Powerful Foods

If you ask a random health enthusiast what the most important part of being healthy is, most people will likely tell you that it's diet. A solid diet means your body has the fuel it needs and also the chemicals or the precursors to chemicals needed to filter out and get rid of toxic metabolites that are produced from cellular metabolism, a fancy word for the 'work' that an organism does, both seen and unseen.

This won't be a long post, I just want to share with you a few of the things I've found help me to be the best man I can be.

Eggs are probably top on my list. They make an excellent breakfast and if you pair this with a little fish, it's a powerhouse combination that delivers healthy fats and oils that the body can use in many important ways such as building cell walls, producing hormones like Testosterone, and building brain tissue. Eggs also contain Acetylcholine so they are great for brain functioning. I like to buy eggs that are from chickens that are free range and fed an organic diet. It's only $1-2 more per dozen eggs and I feel that it makes a big difference both in flavor and in nutrient density.

Another staple of my diet is chicken. Chicken is a good source of protein and not as expensive as some other meats like Beef. I like to cook my chicken slowly on a low heat setting (3-4) on the stove in a frying pan with the lid on. The lid helps trap the steam and cook the meat throughout in a way that I feel makes the meat more tender and juicy. I like to cook the chicken in Coconut fat.

For snacks, I often eat a banana or sometimes have a few handfuls of peanuts. Bananas are a good source of fiber and about 100 calories each so they provide energy but not so much that you need to worry about how many you eat.

And of course, water. Water isn't a food of course but I think it fits in the category of diet because it makes such a difference in how our food is digested and delivered deep into our body's cells. It's important to have a good clean water source. This is especially important because having access to drinking water that you enjoy the taste of means that you'll probably drink more of it: a good thing. While I don't enjoy the plastic waste involved, I have been buying Spring Water in gallon bottles from the grocery store and using that primarily as my water source. I know at least in my city, there have been increased levels of Nitrates in the water, even to the point that they've had to turn on a very expensive filtration system to filter my city's water supply. These nitrates come chemicals that farmers apply to their fields and then they drain into creeks which drain into rivers...

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed my post. There are many different kinds of foods but when a person is trying to improve their diet, sometimes it helps a lot to keep things simple. Start off with a few key foods and just form habits around them. Make it like a personal ritual. I promise that you'll begin feeling different and seeing the results of putting healthy food in your stomach.

I'd love for you to share your personal strategies for health and what some of your favorite staple health foods are! Share in the comments below!

But Fresh Fruit is too Expensive!

We've all thought it! And there is truth to it. Fresh produce can be expensive, especially if it isn't in season. There's a trick that anybody can use though.

Simple.
Go to your supermarket and check the price of bananas. Even the Organic version is fairly inexpensive.

Economics is just one aspect of why bananas are awesome. They also pack great energy and nutrition into an easy to open and clean package with only 110 Calories!

Tip: Look for Bananas that are starting to turn spotted brown so they will be ripe when you buy them. If you think you will go through quite a few bananas then you may want to get some that are yellow or even green so that you have some time to eat them while they finish ripening.

The best bananas are the ones that are spotted brown. That is when they will be the sweetest because the Starch is breaking down into simpler sugars. Be careful though, you don't want it to be too mushy. A good way to store bananas is by hanging them on a banana stand on your counter. It is important that bananas get plenty of airflow so that the ethylene gas they give off won't speed up their ripening or over-ripen them.

Many people are deficient in Potassium so bananas are a great snack for almost anyone!

Great Health Benefits of Bananas:
Potassium
Vitamin C
Vitamin B6
Manganese
Fiber
Easily Digestible
Awesome Glycemic Index (approx. 52 or less depending on ripeness)

So, you see...don't let the price of fresh produce deter you from eating healthy! There are ways to eat healthy without breaking the bank.

Cheers!