Monday, May 4, 2009

Fight Fatigue With Root Vegetables

We lead a life full of stress with little or no exercise and subsist on fast food, which further aggravates the condition. Then you wonder why people get cholesterol as early as their 30s or heart attacks at 40. Developing a healthy and strong body takes a lot of care and work. You need to pay attention at what you eat, how you eat, the amount of exercise you expose your body to, the way you sleep, the way you keep your home, the way you relax and so on. Fatigue is one complain you hear frequently nowadays. It is possible to eliminate this problem fully with the help of root vegetables. This is attributed to the fact these types of vegetables are normally rich in vitamins, beta-carotene, potassium and minerals. You will find that root vegetables are also a great source of dietary fiber, which aid digestion. For example, the common potato is excellent for boosting the immune system, the carrot is an excellent anti-oxidant and a source of vitamins A, C and E, beetroot provides calcium and can give instant energy since about 8% of its weight is actually sugar, and turnips, sweet potatoes and parsnips are known to help the body fight against cancer, heart problems and DNA damage.


Instructions








1. Before you embark on this new lifestyle, learn the benefits of each of the root vegetables you find around your home. Concentrate on places where these are sold as organically grown. The best choices of root vegetables that fight fatigue are carrot, potato and beets. Use the Internet, which has a wealth of information on the subject, and consult a nutritionist who would help you work out a meal plan that you could follow on a daily basis.


2. Space your meals correctly. As important as it is what you eat, it is important how you eat it. In order to fight fatigue, you need to eat two or small midday meals instead of a large one at lunchtime. These meals should be consumed between 11:00 am and 4:00 pm. Dinner too should be split into two smallish meals, the last of which should be consumed at least four hours before midnight and two hours before bedtime.


3. Though you need not completely revamp your eating style and type of food you eat, you need to find ways to add as many root vegetables to your diet as possible so you could fight fatigue effectively. Your nutritionist would tell you cook these vegetables so they would retain their goodness and give you a tasty dish.


4. It is very important that you buy fresh and organically grown root vegetables. Therefore, you need to find out where these are available and work out a way to buy them at least twice a week. Avoid keeping vegetables (any vegetable, not only the root ones) for more than three days in the refrigerator.


5. As soon as you include root vegetables into your diet, you will definitely feel a lot more energetic. However, this does not mean that you work more or longer hours. You need to pay attention to your body's requirements for not only nutrients but rest and exercise as well. Try to incorporate exercise in your daily routine; if not possible, allot at least 30 minutes every alternate day for some simple exercise, preferably outdoors. Go to sleep at least two hours before midnight. It is important that you go to sleep every night at the same time, so the REM is completed.

Tags: root vegetables, hours before, root vegetables, before midnight, fight fatigue