HEALTHY CHANGES:
4 Steps Towards Overall Health
Step 1:
Understanding Your "Total Health"
Step 2:
Make the Commitment
Step 3:
Assessment & Goals
Step 4:
ACTION TOOL RESOURCE CENTER
Mental/Emotional
Health
Social
Health
Spiritual
Health
Physical
Health
Step 4: RESOURCE TOOL CENTER
PHYSICAL HEALTH: Healthy Eating
A well-planned diet plays a major role in keeping
the body fit and preventing illness. In the United States, the food guide
pyramid is the regular diet recommended for healthy people over two years
of age.
A healthy eating plan is one that:
- Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products.
- Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, bean, eggs, and nuts.
- Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.
For more specific information about food groups and nutrition values, visit:
Dietary
Guidelines: HealthierUS.gov
Dietary Guidelines
Healthy
food habits can help you reduce three of the major risk factors for heart
attack - - high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and excess body weight.
They'll also help reduce your risk of stroke, because heart disease and
high blood pressure are major risk factors for stroke.
- Use up at least as many calories as you take in.
- Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most, if not all, days. To lose weight, do enough activity to use up more calories than you eat every day.
- Eat a diet rich in vegetables and fruits.
- Choose whole-grain, high-fiber foods.
- Eat fish at least twice a week.
- Limit how much saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol you eat.
- Select fat-free, 1 percent fat, and low-fat dairy products..
- Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet.
- Cut back on beverages and foods high in calories and low in nutrition, such as soft drinks and foods with added sugar.
- Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt.
- If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation.
Following these recommendations will help you achieve and maintain a healthy eating pattern. The benefits of that include a healthy body weight, a desirable blood cholesterol level and a normal blood pressure. Every meal doesn't have to meet all the guidelines. What's most important is to establish an overall healthy eating plan for the long term.
Tips for Healthy Eating
- Eat breakfast every day
People who eat breakfast are less likely to overeat later in the day. Breakfast also gives you energy and helps you think and learn. - Whole grains more often
Try whole wheat breads and pastas, oatmeal, brown rice, or bulgur. - Select a mix of colorful vegetables each day
Different colored vegetables provide different nutrients. Choose dark, leafy greens such as kale, collards, and mustard greens, and reds and oranges such as carrots, sweet potatoes, red peppers, and tomatoes. - Choose fresh or canned fruit more often than fruit juice
Fruit juice has little or no fiber. - Use fats and oils sparingly
Olive, canola, and peanut oils, avocados, nuts and nut butters, olives, and fish provide heart-healthy fat as well as vitamins and minerals. - Eat sweets sparingly
Limit foods and beverages that are high in added sugars. - Eat three meals every day
Don’t skip meals or eating a snack instead of a meal. - Have low-fat, low-sugar snacks on hand
Have good snacks at home, at work, or on the go, to combat hunger and prevent overeating.
INSPIRATION CORNER
A wealth of information on healthy eating. Your one stop source for great
articles and resources from hundreds of credible healthy eating and fitness
sites on the Web.