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Good Food for Good Health

good food for good health

The path to healthy eating begins with choosing whole foods rich in macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients include protein, carbohydrates, and fat. These nutrients allow us to build cells, give us energy, and support our bodies’ proper functioning. Micronutrients include the vitamins, minerals, and other compounds we need only in small amounts, which also help our bodies function properly and fight disease.

One group of micronutrients that has garnered attention in recent years is antioxidants. These are vitamins and other substances that boost our immune system and help us repair cells damaged by oxidization—the damaging effects of roving atoms called free radicals that split off from oxygen molecules. Free radicals are created by normal chemical reactions in our bodies, and in lower numbers are actually beneficial to the immune system. However, they become harmful when too many build up within our cells. Aging causes an increase in free radicals, as do air pollution, pesticides, alcohol and tobacco use, and fried foods. An overabundance of free radicals causes inflammation, which in turn is known to cause diseases ranging from arthritis to diabetes to heart disease and cancer. Enter the antioxidants: these substances neutralize free radicals, keeping inflammation in check. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants, therefore, is the best defense against disease and the detrimental effects of aging.

So, healthy eating means including a variety of different foods in our meals, especially a variety of plant-based foods that help us glean many beneficial micronutrients. Nowadays people like to play around with macronutrients: many find that limiting foods like meat, dairy, or refined wheat flour helps them feel less fatigued, which can be a sign of inflammation in the body. If you’re feeling out of balance and want to try an adjustment to your usual menu, a key accompanying the recipes in this book shows which recipes are vegan VG, vegetarian V, gluten free GF, or dairy free DF.

This will help you try out a macronutrient adjustment and see if it agrees with you! Dishes that include foods especially rich in antioxidants and other micronutrients are given a “superfood” label SF, while dishes that use whole grains—the unrefined carbs

that offer slow-release energy and come with their nutrients intact—are flagged

WG

.

The recipes in this book are meant to be flexible and adjustable. Changing a recipe to fit to how you want to eat can be as easy as changing chicken broth to vegetable broth or making pesto vegan by replacing the Parmesan cheese with a non-dairy version. Or, you can always turn a salad or vegetable side dish into a healthy and satisfying entrée by accompanying it with a poached egg, sautéed chicken breast, broiled fish fillet, or seared tofu.

Read on for more details about the types of ingredients that appear in this book’s recipes and the nutrition they offer. Once you understand the role each kind of food plays, you’ll be able to choose which recipes suit your current needs, as well as to create your own healthy dishes.

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The goal of

Everyday Healthy cooking is to offer super-poweredmeals with an abundance of macro- and micronutrients,helping you create your own daily menus and giving your healthy eating exciting and appealing variety.