Health World News and Features

Achieving a trim and fit body need not be as torturous as shunning snacks in between meals. Staying fit, after all, means providing your body with essential nutrients to keep it functioning properly.

Munching on junk food such as potato chips and washing it down with your favorite softdrink is a fun snack idea, but will it still be fun when you start looking bulky in your outfits?
The solution is simple – choose the right food and adopt healthy eating habits.

Aside from knowing the “friendly” foods, it is also best to know your “enemies” when it comes to the food you eat. High sugar, fat and sodium content has been proven to do your body harm. So try to read the labels of the food items you pick in the grocery to avoid unwanted weight gain.
We love cakes, cookies, soft drinks, ice cream, and artificially flavored juice drinks – all of which, are in the list of top junk foods we should avoid.

These are packed with sugars that turn into fat which stick to the arteries ad cause blockages leading to heart disease and strokes.

Potato chips and French fries, although they are made from potato, contain a lot of salt and fat because they are deep fried. Pizzas are also high in sodium, fat, and carbohydrates and also lose a lot of nutrient as they are cooked under high temperature.

For a “quick fix,” snacking with fruits is the best alternative. Fruits contain a variety of natural vitamins, minerals and plant phytochemicals that make them the healthiest food around.

Fruits are also ideal for weight watchers as they have very low sodium and calorie contents.

This means you can eat a lot of it without having to worry about packing extra pounds.
A 130-gram can of Del Monte Fruit Express, contains the same nutrients from fresh fruits while at the same time provides the convenience of having a ready-to-eat snack anytime.

It comes in five flavors – tropical fruit cocktail, tropical fruit cocktail with lychee, tropical fruit cocktail with passion fruit juice, tropical fruit cocktail with peaches, and golden sweet pineapples. October 5, 2005- Manila Bulletin