Snacks are an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Healthy snacks can help provide extra nutrients and also count towards our five a day target of fruit and vegetables. Healthy natural snacks should be eaten between meals and will help towards your health and nutrition. Nutritionists recommend that healthy snacks should contain vegetables, fruit, nuts or cereal grains. They will also cost you less than buying junk food that has little nutritional value and is bad for your health. Combining healthy snacks with a good diet and exercise leads to an improved wellbeing. The five ideas below, for healthy snacks, are suitable for everyone from school children to those at work.

Avocado and cheese sandwich made with wholemeal bread. Avocados are a good source of vitamin E and C as well as being high in fibre and potassium. They also contain folic acid, an important vitamin for pregnant women. Cheese contains important levels of calcium and wholemeal bread is high in fibre.

Dried banana chips. Dried banana chips are often fried in coconut oil and coated in honey. Bananas contain high levels of vitamin A and C. They are also rich in potassium. You can often find banana chips included in muesli. Great for a carbohydrate boost.

Crackers and cheese. A very popular snack after dinner. Cheese is high in calcium. Crackers also come in wholemeal varieties and these are a good source of extra fibre.

Fruit salad. You can combine any of your favourite fruits in this snack such as kiwi fruit, apples, pear, and nectarines. This snack will help you towards your five a day of fruit and vegetables.

Hummus in pita bread. Hummus is made from dried chickpeas, garlic and sometimes tahini. Hummus contains fibre and iron; tahini is made from sesame seeds and is high in calcium.

Many vegetables are known for their numerous health benefits. Diets composed of more vegetables can reduce the risk of chronic disease and other health ailments. Vegetables can supply the body of necessary nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber that are vital for development and maintenance. Many vegetables contain disease-fighting phytochemicals, that can help reduce the risk of different kinds of cancers, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Celery is one vegetable that has many health benefits. Aside from being a source of good food, it is also used as alternative medicine. Its leaves, seeds, roots. and stems are used to treat urinal retention, kidney disease, hypertension, and even certain sexual disorders.

Celery is an excellent source of Vitamin C that is essential for promoting a healthy immune system. It also helps alleviate the symptoms of colds. Vitamin C inhibits free radical damage that may trigger inflammatory conditions like asthma and arthritis. This vitamin is also beneficial in promoting a healthy cardiovascular system.

Medical research shows that celery contains active compounds called pthalide that are essential in reducing the blood pressure. Pthalide works by relaxing the muscles of the arteries that regulates the blood pressures which allows the blood vessels to constrict. Healthy blood vessels may help prevent stroke, heart attack, and other heart ailments. The benefits of celery in reducing blood pressure is also attributed to its high contents of potassium, magnesium, and calcium. High consumptions of these minerals have been associated with reduced blood pressure.

A food regimen which contains celery may help prevent cancer because of the anti-cancer properties. This vegetable contains coumarin which essential in the prevention of free radicals from degenerating the cells which is a leading cause of cancer. Coumarins may also enhance the activity of white blood cells, these cells defend the immune system and eliminate harmful cells, including cancer cells. Celery also contain acetylenics that have been shown in some scientific studies to stop the development of tumor cells.

Other health benefits of celery may include the following:

* Diseases of the kidneys (nephritis)
* Diseases of the pancreas
* Diseases of the liver and gallbladder.
* Rheumatism
* Neuritis
* Constipation
* Asthma
* Catarrh
* Pyorrhea
* Diabetes – leaves
* Dropsy – roots
* Brain fatigue
* Acidosis (the condition of depletion of alkaline reserve or bicarbonate content of the body, celery being an alkaline food.
* Anemia, no doubt due to the presence of iron, some protein and Vitamin
* Obesity
* Tuberculosis
* Improvement of teeth, no doubt due to the presence of calcium.
* Calms the nerve and give relief in cases of insomnia.

In addition to these health benefits, celery contains many active ingredients that has made this vegetable a very important plant when it comes to promoting good health. It contains balanced content of minerals, vitamins, and other necessary nutrients. Celery also contains important concentrations of plant hormones and other essential oils that may regulate the nervous system and promote a sense of relaxation Some studies also claim that the celery is may also promote stimulating and positive effects on the sexual system. Because of the many health benefits of celery, regular consumption of this vegetable is encouraged by many nutritionists and other health experts.

A major issue for those who are trying to create a healthy lifestyle is the cost of healthy food. There are many products on the shelves of your local grocery store that are healthy,

but most of them have a larger price tag than the unhealthy, high-fat foods. There are options. If you shop wisely, you can eat healthier than you ever have before and decrease your grocery bill at the same time. Nutritious eating doesn’t need to be expensive.

Less Junk = More Savings:

In choosing healthy foods, keep in mind that you will automatically be spending less than before due to the absence of junk foods that you may normally purchase such as soft drinks, sugary snacks, and high fat meats.

Less Waste = Less Waiste:

Healthy eating is not just eliminating certain foods from your diet; it is replacing them with healthy foods. And, if weight control is your goal, you will also be reducing your portion sizes, which will mean less money spent on each meal.

Less Meat, More Veggies:

Reducing the amount of meat you eat and replacing it with vegetables is a great way to save money. Fresh vegetables are not nearly as expensive as meat or poultry and your body will thank you for it. Salad is another cheap, healthy food. The pre-packaged salads will cost a bit more than if you purchase the lettuce and other vegetables separately and prepare the salad yourself.

Frugal Fruit:

Fruit can be a somewhat expensive, but if you purchase canned fruits in low-sugar syrup or water, you will pay relatively little in comparison to fresh fruit. Apples and oranges are inexpensive compared to some other fruits and you can often find sales that will further reduce your expenses.

Beans and Rice are Nice:

Legumes and rice are very inexpensive and you can use either or both of these to replace meat several times per week.

Save on Meat:

Canned fish costs considerably less than fresh fish and still contains most of the nutrients. Canned tuna and salmon are very cheap and are very low in fat and calories if you choose the varieties packed in water rather than oil. Chicken is less expensive if you purchase a whole chicken and remove the skin yourself before cooking.

Healthy food does not have to be expensive. You can purchase cheap healthy foods and not only eliminate unhealthy fat and calories, but you can actually save money if you shop wisely.

Breakfast, like any other meal of the day, needs proper planning. No longer is it planned independently of the other meals. The three meals should be planned as a unit and balanced against the daily body requirement with enough allowance for good health.

A light breakfast must necessarily be followed be a substantial meal, while a heavy breakfast must be followed by a light lunch. If both breakfast and lunch are light, then a heavy dinner is needed.

Like all meals, breakfast must be planned to include food nutrients not provided for or inadequately found in the two other meals to complete the essential body requirements for the day.

Too often, skimpy breakfasts are blamed in lack of time. Considering that one-fourth to one-third of the day’s requirements is served at breakfast, the need for planning ahead is doubly justified.

Breakfast mean to break the fast of several hours.

The factors affecting the nature of the breakfast menu will depend upon age, sex, weight, health, and kind of activities of the individual family members. Other factors to consider are the amount of time allotted for its preparation by one or several family members, or by a hired helper and how light, moderate, or heavy other meals are intended to be. Family custom may have to contend with all of these, although strictly speaking, this must not prevail upon the more important factors.

Breakfast should always include a raw fruit because this contains more vitamins and minerals than cooked ones. Fresh ripe fruits have a rich mellow aroma that can stimulate even the most delicate appetite. It should be taken as the first course of the meal for the same reason.

Fresh eggs are good breakfast food because they are rich in complete protein, fat, iron, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins A & B, and niacin. They are also easy to prepare and digest. They can be fried, poached, soft-cooked, hard-cooked, scrambled, or prepared as an omelet.

Rice and other cereals are the main fuel contributors in breakfast. Rice is cooked plain or sautéed in small amount of fat and garlic. Corn broiled and buttered is a practical American way that can be adopted anywhere where corn is available.

Milk is the almost complete food and is welcome at any meal. At breakfast, milk is popular as a beverage or taken with coffee, chocolate, oatmeal, and other cereals. Milk should be bought from sanitary and reliable sources. Fresh milk is safer if pasteurized before serving.

Breakfast breads may be in the form of rolls, buns, loafbread, biscuits, waffles, or hot cakes. Breads can be toasted and served with butter or fruit jam like strawberry. Waffles, hotcakes, and French toast are good for heavy and substantial breakfast. Rolls with butter and jam, jelly, or marmalade are suitable for heavy breakfast, too, especially if taken with a heavy protein dish and chocolate.