Balance your diet
Feeling lethargic and run down does not necessarily mean that you are ill, but it can have a profound effect on your day-to-day life. The causes of these symptoms are diverse: you may not be taking enough exercise, you may not be getting enough sleep or you may be suffering from anxiety. Or, you may be eating the wrong kinds of food. Excessive amounts of sugary foods, such as cakes and biscuits, or of sweetened drinks such as colas, produce a temporary sugar-high but in the long term your energy levels will be greatly reduced.
Another food-related problem, a common digestive complaint, is constipation. This is often caused by a lack of dietary fibre. So be sure to eat plenty of wholewheat breads and cereals, dried beans and peas and fresh fruit and vegetables.
Why breakfast is so important
While you sleep, your body is on a mini fast, and blood sugar levels are low. A breakfast of complex carbohydrates in the form of unrefined cereals or wholemeal bread will recharge blood sugar levels and provide the energy you need until lunch time.
Choosing a varied diet
Normally, during the course of the day, the foods people eat come from more than one food group. If you eat cereal and fruit for breakfast, soup and a sandwich for lunch, and fish or meat, potatoes and vegetables for the main meal, you will have achieved a healthy and varied diet. But most people find it impossible to eat a balanced diet every day. Special occasions, vacations, illness or pressures of work can all play havoc with your diet.
But do not let food become an obsession. The secret of a good diet is not to count your calories but to eat the right balance of foods over a period of three or four days. If you overindulge in chocolate one day, spend the next couple of days following a diet that is low in fat and rich in vegetables and fruit, while avoiding sugary desserts.
Foods to prevent anaemia
Exhaustion and shortness of breath may be due to anaemia, which can result if you are not eating enough foods containing iron. Animal products such as fish and red meat are the best sources. Green vegetables are good sources but need to be consumed with vitamin C, for example, by drinking orange juice with your meal.
Foods to alleviate constipation
An inability to pass stools can be the result of eating too many refined foods and not enough fibre. Eating unprocessed wheat bran makes faeces bulkier and stimulates bowel function.
Satisfying snack
Two wholewheat biscuits provide 140 calories but they also offer fibre.
Below are some common health problems caused by a lack of specific nutrients in the diet and somerecommended foods to help alleviate the symptoms. There can be other causes for each of these conditions, however, so adapting your diet may solve only part of the problem. If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.
:.
| Problem
Sore tongue, cracked corners, dry or cracked lips,recurrentulcers |
Possiblecause
Vitamins B12,B2.B6, Folic acid |
You may need
Yeast extract, potatoes, pork, milk,spinach, fortified breakfast cereal |
| Bleeding gums | Vitamin C | Citrus fruit,sweet peppers, potatoes |
| Dry and rough skin | Vitamins A,B2,E,essential fatty acids | Milk , green and orange veg,vegetable oil,fish |
| Thinning, flat,mishappen nails | Iron | Red meat, wholemeal bread |
.
