Fast Facts On Potatoes

Throughout America, potatoes are the most popular
vegetable, even being ahead of other well known
vegetables such as lettuce and onions. You can
cook potatoes in a variety of ways, and they are
included in one out of three meals eaten by almost
all Americans. When they are prepared in a healthy
way, a potato can be an excellent source of energy
and also pack a nutritional punch.

Like oranges, potatoes are very high in vitamin C.
The fact is, one medium potato contains 45% of the
vitamin C that's recommended for good health.
Potatoes are also high in fiber and carbohydrates
and contain more potassium than a banana.

A potato is naturally low in calories and contains
no fat, sodium, or cholesterol. The skins of the
potatoes provide a helpful dose of fiber, iron,
potassium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and several
B vitamins.

You can prepare potatoes by boiling them, steaming
them, or even roasting them. If at all possible,
you should avoid putting potatoes in the refrigerator
or freezing them, as cold will turn the potato
starch to sugar and cause them to turn dark when
they are cooked.

When you store potatoes, keep them in a cool, dark
place. Too much light will cause them to turn green.
You can store them in the basement if you have
one, as the basement is the best place to keep
potatoes.

From mashed potatoes to baked potatoes, a potato
is something we all know and love. They serve
many different tasty foods, and they provide our
bodies with plenty of healthful benefits. We all
eat potatoes, some of us even grow our own. Whether
you grow your on or buy them, the potato is
the one vegetable that makes everything just a
little bit better.

Eating Healthy During Pregnancy

Starting off your pregnancy with a healthy well
balanced diet is the best thing you do for yourself
and your baby. This way, you'll only need to make
a few adjustments during your pregnancy.

Your first trimester
If you find it tough to maintain a balanced diet
during your first trimester, you can rest assured
that your not alone. Due to queasiness, some
women will eat all of the time and gain a lot of
weight in the process. Other women have trouble
getting food down and subsequently lose weight.

Preventing malnutrition and dehydration are your
most important factors during first trimester.

Calories
When you are pregnant, you need to consume around
300 calories more than usual every day. The best
way to go about doing this is listening to your
body when you are hungry. You should try to eat
as many foods as possible from the bottom of the
food pyramid.

If you gain weight too slow, try eating small
meals and slightly increase the fat in your diet.
You should always eat when you are hungry, as you
are now eating for 2 instead of one.

Calcium
By the second trimester, you'll need around 1,500
milligrams of calcium each day for your bones and
your baby', which is more than a quart of milk.
Calcium is something that's missing from many
diets. Along with milk, other great sources for
calcium include dairy products, calcium fortified
juices, and even calcium tablets.

Fiber
Fiber can help to prevent constipation, which is
a common pregnancy problem. You can find fiber in
whole grains, fruits, and even vegetables. Fiber
supplements such as Metamucil and Citrucel are
safe to take during pregnancy.

Protein
Unless you happen to be a strict vegetarian, your
protein intake is not normally a problem for women
who eat a healthy diet.

Iron
A lot of women will start their pregnancy off with
a bit of iron deficiency. Good sources of iron
include dark leafy green vegetables and meats. Iron
supplements should be avoided, as they can cause
internal symptoms such as cramping, constipation,
or diarrhea.

Vitamins
Seeing as how you get a majority of the vitamins you
need in your diet, you may want to discuss prenatal
vitamins with your doctor. Folate is one of the most
important, and if you are getting enough of it, you
may be able to avoid vitamins all together - just ask
your doctor to make sure.

Becoming A Healthy Eater

Being a healthy eater requires you to become both
educated and smart about what healthy eating
actually is. Being food smart isn't about
learning to calculate grams or fat, or is it
about studying labels and counting calories.

Healthy eating is all about balanced and moderate
eating, consisting of healthy meals at least
three times per day. Healthy eaters eat many
different types of foods, not limiting themselves
to one specific food type or food group.

Eating healthy requires quite a bit of leeway. You
might eat too much or not enough, consume
foods that are sometimes more or less nutritious.
However, you should always fuel your body and
your brain regularly with enough food to keep
both your mind and body strong and alert.

A healthy eater is a good problem solver. Healthy
eaters have learned to take care of themselves
and their eating with sound judgement and making
wise decisions. Healthy eaters are always aware
of what they eat, and know the effect that it
will have on their bodies.

When someone is unable to take control of their
eating, they are also likely to get out of control
with other aspects of life as well. They could
end up spending too much, talking too much, even
going to bed later and later.

You should always remember that restricting food
in any way is always a bad thing. Healthy eating
is a way of life, something that you can do to
enhance your body or your lifestyle. If you've
thought about making your life better, healthy
eating is just the place to start. You'll make
life easier for yourself, those around you, and
even your family.