Food determines our health.
Health may include:
- how strong we are
- how flexible we are
- how healthy our organs are - our brain, heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, our limbs, our blood and every tissue and cells of our human body.
Other than air that supply oxygen to our cells, and water that help to take the essential nutrients throughout the body, the food we eat should be fresh and nutritious.
It is essential that we eat a variety of foods so that we get the nutrients that are important for different reasons.
- Foods that are important for your joints
- Foods that are important for your bones
- Foods that are important for your muscles
- Foods that are important for all your organs.
It is good to have nutritious food in right amounts that is neither excess nor less.
It is good to focus on the food while you eat since your mind, your concentration, effectively your brain determines what harmones to be secreted and how the food is digested and how the nutrients are transported to each part of your body. Apart from proteins that is required for your muscles, and minimum fat required for your skin and some dietary fiber that helps in avoding constipation, Vitamins and minerals are important for your organs, harmone secretions, and quite a lot of reasons.
It is important not to take too much carbohydrates, fats, certain vitamins and salts in excessive amounts. In order to maintain balance of nutrients, it is better to diversify your food intake.
Change your staple food quite often. Rice to Wheat to Maize to Millets. Vary the pulses, vegetables, fruits, roots, nuts and seeds you consume.
Having early and good breakfast and having your lunch and dinner at right intervals and then filling the gaps with fruits and nuts servings, is a tradition followed in most locations across the world. All you need to follow the same old good habits and avoid falling prey to the modern day junk food consumption style at unusual times when your body is not ready to digest and consume food.Consume home made fresh food and avoid the stored and preserved food. Table below may help to figure out a combination of food everyday
| Food Item | Major Nutrients | Vitamins and Minerals |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | Protein 2.3% | Magnesium, Vitamin B-6, Iron |
| Wheat | Protein 13% Dietary fiber | Manganese, Phosphorus and Niacin |
| Finger Millet or Ragi | Protein 6% Carbohydrates 70% Dietary fiber 15% | Rich in Calcium. Rich in Minerals compared to Rice and Wheat. Rich in Amino acids |
| Corn or Makkai or Makka Cholam | Protein 3.4% Fat 2% | Potassium, Iron, Zinc, Magnesium, Phosphorus, and Selenium |
| Sorghum or Jowar or Jowar Cholam | Protein 22% Fat 4% | Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Iron, and Zinc. |
| Sago or Javvarisi | Carbohydrates-94% | Calcium, Iron |
| Red gram or Toor Dal | Protein 22% Fat 2% Dietary fiber | Rich in Potassium, Iron, Folic acid, Vitamin C, Vitamin B1, Magnesium, Vitamin B6 and Calcium |
| Black gram or Urad or Urad Dal | Protein 24% Fat 1% | Magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus and calcium |
| White beans | Protein 10% Fat 0.3% | Rich in Iron, Copper, Folate, Potassium. Contains Potassium, Magnesium, Zinc, Calcium |
| Green gram or Moong or Moong Dal | Protein 24% Fat 1% | Calcium, Iron, Vitamin B-6, Magnesium |
| Boiled Moong | Protein 3% Fat 1% | Folates(Vitamin B9), Niacin (Vitamin B3), Riboflavin(Vitamin B2), Thiamin(Vitamin B1), Vitamin C |
| Raw Sprouted Whole Moong | Protein 24% Fat 1% Dietary fiber | Vitamin C |
| Chick peas or Channa or Sundal | Protein 16% Fat 6% | Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Folate, Pottasium, Vitamin B6, Calcium |
| Channa Dal (split) | Protein 10% Fat 2% | Vitamins and minerals gets lost when Channa split into Dal |
| Rajma cooked | Protein 22% Fat 1% Dietary fiber | Rich in Pottasium. Should not be taken raw. needs to be properly cooked |
| Cowpea or Karamani or lobiya or Thatta Payir | Protein 23% Fat 1% Dietary fiber | Iron, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc |
| Butter beans or Lima beans boiled | Protein 8% Fat 0.4% Dietary fiber | Vitamin C, Thiamine, Magnesium, Zinc, Iron |
| Soya Bean | Protein 43% Fat 19% | Iron, Carotene, Lysine, Folic acid |
| Black Pepper | Protein 11% Fiber 25% Fat 3% | Rich in Vitamin A Vitamin C Calcium Potassium |
| Mustard | Protein 1% | Vitamin K Vitamin C Sodium |
| Cumin or Jeera | Protein 18% Dietary Fiber 11% | Very rich in Iron, calcium and magnesium. Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 |
| Green Beans | Protein 2% Fiber 3% | Vitamin C |
| Broad Beans or Avarakkai | Protein 7.6% Dietary Fiber 5% | Folate, Manganese, Nagnesium, Copper, Phosphorous, Potassium, Iron, Thiamine, Zinc |
| Brinjal | Protein 1% Dietary Fiber 3% | Folates, Copper, Manganese, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K |
| Carrot | Protein 1% Fiber 2.8% | Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Biotin, K1, Potassium |
| Drumstick Pods | Protein 2% Fiber 3% | Very rich in Vitamin C more than required for a day. Has Vitamin B5, Manganese, Magnesium |
| Drumstick Leaves | Protein 9% | Very Rich in Vitamin A and Manganese. Rich in Iron. Contains Calcium and Potassium |
| Radish | Protein 1% | Rich in Vitamin C |
| Potato | Protein 2% Fiber 2% | Rich in Potassium, Vitamin C, Folate, and Vitamin B6 |
| Ladies Finger or Okra or Vendakkai | Protein 2% Dietary Fiber 3% | Vitamin C, Vitamin A |
| Beet root | Protein 1% Dietary Fiber 3% | Contains Potassium. Small amounts of Vitamin C, B6, Iron and Magnesium |
| Chow Chow | Protein 1% Dietary Fiber 1% | Vitamin C, Iron, Magnesium |
| Onion | Protein 1% | Vitamin C, B6, Potassium |
| Small onion or red pearl onion shallot chinna vengayam Ulli | Protein 2.5% Dietary Fiber 3% | Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin C and Manganese. Has small amounts of Thiamine, Vitamin B5, calcium, iron, phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium and Zinc |
| Green chillies | Protein 12% Fat 4% | Very rich in Vitamin C. Has good amount of Vitamin K and Vitamin B6. Has traces of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Potassium, Copper, Manganese, Niacin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus |
| Bottle Gourd or Lauki or Podalangai | Protein 0.5% Dietary Fiber | Vitamin C, Zinc, Potassium |
| Ridge Gourd or Peerkankai | Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B-6, Magnesium | |
| Bitter Gourd or Pavakkai | Protein 3% | Very Rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Magnesium, Pottasium. Contains Iron |
| Scarlet Gourd or Ivy gourd or Kovakkkai or Indian Tindora | Protein 1% | Rich in Vitamin A |
| Garlic | Protein 8% Fat 0.6% Fiber 5.5% | Rich in Vitamin B6, Manganese,Vitamin C, Selenium, Zinc, Copper, Phosphorous, Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Manganese, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin |
| Ginger | Protein 2% Fat 1% Dietary Fiber 2% | Vitamin C, Vitamin B-6, Magnesium, Potassium |
| Capsicum or Bell peppers | Protein 2% Dietary Fiber 1% | Very rich in Vitamin C, 4 times of what is required daily. Rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin B-6, and Potassium. Contains Iron and Magnesium |
| Coriander or Cilantro or Kothumalli | Protein 2% | Very rich in Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin C. Rich in Vitamin E, Riboflavin and Folate. Contains Manganese, Copper, Potassium, Iron, Calcium |
| Pudina | Protein 4% | Rich in Vitamin C, Iron, Magnesium, Vitamin A, Calcium, Potassium. Contains Vitamin B6 |
| Curry Leaves | Protein 6% Fat 1% Fiber 6% | Rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron |
