10 Tips to Healthy Eating
 Experts
agree the key to healthy eating is the time-tested advice of balance,
variety and moderation. In short, that means eating a wide variety of
foods without getting too many calories or too much of any one nutrient.
These 10 tips can help you follow that advice while still enjoying the
foods you eat.
- Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods. You need more than 40
different nutrients for good health, and no single food supplies
them all. Your daily food selection should include bread and other
whole-grain products; fruits; vegetables; dairy products; and meat,
poultry, fish and other protein foods. How much you should eat
depends on your calorie needs. Use the Food Guide Pyramid and the
Nutrition Facts panel on food labels as handy references.
- Enjoy plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Surveys
show most Americans don't eat enough of these foods. Do you eat 6-11
servings from the bread, rice, cereal and pasta group, 3 of which
should be whole grains? Do you eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5
servings of vegetables? If you don't enjoy some of these at first,
give them another chance. Look through cookbooks for tasty ways to
prepare unfamiliar foods.
- Maintain a healthy weight. The weight that's right for you
depends on many factors including your sex, height, age and
heredity. Excess body fat increases your chances for high blood
pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancer and
other illnesses. But being too thin can increase your risk for
osteoporosis, menstrual irregularities and other health problems. If
you're constantly losing and regaining weight, a registered
dietitian can help you develop sensible eating habits for successful
weight management. Regular exercise is also important to maintaining
a healthy weight.
- Eat moderate portions. If you keep portion sizes reasonable,
it's easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy. Did you know
the recommended serving of cooked meat is 3 ounces, similar in size
to a deck of playing cards? A medium piece of fruit is 1 serving and
a cup of pasta equals 2 servings. A pint of ice cream contains 4
servings. Refer to the Food Guide Pyramid for information on
recommended serving sizes.
- Eat regular meals. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control
hunger, often resulting in overeating. When you're very hungry, it's
also tempting to forget about good nutrition. Snacking between meals
can help curb hunger, but don't eat so much that your snack becomes
an entire meal.
- Reduce, don't eliminate certain foods. Most people eat for
pleasure as well as nutrition. If your favorite foods are high in
fat, salt or sugar, the key is moderating how much of these foods
you eat and how often you eat them.
Identify major sources of these ingredients in your diet and make
changes, if necessary. Adults who eat high-fat meats or whole-milk
dairy products at every meal are probably eating too much fat. Use
the Nutrition Facts panel on the food label to help balance your
choices.
Choosing skim or low-fat dairy products and lean cuts of meat such
as flank steak and beef round can reduce fat intake significantly.
If you love fried chicken, however, you don't have to give it up.
Just eat it less often. When dining out, share it with a friend, ask
for a take-home bag or a smaller portion.
- Balance your food choices over time. Not every food has to be
"perfect." When eating a food high in fat, salt or sugar, select
other foods that are low in these ingredients. If you miss out on
any food group one day, make up for it the next. Your food choices
over several days should fit together into a healthy pattern.
- Know your diet pitfalls. To improve your eating habits, you
first have to know what's wrong with them. Write down everything you
eat for three days. Then check your list according to the rest of
these tips. Do you add a lot of butter, creamy sauces or salad
dressings? Rather than eliminating these foods, just cut back your
portions. Are you getting enough fruits and vegetables? If not, you
may be missing out on vital nutrients.
- Make changes gradually. Just as there are no "superfoods" or
easy answers to a healthy diet, don't expect to totally revamp your
eating habits overnight. Changing too much, too fast can get in the
way of success. Begin to remedy excesses or deficiencies with modest
changes that can add up to positive, lifelong eating habits. For
instance, if you don't like the taste of skim milk, try low-fat.
Eventually you may find you like skim, too.
- Remember, foods are not good or bad. Select foods based on your
total eating patterns, not whether any individual food is "good" or
"bad." Don't feel guilty if you love foods such as apple pie, potato
chips, candy bars or ice cream. Eat them in moderation, and choose
other foods to provide the balance and variety that are vital to
good health.
Info from:
http://www.realtime.net/anr/10eattip.html
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