Healthy meals help protect against chronic noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Try to eat a variety of foods and limit salt, sugars and saturated and industrially-produced trans-fat. 떡볶이밀키트
Try this easy Apricot Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Recipe, a lightened up comfort food with fresh vegetables and heart-healthy ingredients!
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are versatile and easy to incorporate into a healthy diet. Slice them up and add to a salad or use as a tasty crunch in wraps and sandwiches. They can also be dipped into hummus or salad dressing for a tasty treat. Or, blend cucumbers into a green juice to help meet your daily requirement for fruits and veggies.
Adding cucumbers to your diet can protect you against some serious diseases. For example, a naturally occurring plant compound found in them called lignans has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease by fighting atherosclerosis, according to research. They are also rich in vitamin K, which helps preserve bone health and works with calcium to keep your blood clotting correctly.
Cucumbers have a low glycemic index rating, so eating them regularly can help people with diabetes control their insulin levels better. They are also a great source of potassium, which can help lower high blood pressure by counteracting the effects of sodium.
Garlic
Garlic is a versatile and tasty addition to many meals. It is part of the onion genus Allium and adds flavor to soups, salad dressings, stews, and pasta dishes. Garlic is also an effective ingredient to have on hand throughout cold and flu season to help support immune function.
Eating garlic regularly is associated with reduced rates of heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer. It can boost the body’s natural antioxidant defenses, reduce oxidative stress and promote brain health.
Garlic contains the sulfur-containing compounds allicin and allinase, which provide the vegetable with its savory flavor and health benefits. In a study published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, short-term heating of garlic was found to deactivate these two enzymes, reducing the beneficial effects of this powerful vegetable. When cooking with garlic, avoid adding it to the diet on an empty stomach, as it may cause gas and bloating in people who have digestive conditions like IBS.
Kale
A superfood, kale is high in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C, K, folate and carotenoids. It is also a good source of fiber.
It contains sulfur, which is a natural detoxifier that helps the liver remove toxins from the bloodstream. It also contains isothiocyanates, which have been shown to help the body at a cellular level to fight free radicals and promote healthy aging.
You can add kale to smoothies, soups and salads, or use it as a wrap. It’s a hearty green that holds up to cooking well, so try it sauteed, roasted or wilted in soup. It’s available at most grocery stores and farmers markets and makes a beautiful garnish for meat dishes. Be sure to choose organic varieties, as kale is among the most heavily pesticide-sprayed crops. Try Tuscan or Russian red kale, which have a mild and earthy (not bitter) flavor. Also look for curly kale, which has thicker leaves that are better suited for steamed or stir-fried dishes.
Onions
Whether they are raw or cooked, onions (Allium cepa L.) pack a lot of flavor and health benefits. Onions are a member of the allium family, along with garlic, leeks, scallions and shallots, and they have antifungal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
Onions are high in quercetin, an antioxidant that has been shown to block some cancer-causing elements. They help lower blood cholesterol, prevent heart disease and clogged arteries, boost immune function and help the body eliminate heavy metals like lead and arsenic.
The sulfur compounds in onions also promote bone density and inhibit the formation of ulcers in the stomach. Adding onions to meals is a convenient way to increase the amount of vegetables you consume each day. Onions are a source of fiber, and they contain a special type of soluble fiber called oligofructose, which helps promote healthy bacteria in the digestive tract. They also help reduce the bad bacteria that can cause gastric ulcers.