“Healthier eating”:
There are many things
that a person can do to have healthier eating habits. They can be broken into 5 categories:
Variety, Proportionality, Moderation, Preparation and Time.
Variety means to eat a wide range of
foods. Foods should be spread across all
of the food groups in order to get the nutrients you need (Complex
Carbohydrates, Protein, some fat, Vitamins, Minerals and Water). Be sure to Limit your intake of sugar and
fats overall. Eat leaner cuts of meat,
nuts, and beans for your protein. When
drinking milk, choose low fat or fat free milk. At least half of your grains should be from
whole grain sources. Also, eat 5
vegetables and fruits a day making sure to eat different “colors”. When possible, select fresh or organic food
rather than mass produced food.
Proportionality refers to the size
of your portions. Generally, eat more of the foods from the “larger” foodgroups from “my plate” and less from the smaller food groups. Water is not included in the pyramid but your
should drink at least 64
ounces of water a day.
Also, try to eat 5 smaller meals a day rather than 3 large meals. Don’t let your eyes want to eat more than
your stomach. Choose less food for a
meal. Then, wait 10 minutes after
eating. Still hungry? Now, take seconds. In addition, when snacking..take a little of
the snack instead of the whole bag. For example, if you are eating
Doritos…don’t carry the entire bag into the living room and plop them next to
you on the couch watching your shows..
Take a little bowl of them. You
may think twice before getting extras.
Moderation means how much of
everything you eat. As with portions
(paragraph above), amounts of food should be indicative of what the plate says
to do. One should limit sweets and fats
and any foods in the “discretionary category” also known as the “sometimes
foods”. However, it is ok to eat things
like cupcakes, candy, etc…just not everyday and every meal. Example, soda intake should be limited to no
more than once a day. It is filled with
sugar and should be considered a treat.
Preparation is important because
once a food is selected, it needs to be prepared correctly to stay safe. Try to limit the amounts of salt you use when
cooking and never add salt to a meal once it’s cooked if salt was used in it’s
preparation. When cooking foods, grill,
boil, or broil rather than fry. Frying
foods sometimes is ok but not all the time.
In addition, cutting away fat from meat before it’s cooked is another
way to limit fat intake. Furthermore,
keeping food stored at it’s proper temperature, in the proper containers and
cooking food completely will help to keep food safe to eat.
Lastly, time food is eaten is
important for healthier eating. Start
every day with a healthy breakfast.
Your meals should be around the same time every day to ensure
consistency with your digestion and if possible, never eat a meal after 8:00pm
or anything right before bed to ensure proper digestion of the food eaten. In addition, eat your meals slower. Fast food was created because people needed
meals in a hurry SOMETIMES. It is not
meant as food everyday. Slower chewing
leads to better digestion and many times, your body will “feel” full before it
eats extra.
Following these tips will help you
to eat healthier which will allow your body to stay physically healthy by
providing it with the proper nutrients it needs and keeping digestion working
right.
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2 MORE THINGS. Although not eating specifically, it is very
important to stay active to ensure good Healthier eating. Why?
The more you eat, the more “calories” you bring into your body. If you eat more calories than your body uses,
the extra calories are stored as fat for future use.
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