The Benefits of a Balanced Diet

The Importance of Proteins in the Diet

It is essential to eat protein: at breakfast and at lunch, both from a caloric perspective (bread, breakfast cereals and other sugars being converted into fat) and for the synthesis of neurotransmitters.

The Roles of Amino Acids

Good and Bad Calories

Important Principles in Nutrition

• Drink plenty of water.
• Eat fresh foods as much as possible: fresh fruits and vegetables are preferable to canned ones or dried fruits.
• Chew food well: Food swallowed quickly is difficult to digest.
• Eat enough protein (at each meal): chicken, fish, meat, eggs, sprouted seeds.
• Vary your diet: Eating the same breakfast every day, even if it consists of healthy foods, can cause food allergies and intestinal dysfunctions.
• Avoid sweets (at least 5 days out of 7) such as candies, chocolate, ice cream, pastries, sugary drinks, cola, etc.

Sweets can:

• Decrease the levels of growth hormone, sex hormones, and many other hormones as well.
• Cause cavities and dental erosion.
• Promote obesity.
• Cause fatigue 40 minutes after ingestion (even if they provide immediate energy).
• Lead to study problems, etc.

Ideas for a Healthy Lunch

Many foods tend to first give a short-lived energy boost (about 15 minutes) and then, about forty minutes later, cause fatigue and excessive nervous tension that can last for hours, or possibly even extend for 24 hours.

High-protein breakfast:

• Soft-boiled egg (mollet), omelette cooked at low temperature (do not brown it = burnt) with ham (without sugar), chicken breast or shrimp.
• Bacon (unsmoked) boiled in a layer of water.
• Dry-cured or raw ham (e.g., Parma ham), without nitrates (saltpetre is sodium nitrate), without sugar (no dextrose, sucrose, maltose, glucose or cane sugar).
• An avocado blended with fresh fruit.
• plain soy yogurt (without added sugar).
• Essenian bread (sprouted-grain bread sold in health food stores).

And rich in vitamins:

• Fresh fruits: should not be mixed with other foods (except with sprouted grains).
• Sprouted grains: a variety of flavors exist depending on the type of grain and the preparation.

Dietary Supplements: 

• Fish oil supplements: omega-3s (fatty acids) are excellent for cognitive functions and mood as well as magnesium morning and evening, and 5 to 10,000 units of vitamin D.

• A multivitamin complex is recommended (organic food does not always provide a sufficient amount of minerals and vitamins).

Want to know more? The Best dietary supplements for weight loss

Vitamins and Foods

Cardiovascular Functions

• B-group vitamins :
  • Sources of vitamin B6 : soy, liver, meats, fish, brown rice, avocados, pulses.
  • Sources of vitamin B9 : liver, oysters, soy, spinach, watercress, green vegetables, pulses, cheeses
  • Sources of vitamin B12 : liver, oysters, herring, fish, meats, eggs.

Antioxidants 

• Carotenoids :
  • Source of Alpha and Beta-carotene : peppers, carrots, spinach, broccoli, lettuce, spirulina.
  • Source of Lycopenes : tomato, pink grapefruit, guava, watermelon, pomegranate.
  • Source of Lutein : leafy green vegetables : spinach, broccoli, cabbage.
  • Source of beta-cryptoxanthin : oranges, tangerines.
• Vitamin E : Hazelnuts, almonds, whole grains, egg, dark chocolate.
• Zinc : Fish, oysters, shellfish, meats, egg yolk, onion, broccoli, beans, peas, watercress, brewer's yeast.
• Copper : Shellfish, liver, wheat, prunes, green vegetables, pulses.
• Selenium : Garlic, Brazil nuts (3 per day), onion, cabbages, wheat germ, fruits, herrings, oysters, brewer's yeast.
• CoQ10 : Fatty fish, meats, broccoli, spinach, hazelnuts, soy.
• Alpha-lipoic acid : Broccoli, spinach.

Optimization of Neurotransmitters 

• Tyrosine : Eggs, dairy products, cooked ham or turkey breast, banana, avocado : THE MORNING (Dopamine and/or Adrenaline deficit).
• Tryptophan : Brown rice, meat not overcooked, dairy products, chocolate, banana, almonds, soy, legumes) : THE AFTERNOON (Serotonin deficit).