Guidelines for healthy eating

1. Raw Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables have high amounts of water, fiber, vitamins and minerals making it easy on your digestive system. Eating more raw than cooked vegetables are better for you because the more they are cooked the less the nutrients there are. Cook vegetables with as little water or fat as possible.

2. Meat and Seafood

Eat fresh meat and seafood with skin and fat removed. Also, eat less of red meat and eat more chicken and fish. This helps in controlling cholesterol.

3. Food Combinations

Do not eat fruit after any other food or on an empty stomach. Fruits take 20 minutes to digest whereas other foods take 1-2 hours. When eaten one after another fruits ferment in the stomach while waiting for other foods to digest. This can cause bloating, belching and other non-desirable side effects. It is therefore recommended to eat fruits 20 minutes before your meal or 1-2 hours after your meal. Also, eating protein (dairy foods, fish) and carbohydrates (bread, pasta) with salads or raw or lightly steamed vegetables will help prevent or eliminate many common digestive problems.

4. Drinking Water

Drinking plain water and not fluids is best to keep the body healthy and functioning properly. Flavored water(e.g. lemon juice added) requires digestion by the body causing extra work to be done by your system. To know how much water you need to stay healthy follow this simple formula: -divide your body weight by 3 -the answer is the number of ounces of plain water you need to drink daily to help your body stay properly hydrated Thus, by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, cutting fat in your meat and fish and drinking plenty of water you can maintain good health Insha Allah. Also, by eating foods at the right time and combining certain foods you can help to decrease or eliminate many digestive problems. Exercising regularly also helps to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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