Healthy Eating - Foods to Help You Sustain Optimal Iron Levels

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As an active individual, one nutrient you will want to ensure you're taking in sufficient amounts is iron. Iron is a metal essential to most life forms, including human. It is responsible for helping with the formation of red blood cells, which then helps transfer oxygen to and from the working muscle tissues. If you start to fall short in iron, you may experience iron-deficiency anemia, which can then lead to...

• premature fatigue during exercise,
• hair loss, and
• a general feeling of malaise.

Fortunately, if you are smart with your eating plan, you can sustain optimal iron levels. While most people think you need to eat plenty of red meat to take in the desired amount of iron, this is just not the case. Let's look at a few alternative sources of iron...

1. Shellfish. Seafood is often touted as one of the best sources of protein and for good reason. Not only does it tend to be lower in total fat content, but it's also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Now, you can add iron to the list. One 100 gram serving of clams, for instance, contains 28 mg of iron which is about 155% of your total daily intake. This amount is far more than you would get from beef.

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Also, those who consume shellfish on a regular basis may also notice improved cholesterol levels.

2. Spinach. Going vegetarian? Being vegetarian doesn't mean you have to fall short in your iron intake. In fact, spinach is a fantastic source and is low in calories; just about everyone can include spinach in their daily eating plan. Spinach is also an excellent source of antioxidants, so will help prevent oxidative damage and is great for detoxification purposes.
Spinach also loads you up with plenty of vitamin C, which will help with the absorption of the iron it provides.

It's a nutritional superstar.

3. Legumes. Legumes should not be overlooked. This complex carbohydrate is also a fantastic source of protein and will add iron to your eating plan as well. Legumes contain about 37% of your total recommended daily intake of iron per cup and will also help to lower your risk of heart disease thanks to the high level of fiber it contains.

Try swapping out the meat in your eating plan for legumes every so often.

4. Pumpkin Seeds. Finally, consider eating pumpkin seeds more often as well. Pumpkin seeds will provide you with 4.2 mg of iron per 28 gram serving (one ounce), which is about 23% of your total recommended daily intake. Also, pumpkin seeds are a source of...

• vitamin K,
• zinc, as well as
• manganese.

Don't overlook iron in your eating plan. It's easy to get caught up focusing on calories, saturated fat, and your sugar intake, but its wise to remember the essential micronutrients that play a vital role in your overall health.

Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.
For nearly 25 years, Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body. Go to http://DrugFreeType2Diabetes.com to learn about some of those secrets.
The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Beverleigh_H_Piepers/123142

6 Eye-Opening Ways To Learn To Eat Well For Life

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Is it difficult to learn how to eat well for life? You can learn no matter how difficult it may be. The benefits of learning these skills will far out way the looming fear you may have of beginning this journey.

Do you know the feeling when you are driving at night or in an unfamiliar place? This is a feeling of uncertainty that alerts all of your senses but also can bring on feelings of vulnerability. Like you are lacking confidence. This is a similar feeling for starting something new to change your overall lifestyle. It's a teetering thought to move forward into unfamiliar ground.

But, you should be excited to know that you are already daring and carrying around confidence. You have started on your journey to eat well for life because you are here searching for ways to conquer the battle of the bulge and live a more jubilant life. Since you are showing courage, you are already conquering stumbling blocks to accomplish your goals.

I am not a fan of diets because they are hard to incorporate into my routine and with my family. So I try to eat healthy, but it isn't always easy. I do a lot of things right, but not all of the time. But, then I took on a challenge to really focus on watching what I eat. As soon as I fueled that fire inside to make a solid effort, I was successful and have been able to create lifetime healthy eating habits.

6 Eye-Opening Ways To Learn To Eat Well For Life

Your reasons. First of all, you need to fuel your passion and fire inside so that you can carry that energy through the times things get rough. Figure out what your reasons are for wanting to eat well for life.

Express yourself. Next, thoughtfully write down goals that you intend to accomplish. Be very specific and time sensitive in your goal writing. Once they are written, read them everyday.

Focus. Now that you have a direction of where you want to go, keep that focus by reading your goals and visualizing yourself accomplishing every one of the those goals.

Prepare ahead. To discourage emotions getting in the way of your food choices, plan your daily meals and snack at least a week in advance. The great thing about this is that you will only purchase healthy food that you have planned to eat.

Fruit in the morning. A good way to make sure you get your fruit and satisfy your sweet tooth, is to eat only fruit in the mornings. Doing this will jump start your metabolism and give you energy without feeling lazy.

Whole grains. Choose to eat only 100% whole grains to combat extra weight around the belly. It's also a good idea to skip eating carbs a couple days a week.

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Hi, I'm Shari Carter and I am a Cosmetologist as well as a Health and Wellness Advocate. I am passionate about helping people reach their health and weight loss goals.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Shari_Carter/1907330

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