Indulging in your food choices can be scrumptious and fun. A big juicy burger piled high with bacon, toppings, and fries, and of course, you can’t forget the ketchup on the side. Or perhaps paired with a decadent chocolate milkshake. Eating food should be a pleasurable experience, but too much of the wrong kind can be detrimental to your health.
Yes, these kinds of foods might taste good. But it’s only providing you a temporary satisfaction. It does nothing to help yourself in the long term.
Your health should be your number one concern.
So much of what we eat affects our mood, our actions, and our everyday lives. That is why it’s so important to incorporate meals that are filled the essential elements that help you thrive. For example, your meals should contain a good amount of fruits and/or vegetables.
The food that we consume is what gives us the energy to perform our daily duties. Have you been extra tired lately? Unable to perform your daily tasks? Well if your answer is yes, you’re not alone. Many people can experience headaches, fatigue, and overall lack of desire or energy to complete a given task. Even a task on some days that takes almost no effort to complete. It could be that you’re not consuming the right foods.
Here are some suggestions for healthy foods that may help combat this:
1. Chicken, Brown Rice and Broccoli Bowl
This combination of ingredients is the perfect mixture. Firstly, you will gain sustained energy from the chicken which contains a high amount of protein, this helps you stay fuller longer as the body slowly breaks down the protein. The brown rice contains high amounts of fiber which has been proven to reduce high cholesterol. Also, brown rice helps keep your blood sugar under control. So if you have diabetes or problems with keeping your blood sugar steady, brown rice may be the answer for you. Now broccoli, the age-old vegetable. We’ve all heard the saying at least once growing up, "Make sure to eat your broccoli." And for good reason. Broccoli is very good source of dietary fiber, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin E, manganese, phosphorus, choline, vitamin B1, vitamin A, protein, iron, etc. So as you can see, broccoli is a powerhouse vegetable.
2. Green Smoothies
Photo by Brooke Lark / Unsplash
Are you one of those people who can’t stand the taste of vegetables? I know it can be difficult to incorporate vegetables into your diet when you’re not used to them. Since some vegetables can be an acquired taste, green smoothies can come in handy as it masks it. Sometimes, I’ll even admit that using all the energy to chew very hard vegetables can be a bit daunting. So that’s the great thing about green smoothies, that is it goes down quick and easy. You can add whatever it is that you want to the smoothie, but I suggest using spinach, kales,(or any dark green really), with some kind of frozen fruit, such as banana, mango, or anything tropical, milk (I used plant-based milk like almond milk or coconut milk), and chia seeds. Because the fruit is so sweet, it masks the taste of the greens, therefore making it a yummy treat even though you’re getting your vitamins and minerals.
3. Avocado Toast and Egg
Photo by Alison Marras/Unsplash
The morning is often a hard time for anyone. Maybe you only got a couple hours of sleep the night before, you’re grumpy, running late, and the last thing you want to do is worry about spending a long time making breakfast. Yet you realize you need to nourish yourself, or your day will end up being futile, and you’ll run out of energy really quickly. All that you’ll need for this recipe is to toast two whole grain pieces of bread, smother it with avocado, and add an over easy egg. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper and it’s as easy as that. This breakfast provides you with protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Made in under ten minutes, it’s the perfect sustainable breakfast for an on the go person.