EAT YOUR VEGGIES

A study by the Harvard University has revealed that eating those colourful vegetables helps us to become more optomistic. It is not certain as to why this is so. But colorful vegetables are full of carotonoids and antioxidants and the people tested had higher levels in their body. So how many vegetables a day well looks like 7 is just the starting point the more the better. I have been trying for 10 that is 7 vegetable and 2 fruit. I don't always achieve it and have been a bit lax of late and you know what I don't feel as great as when I was eating more!! For me it is back to the big veg. So how will I do this first off fruit such as blueberries will be on the menu at breakfast again with a desertspoon of yoghurt. It is believed that a little fat is good for getting all the goodness from carrotenoids from both fruit and vegetables. I need to research this further but with a salad I always add a littl oil so that is good. And also for me back to the big salad at lunch time eg lettuce, baby spinach, red cabbage, greated carrot, greated zucchinni, chopped or baby tomatoes all tossed together with a touch of olive or avocado oil.

For Dinner at night with my meat or fish (all portion size) cooked carrots, sweet potato mashed with a touch of butter and half a cup of chopped herbs from the garden eg sage (good for the memory!) marjoram and parsley. Brussell Sprouts lightly cooked in water then halved and cooked in frypan in olive oil together with slivered almonds and one mild chilli chopped. (Don't overcook) Season with Himalayan salt and black pepper.

What are Carotenoid's

"In humans, four carotenoids (beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, gamma-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin) have vitamin A activity (meaning they can be converted to retinal), and these and other carotenoids can also act as antioxidants. In the eye, certain other carotenoids (lutein, astaxanthin[2] and zeaxanthin) apparently act directly to absorb damaging blue and near-ultraviolet light, in order to protect the macula of the retina, the part of the eye with the sharpest vision."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carotenoid

But for my way of thinking don't overdo things like eat heaps and heaps of carrots for example because that could be harmfull.

Happy healthy eating.