digital garden

health and nutrition

The secret to a long and healthy life seems to be a combination of eating nutritiously and getting enough exercise. While the exercise side of that is fairly straightforward for most people, a lot of other people might be inundated with tons of fad (and usually, unhealthy) diets online when looking for ways on how they can begin eating healthier.

Please note that the things mentioned here are things I find that work well for myself, so if you have any doubts, ensure you talk to your own nutritionist before drastically switching your dietary habits.

Personally, I follow a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, so a lot of this wiki entry will be geared in that direction.

go as plant-based as possible

A plant-based diet is good for you! It is rich in vitamins, nutrients, and fiber. According to the Mayo Clinic, those who follow a plant-based diet consume fewer calories, as well as less fat, and tend to have lower risks of heart-related diseases compared to those who don't follow one.

Ideally, you should be opting for as many plant-based meals as possible, thanks to the many health benefits you can get from that choice, some of which we'll go over below. Even reducing meat consumption by having a few "meatless" meals a week could score some health points, and some savings in your wallet.

If you do eat meat, consider limiting your intake of red meat as much as possible. Red meat contains a good deal of saturated fats, and too much of them can increase your risk of stroke and heart disease.

Veggie choices:

Bok choy: Bok choy is a good source of vitamins C and K. Thanks to containing fiber, it also promotes good digestive health.
Corn: Corn is high in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. It can also promote good eye and digestive health.
Kale: Kale is high in nutrients such as potassium, folate, fiber, and calcium. It also contains the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which can reduce the risk of macular degeneration.
Lettuce: Lettuce contains beta carotene (aka vitamin A), aiding in promoting good health for your bones, eyes, and skin. It also contains folate (aka vitamin B9), which is good for red blood-cell formation and growth. Folate is also great for reducing the potential for certain birth defects during early pregnancy.
Onions: These are a good source of antioxidants, contain nutrients and anti-inflammatory properties, antibacterial capabilities (thanks to containing allicin), and they also contain vitamin C. They can even help with regulation of blood sugar levels and improve your digestive health.
Potatoes: These hardy plants are free of fat, cholesterol, and sodium. They are a good source of potassium and fiber, they are readily available, and they go great with anything - they can be cooked in many different ways!

Fruit choices:

Apples: Apples are tasty, and to make things better, they're rich in fiber and flavinoids, promoting heart health, aiding in digestion, and more. Thanks to antioxidants contained in them, apples can also slow the growth of cancer cells, improve protection against type 2 diabetes, and improve immune system health.
Dragonfruit: Dragonfruit (aka pitaya) is high in oligosaccharides, which builds good bacteria in your body (for example, flora), helping promote good digestion. It further helps digestive health by being dense in fiber.
Grapes: These are known to promote good brain and heart health. Grapes are also high in vitamins and minerals known to help improve bone health and immunity. A quick and easy snack!
Lemons: Lemons are known to aid in the reduction of heart disease risk, kidney stones, anemia, and cancer. Thanks to their unique taste, they're also frequently added as flavoring to dishes and drinks. Be honest, who doesn't love a good lemonade?
Oranges: Oranges contain vitamin C, which can help in the formation of cartilage, blood vessels, and collagen in your body. They can also help fight inflammation and give a nice boost to the body's immune system.

Whole-grains choices:

Bread: Whole-grain breads are processed quite minimally in comparison to other breads (for example, white bread), which are often processed with refined flour. Whole-grain breads can contain prebiotics, fiber, and micronutrients such as iron and zinc.
Brown rice: Brown rice goes great with many dishes. It is high in dietary fiber, aiding in lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure.
Oats: Oats are high in fiber, and can help reduce the risk of heart disease. They can be made in a lot of ways, including oatmeal, oat milk, oat cookies or muffins, and more!
Quinoa: Quinoa contains high amounts of protein and fiber. It has a similar texture to rice, and due to its health benefits, is often used as an alternative to something like white rice.

avoid fast food

I get it, fast food joints are everywhere, they're convenient thanks to drive-throughs, and they allow you to swap money for food in a matter of minutes, without ever having to get out of your car if you don't want to. However, fast food has some downsides you should think about if you are thinking about trying to eat nutritiously.

This is because fast food tends to be quite high in things like sugar, fat, and calories, and low in anything nutritional. Frequently eating fast food has been associated with the promotion of insulin resistance, which can result in the development of type 2 diabetes. It can also lead to premature heart disease and high blood pressure.

Fast food companies these days also want to get you to come spend more often, by coercing customers into downloading nonfree software applications and sending frequent notifications about "Special Deals" and racking up "loyalty points" for savings.

Note that the "nonfree" used in the above point doesn't mean "free" as in cost - we use "gratis" to describe that. In the free software world, we refer to free software as described by the Free Software Definition - software that respects the Four Freedoms and the user's privacy.

To paraphrase a great Richard Stallman quote - fast food is for fasting, not for eating!

alternatives to meat for protein

If you want to consider more of a plant-based diet, you don't need to worry about sacrificing your protein intake! There are plenty of options for receiving your protein should you choose to go meatless. Let's take a look at a few:

Eggs: Eggs are a great source of protein! Not only that, but they can also be beneficial in lowering the risk of breast cancer, aiding in prevention of macular degeneration, and aiding in managing weight!
Legumes: Legumes include a range of foods such as lentils, beans, peanuts, and chickpeas. Not only do they contain protein, but they also are packed with other nutrients such as potassium, iron, magnesium, and calcium.
Soy: Whole soy foods include a range of healthy things too! Tofu, tempeh, edamame, soymilk, and more are in this category. Soy products are a complete protein, and can also help with things such as heart health, cholesterol, and more!
Seeds: Many kinds of seeds pack a healthy one-two punch of healthy fats as well as protein. Some good choices here include sunflower seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds.
Tree nuts: In this family are things like pecans, almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia, etc. These are full of not only protein, but also fiber, monosaturated fats, and vitamin E.

drink plenty of water

This should go without saying - but make sure you stay hydrated! Drinking plenty of water is crucial to keeping up several important body functions.

Water is the chief chemical component of the human body - making up to 70% of your body weight. Water is the fuel for our bodies, just as our vehicles depend on gasoline!

Water handles some of these crucial functions in our bodies:

Regulating our body temperature.
Getting rid of waste in the body.
Protect our tissues.

You've probably heard the age-old wisdom to try to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day - a good goal, and easy enough to keep in mind. Keeping on top of your water intake will help you not only keep your body's systems in tip-top shape, but will also keep you from risk of getting dehydration.