Nutrition
You can do your Heart Smart Minute exercises daily, but if you aren’t eating the right nutrition, you are missing a major component of your overall health and fitness. We all know that flu season is here and all your friends and co-workers are coughing and sneezing all over the office.
Here are some Heart Smart Minute Nutrition tips to increase your immune system, improve your overall fitness and make sure you are standing strong against the flu!
Heart Smart Minute Nutrition Tip #1:
Oily Fish (Salmon, Tuna, Trout): This Heart Smart Minute Food is rich in omega-3 fatty acids which reduces inflammation, and increases white blood cells which fight off infection.
Heart Smart Minute Nutrition Tip #2:
Scallions, Onions, Garlic, Leaks (eat them cooked): This Heart Smart Minute Food is packed with antioxidants to fight infections and bacteria.
Heart Smart Minute Nutrition Tip #3:
Nuts: This Heart Smart Minute Food is high in zinc, selenium, and magnesium which stops infections. Nuts are also loaded with protein to curb your cravings and help to reach your fitness goals. Plus they have minerals to increase your heart health and decrease your chance of diabetes.
Heart Smart Minute Nutrition TIp #4:
Beans: This Heart Smart Minute Food is one of the best foods you can eat–and do so three times a week! Beans are a nutrient dense carb, which means you are getting tons of benefits such as an increase in your white blood cell count to help you fight off any infection.
Heart Smart Minute Nutrition Tip #5:
Greens: Your Heart Smart Minute nutrition and fitness plan should definitely include leafy greens–with less than 100cal per pound, leafy greens protect blood vessels, and help reduce inflammation in your body.
Adding antioxidants to your Heart Smart Minute nutrition and fitness plan, will help keep your body, running at its maximum performance level. Antioxidants help rid the body of harmful bacteria, that can leave you feeling sluggish or sick.
Here are the RDAs for some antioxidants:
Zinc: 11 milligrams for men, 8 milligrams for women. If you are a strict vegetarian, you may require as much as 50% more dietary zinc.
Selenium: 55 micrograms for men or women.
Beta-carotene: There is no RDA for beta-carotene. But the Institute of Medicine says that if you get 3 milligrams to 6 milligrams of beta-carotene daily, your body will have the levels that may lower risk of chronic diseases! How’s that for a Heart Smart Minute Nutrition tip.
Vitamin C: 90 milligrams for men, 75 milligrams for women.
Vitamin E: 15 milligrams for men and women.
Quercetin: a plant-based chemical (phytochemical) found in apples, onions, teas, red wines, and other foods. It fights inflammation and may help reduce allergies. It’s hard to take advantage of summer fitness activities when your allergies are acting up–load up on your quercetin rich nutrtion to keep your sinuses free and clear.
Luteolin: a flavonoid found in abundance in celery and green peppers. It also fights inflammation and one study showed it may help protect against inflammatory brain conditions like Alzheimer’s.
Catechins: a type of flavonoid found in tea. Catechins in tea may help reduce risk of heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.
