Healthy Eating Resource Guide
Eating a healthy diet is important for young and old alike. Did you know that by the age of three changes are often already occurring in a child's arteries? Many health problems are associated with our diet including heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers and high blood pressure. Often these diseases stem from our childhood. Childhood obesity is on the rise and it can cause many difficulties later in life. When parents offer children healthy food at home and partake of it themselves, everyone learns healthy eating habits that will benefit them throughout their lives.
Eating Properly
Eating healthy is not always easy. People get so busy sometimes that they are "starving" by the time they find the nearest fast-food restaurant and they make bad food choices. Eating healthy can be as simple as adding more vegetables, fruits and whole grains to your diet while cutting back on foods filled with sugar, salt, and fat. Variety is "the spice of life" and choosing a variety of foods from each food group will help you to get more of the nutrients your body needs. For example, instead of eating an apple every day choose a different fruit for each day of the week. If you eat a balanced diet including all of the food groups, you will provide your body with nutrients, minerals and vitamins that will help you to have more energy and to feel better overall. Eating a healthy diet also helps you to better deal with stress.
Dieting
Diets are temporary while healthy eating is a way of life that can be quite enjoyable. Most diets make you give up something such as carbohydrates or sugar. Many diets severely restrict your caloric intake which can leave you feeling hungry all the time. When you're always hungry you tend to obsess about food. When you greatly reduce your food intake your body feels threatened and attempts to protect itself by slowing your basal metabolism (rate at which calories are burned by your body when at rest). Weight loss actually becomes more difficult. Gradual changes in your diet are an important way to combat this effect. If you eat a healthy, balanced diet involving all the food groups, you are more likely to feel satisfied instead of deprived. When you combine healthy eating with exercise, you can often achieve a healthy weight and be better able to maintain it.
Major Food Groups
Gone are the days of the "Basic Four" food groups (fruits and vegetables, grains, meats and dairy). There are now two prevalent food group possibilities founded by DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) and the USDA Food Guide (MyPlate). The difference between the two is that MyPlate has a meat and beans group instead of a meat, poultry and fish group. DASH food groups include: grains, fruits, vegetables, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, lean meats, poultry and fish, and nuts, seeds and legumes.
The healthier the food you eat, the healthier you will be. Healthy food improves your body and your mind. Always be mindful of what you are putting in your body. Try to have a piece of fruit instead of a chocolate bar. The healthier choices you make, the more you will improve your health overall.
Additional Resources
- Good Nutrition for Kids
- Why is Proper Nutrition Important?
- Healthy Eating Overview
- Winning by Losing
- MyPlate
- DASH Eating Plan
- Why Good Nutrition is Important
- Why Good Nutrition is Important by the American Cancer Society
- How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label
- Reading Food Labels
- 5 Tips for Decoding Food Labels
- Learning To Read Labels
- Nutrition Basics
- Fruits & Veggies More Matters
- Wise Choices Food Pyramid
- Nutrition Information for Seniors
- Nutrition for Seniors
- Nutrition for Older Persons
- For Seniors - Foods to Help Boost Memory
- Childhood Nutrition Facts
- The Benefits of Eating Healthy Foods as a Child