What foods can i eat to keep healthy?!

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There are lots of great healthy Japanese food you can add to your grocery bag when shopping. The following items are some of the healthiest and best.

Seaweed
This superfood is extremely nutritious as its rich in protein, omega-3 fats, zinc, iron, selenium and iodine. Seaweed also contains potent health promoting compounds. Seaweed helps strengthen the immune system, and has anti-cancerous and anti-ageing properties.

How to use Seaweed in your Cooking
I usually add small strips to my soups, salads and stir-fries. My little boy also loves eating nori rolls with rice and tuna.

Read more on Seaweed http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/2010…

Miso
Miso is made from fermented soybean paste and contains beneficial bacteria helpful for improving digestion and strengthening the immune system. Miso is a rich source of protein, fibre and B vitamins.

How to use Miso in your Cooking
I usually use a spoonful of miso to add flavor to my soups, stir-fries and sauces.

Read more on Japanese Miso http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/2010…

Natto
Natto is a fermented soybean made from boiled soybeans and active bacteria. It has many health benefits including reducing high blood pressure and dissolving harmful blood clots.

Read more on Natto http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/2010…

Tofu
Tofu or bean curd is made from soy milk and has its origins in China. Tofu has little flavor on its own, so it can be used either in savory or sweet dishes. Tofu is low in calories with little fat. It is high in iron, calcium, magnesium and protein.

Green Tea
Green Tea is a powerful antioxidant with many health benefits. It contains a compound called EGCG, which is a substance with 25 to 100 times the antioxidant power of vitamins C and E.

Read more on Green Tea http://japan-australia.blogspot.com/2010…

Japan Australia Blog
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That's easy - just eat more fruits and vegetables and less processed, sugary foods.

A good guide is that your dinner plate should be three-quarters vegetable (including potatoes, brocolli, cauliflower, carrots, beans etc.) and only one quarter meat, or non-vegetable food.

If you eat a good balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables then your body will get all the vitamins it needs, and you'll feel better too.

http://www.basic-cooking.com/healthy-foo…

There are so many health tips out there I find it impossible to keep up. So I just have a few simple rules:

- since we all need vitamins and minerals, make sure you eat all the 5 colors of fruit/vegetables every day since different colors provide different essential nutrients: red, blue/purple, yellow/orange, green, white.

- include some nuts, beans (or bean products like tofu) and whole grains in your diet

- avoid hydrogenated oils like margarine, go easy on all solid fats (at room temperature) like butter, avoid full cream milk and cheeses.

switch from white bread to whole wheat bread
oatmeal
nuts - almond or walnuts (not the salted nuts); you can top salads with this or oatmeal or even cereal
switch from whole milk to fat free milk
fruits - apple, oranges, avocado has healthy fats
vegetables

You usually want less sugar in your diet. I would cap at 20g of sugar per day.

look at the damn food pyramid or a food magazine

Vitamins don't work. Your body doesn't absorb nearly as much from them as it does from eating regular food.

Speaking of food, learn to cook for yourself. This way you can control what goes into the dish. Don't like onions? Ok, leave them out. Like corn? Ok, add that in.

There are the FDA's nutritional guidelines about how many servings you should eat of this or that, but in general it boils down to this:

* Eat as many vegetables as you like. This includes green leafy stuff, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, etc.

* Eat at least 3 servings of fruit. Yes, juice counts - but make sure it's really juice and not just "juice drink" containing corn syrup and water that's been flavored with juice.

* Eat 3 servings of dairy. Milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. If you drink milk try to go with reduced fat, or non-fat milk. 2% milk is still pretty high in fat - in a single glass (8oz) 90 of its 120 calories are from fat!

* 2 servings of meat is OK but try to stick to leaner stuff. Pork, chicken and especially fish are good. Beef, or bacon is fine once in awhile but don't make a diet out of bacon-cheese-burgers.

* 3 or 4 breads/starches. Bread, pasta, rice etc. Try to go with whole-wheat or multi-grain. Brown rice is especially good for you compared to plain old white rice.

* Sugar and fat - as little as possible. Don't cut these out entirely but be smart about them. Don't drink soda pop - it's just sugar and water. At the same time, don't be afraid to use REAL sugar when baking cookies. Juice may have just as many calories but at least you'll get some vitamins from it. Using butter is OK - but use it moderately. Olive oil may have slightly more health benefits for you compared to regular corn oil or butter but that doesn't mean you can start drinking the stuff straight. Personally I do most of my cooking in a mixture of butter and olive oil.

Also:
* READ THE LABEL. All food items come with nutritional information including calories per serving, fat per serving, and ingredients. Do not assume 1 container is 1 serving. Soft drink companies are especially bad at this. Did you know a serving of Coca-Cola is 120 calories - but that's only for 8 oz. Those large 32oz drinks they sell at McDonalds, therefore, contain nearly 500 calories. From nothing but sugar.

* EAT REAL FOOD. Avoid overly processed food. Cook your own food from fresh ingredients. Not only will it taste better but it's cheaper and healthier for you. Learn to cook up a large batch of something, like stew or soup, then put the leftovers into individual containers and freeze them. Voila. Homemade frozen dinners you can take with you to work.

* BALANCE AND MODERATION. Don't starve yourself, and don't deprive yourself of your favorite junk food. Eating a cookie now and then won't kill you. Regularly eating and entire box, however, will. Eating lettuce is good for you, but eating nothing but lettuce will kill you. Our bodies are designed to eat a variety of foods.