Healthy Eating Important To Avoid Flu

Healthy eating can not only help prevent illness such as colds and flu, but also improve your energy level and improve your mental health according to Ara DerMarderosian, PhD, Professor of Pharmacognosy for University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and an expert in nutraceuticals and natural foods.

In a press release Dr. DerMarderosian advises the following healthy eating basics:

• Don't play "food police": Be aware of what you eat. Weight loss studies have shown that patients who keep food diaries lose twice as much weight as those who don't keep food diaries. Thus monitoring your intake makes all more likely to eat better. Be careful, however, not to monitor yourself so closely that it interferes with other important aspects of your life like relationships.




• Pay attention to your hunger: Only eat when you are hungry instead of on a schedule or out of habit. Overindulging in food may decrease your satisfaction from eating, which is how you know when to stop.




• Eat slowly: Not only do people who eat more slowly eat less, but your body has more time to to break down food and possibly prevent feeling bloated or getting indigestion.




• Avoid stress eating: Stress is a common cause of overeating and other digestive problems.




• Moderation: You can enjoy your favorite foods like sweets as long as you do so in moderation.




• Stay hydrated: Hydartion improves your immune system and hydrates your membranes that are an important component of your immune system.

These healthy eating tips may help improve your health and help you avoid the flu this season.