Eating Healthy

Eating Healthy

We sit in front of the mirror naked and check out our body. You don't look the same as you did last year and the scale says you gained an extra fifteen pounds. You know that your eating habits have changed and thing that this may be the cause.

There are many reasons why people are obese, but a weigh scale should not be the only thing you should look at when determining if you are healthy. Many people have different types of bodies and therefore a healthy weight for you is not necessarily a healthy weight for your best friend. A healthy weight not only depends on sex and height, but age and ethnic background also play a major role.

With obesity comes several other problems. High blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, strokes, and other illnesses can develop with bad eating habits. In order to overcome these bad eating habits there are two things you must do: balance and moderate your diet.

Balance
When we talk about balance, we mean that you must have different portions of nutrition rich foods. These nutrition rich foods not only provided you with fuel for your body but they also provide you with the vitamins and minerals needed for healthy living. These foods include: breads, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meat, and poultry.

Grains, Breads, and Pastas
Whole grain products such as whole wheat, oats, barley or rye are suggested because they are high in starch and fibre. Enriched foods are recommended because they have some vitamins and minerals added back to them. Try snacking on multi-grain breads, pumpernickel bagels, enriched pasta, brown rice, ready-to-eat bran cereals or oatmeal. Furthermore, these are recommended because the vitamins and minerals act together to fight conditions such as heart disease and cancer.

Fruits and Vegetables
Go for salads, broccoli, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, cantaloupes or orange juice. These foods are higher than other vegetables and fruit in certain key nutrients like vitamin A and folacin.

Research has shown that fruits and vegetables may help lower the risk of some cancers and reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and some cancers.

Dairy Products
Select lower-fat milk products which contain less fat and Calories, yet still provide the high quality protein and calcium essential to healthy eating. Choose milk, yogurt, cheese or milk powder with a lower-fat option. Look at labels and choose products with a lower % M.F. (Milk Fat) or % B.F. (Butter Fat). Then you can have the refreshing taste of milk products with less fat.

Milk provides 15 essential nutrients needed for good health. Milk gives you vitamin A for healthy skin and eyesight, vitamin D and calcium for healthy bones and teeth, protein to build and repair tissues. Dairy products also provide your body with proteins and are an excellent source of vitamin B12. Meats and Alternatives
Many leaner meats, poultry, fish and seafood choices are available to help you reduce your fat intake without losing important nutrients. Be sure to trim visible fat. Try baking, broiling, roasting or microwaving instead of frying, and drain off extra fat after cooking. To lower your fat while increasing your intake of starch and fibre, choose foods like baked beans, split pea soup or lentil casserole.

Meat is important for many diets providing a significant contribution to the intakes of 10 key nutrients: energy, protein, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, iron and zinc.

Moderation
In order to maintain a healthy diet, moderating snacks and portions for meals is important. It is also suggested that you moderate your sweets, the amount of alcohol you consume, and how much caffeine you have each day. Furthermore, watch your intake during meals. Instead of having three large meals a day, it is suggested that you eat 5-6 small meals every few hours.

Snacking
Try to limit the amount of snacking on items such as chocolate bars, chips, and pop. Instead of these items, choose drinks such as milk or fruit juice, items such as yogurt or cheese, raw vegetables, or fruits to snack on.

Water
Water helps fills you up so you don't feel as hungry and prevents you from craving sweets such as cookies, candy, or ice cream. Best of all, water cleanses your system and gets rid of the toxins that can accumulate in your body.

Alcohol
For most adults, moderate drinking means no more than 1 drink a day and no more than 7 drinks a week. More than 4 drinks on one occasion, or more than 14 drinks a week is a risk to health and safety.

1 drink equals 1 bottle of beer
1 drink equals 150 mL (or about 5 oz) of wine
1 drink equals 50 mL (or about 1 1/2 oz) of liquor

If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, avoid alcohol.

Caffeine
Use in moderation. Caffeine is found in drinks such as coffee, tea or colas and foods that contain cocoa. It's also found in drugs such as cold remedies and headache medicine.

Eat 5-6 Meals a Day (Every 2-3 Hours)
Studies have shown that eating often helps accelerate the metabolism, so you burn more calories. When you consume 5 to 6 smaller meals, food is more efficiently absorbed and processed by your body better than three whole meals.

By eating every few hours, you will have more energy, less hunger pains and cravings. Furthermore, you will be helping your body create an environment that supports fat loss and muscle gains.

By incorporating these foods in your diet and changing what you eat, you will adjust your lifestyle for the better. It doesn't take that much and with little time, and using a food and nutrition log, it won't be that hard to loose the extra weight that you have gained.