think.

So, do allow yourself to have:

Cheese

It’s a well-known fact that some types of cheese are high in fat and, consequently, calories. But we must not forget that cheese is also a wonderful source of calcium. Besides, a lot of cheese contains linoleic acid (a “good” fat) which reduces the risk of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This is also the very acid that can be of great help in losing weight. This can be explained through one of its properties -- it blocks fat accumulation in the body.

What types of cheese can be consumed? There are spicy cheeses and full-flavored cheeses such as parmesan, fresh goat cheese and feta. For example, in goat cheese there are only 90 calories per 100 gram serving, whereas in cheddar there are 400 calories per serving.

What types of cheese should be avoided? The low-fat variety. In spite of being low-fat, such cheese still contains 20 grams of fat per 100 gram serving, so you can see that they are still high in calories. At the same time, they are relatively tasteless and therefore don’t satisfy psychological hunger.

Chocolate

In chocolate there are a lot of antioxidants that are similar to those found in vegetables and fruit; these are the antioxidants which decrease the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Despite the high fat level in chocolate, research has shown that stearic acid, which is the main source of fat in chocolate, does not promote higher cholesterol levels in the blood. Chocolate also stimulates serotonin production in the brain, the substance responsible for good moods.

What chocolate can we eat? Dark bitter chocolate is best. The larger the content of cacao beans in chocolate, the less cacao oil it has. It’s a good idea to avoid bars of chocolate with caramel, nuts and other high calorie ingredients.

Meat

Do you long for a good beefsteak? There’s nothing wrong with that. Meat is a wonderful source of protein and other substances that women often do not get enough of -- including iron, zinc and vitamin B12.

What are we allowed to eat? Lean beef, which has only 4.5 grams of fat per 100 gram serving, is the best option. Rabbit meat is also good. Poultry is good as long as you don’t consume the skin.

We should avoid high-fat varieties of meat, such as pork and veal. There are certain parts that you should also restrain from. This includes ribs and shoulder cuts, which contain two times more fat and calories than leaner pieces.

Coffee

You do not have to give up drinking coffee completely. Recent research has not observed direct connections between coffee consumption and cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure. Furthermore, caffeine relieves allergy symptoms and stimulates concentration.

How much can you consume? You can fearlessly have two to three cups of coffee per day, as long as you limit the amount of cream and sugar you have with it. You should also stay away from coffee with cream or whipped cream, which can contain up to an additional 300 calories.

Eggs

A lot of women restrain from eating eggs because they believe that eggs contain high levels of cholesterol. It’s not the cholesterol which is harmful, however, but the saturated fat. Eggs actually have very little saturated fat (less than 5 grams per egg). Additionally, the substance called lutein that eggs contain is extremely useful for good eyesight.

How many can you eat? Hard-boiled and soft-boiled eggs contain very few calories. White omelets have very few calories and contain low amounts cholesterol. You should definitely avoid eating high-fat and high-calorie eggs fried with bacon or sausage.

Nuts

It’s true that there is a lot of fat in nuts, but this is the so-called “good” saturated fat which diminishes the risk of cardiovascular disease and even can help in weight loss. People with a diet including a lot of mono unsaturated fat lose up to four kilos every six weeks. What contributes to this is magnesium, which all nuts have in large quantities and which in turn relives symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and also headaches.

What and how much can we eat? A handful of nuts (about 170 calories)