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Benefits of Eating Healthy
The basics of good eating
Choosing the right foods – the MyPyramid method
Why it's important to count calories
An introduction to carbohydrates, proteins and
fats
What about fast foods?
Tips for healthy eating
Food shopping – make a plan for success
Eat well … feel good
It’s important for your overall health that you eat a nutritious,
well-balanced diet. If the very thought of “healthy eating”
conjures up images of long hours in front of the stove and bland, boring
foods — think again!
It’s not hard to eat healthy. Nor does healthy eating mean a diet
of dull, bad-tasting food. Quite the opposite! Healthy, well-balanced
meals can please your taste buds and leave you full and satisfied.
The key to healthy eating is making small, healthy choices throughout
the day. At first, it may be difficult to break bad eating habits such
as snacking on high-fat, high-calorie junk foods. But with a little persistence,
you can develop healthy eating habits. And you’ll be glad you did.
A healthy diet gives you the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients your
body needs to stay healthy. It can also help you keep unwanted weight
off, so you look and feel your best.
Good eating also reduces your risk of serious illnesses, including heart
disease, diabetes type II and certain cancers. The only thing you have
to lose is excess weight!
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The basics of good eating
To eat well, you have to choose the right kinds of food, in the right
combinations. You also have to consider how much you are eating. That
may sound a little confusing, but in fact the rules of healthy eating
are quite simple.
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Choosing the right foods —
the MyPyramid method
One easy way to choose the right kinds of food for your age and lifestyle
is to use the “MyPyramid method.” This method was developed
by the U.S. government to help people make healthy food choices. Here’s
how it works:
The MyPyramid method recognizes that each person has different dietary
needs, based on age, gender and daily level of activity. At the same time,
it recognizes that everyone needs to eat foods from the different food
groups in the right proportion. For good health, we need more of some
foods, for instance fruits and vegetables, and less of other foods such
as oils and sugars.
The MyPyramid method organizes foods into five different groups:
- Grains
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Milk
- Meats and beans
It also adds a special category for discretionary calories. These are
calories from the sugars, oils or fats people eat over and above their
regular diet. In other words, discretionary calories are the “extra
calories” you are allowed after you’ve eaten the right amounts
from each of the five main food groups. Let’s take a closer look
at each of these food groups, to see what they offer and where they fit
into an overall diet plan.
Remember that the MyPyramid method takes a personalized approach to diet
and activity. Because of this, there is no “right” amount
of food that everyone should eat. How much you should eat depends on your
age, gender and activity levels.
In the following sections, we’ll look at the recommendations MyPyramid
makes for a male in his 20s, who is active from 30 to 60 minutes day.
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Go with grain
The first food group in MyPyramid is grains. Foods made from wheat, rice,
barley or any other cereal grain fall into this category. Examples include
bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals and tortillas. These foods, especially
whole grain products, help reduce the risk of heart disease and other
diseases. They are also a source of dietary fiber.
MyPyramid divides grain foods into two subsections:
- Whole grain foods use the entire grain of the cereal and have not
lost essential nutrients because of processing
- Refined grain foods are made from processed grains, and may not be
as nutritious as whole grain foods.
A 20-something male who is moderately active 30 to 60 minutes a day should
eat about 10 ounces of food from this category each day. Ideally, at least
half of this should be in the form of whole grain products.
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Eat your vegetables!
The second food group in MyPyramid is vegetables. The young man in our
example should eat about three and a half cups of vegetables a day. These
will provide a whole array of different nutrients and help reduce the
risk of various chronic diseases.
Please note however: all vegetables are not the same!
MyPyramid subdivides these types of foods into five subgroups, and suggests
how much of each the person in our example should eat for good health:
- Dark green vegetables such as spinach, romaine lettuce or watercress.
(3 cups per week)
- Orange vegetables such as squash or sweet potatoes (2 ½ cups
per week)
- Dry beans and peas (3 ½ cups per week)
- Starchy vegetables such as corn or lima beans (7 cups per week)
- Other vegetables including artichokes, beets, brussels sprouts and
so on (8 ½ cups per week)
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Fruit is fantastic
When it comes to selecting healthy foods, you can hardly go wrong if
you choose fruit. Any kind of fruit counts towards meeting dietary fruit
goals — fresh, frozen or canned fruits are all okay. So is fruit
juice, although it shouldn’t make up more than half a person’s
daily fruit intake, because it doesn’t provide enough fiber for
a healthy diet.
Like vegetables, fruits provide a variety of important nutrients and
contribute to the fiber content in the diet.
A moderately active young man should eat about 2 ½ cups of fruit
a day for good health.
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Milk-based foods for strong bones
Milk and milk-based products such as cheese and yogurt are also an essential
part of a healthy diet. They contribute to good bone health and provide
a variety of important nutrients.
However, some milk products can also contribute to your intake of saturated
fat and cholesterol. For this reason, it’s best to choose low-fat
or fat-free products when possible. You should also remember that sweetener
in milk products (for example, milk shakes) counts towards your total
sugar intake.
For good health, an active young man should consume about 3 cups of milk
products a day.
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Meats and beans in moderation
The meats and beans food group includes red and white meats, fish, dry
beans (for example lentils and chickpeas), eggs and nuts.
Foods in this group contain many essential nutrients including essential
fatty acids and vitamin E. However, it’s important to choose lean
cuts of meat and poultry with skin removed to reduce your intake of saturated
fats and cholesterol.
An active young 20-something man should eat about seven ounces of foods
from this group each day for good health.
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Be careful of discretionary calories
The MyPyramid approach to diet also has a special category for what it
calls “discretionary calories.” (Calories are a measure of
food energy.) Discretionary calories are the “extras” you
can allow yourself after you have eaten the correct amounts from each
of the five food groups.
It may help to think of this category as what is “left over”
after you have spent your daily dietary calories sensibly, eating the
correct amount from each of the main food groups. Most of us enjoy a snack
at some point in the day — something that doesn’t really fit
into one of the main food groups, such as a piece of cake or a cookie.
Your discretionary calories allow you to treat yourself to a favorite
snack from time to time while still sticking with a healthy eating plan.
The key is to keep track of your discretionary calories during the day
so you don’t go over your limit.
In the discretionary calorie group are foods such as fats, oils and sugars
that contain large amounts of calories. Not all the foods in this group
are rich in important nutrients — and some can contribute to health
problems.
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How oils, fats and sugars fit in
Oils come from plants or fish. In this category are products such as
olive oil, and corn oil, as well as salad dressings and margarine. For
a healthy diet, an active man in his 20s should only have 8 teaspoons
of oils a day.
Fats are found in products like butter and shortening. They are high
in calories, and can contribute to heart disease if consumed in large
amounts. It’s best to avoid products containing saturated fats and
trans-fatty acids. Look on the product labels to see how much of these
fats a product contains.
The other main source of discretionary calories are sugars and sweets.
High in calories and low in nutritional value, sugar should be consumed
in small amounts only. This is easier said than done however, because
many products including breakfast cereals and canned fruits contain sugar.
Check for sugar content on product labels, and try to limit obvious sources
of dietary sugar, such as desserts and sweet snacks.
For good health, an active young man should consume no more than 425
calories a day in sugars, fats and other discretionary calories.
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Why it’s important
to count calories
Calories are a measure of the energy in food. If that energy isn’t
used up, it will be stored as fat. If you store more energy than you use,
you gain weight.
How many calories you need depends on your age, gender, and how active
you are. An active 20-something man needs about 2,800 calories a day,
according to MyPyramid guidelines. On the other hand, a woman in her 50s
with a sedentary lifestyle only needs about 1,600 calories a day.
Some foods, such as oils, sugar and alcohol are very high in calories.
Even a small amount of these foods will give you a large number of calories.
That’s why it’s important to know, at least roughly, how many
calories different foods contain.
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An introduction to carbohydrates,
proteins and fats
In any discussion of good eating, you’re sure to come across the
words “carbohydrates,” “proteins,” and “fats.”
That’s because these are the three major types of food we eat. Most
foods contain a mixture of these three basic foods.
Of course, you don’t have to become an expert in food groups to
eat properly! Even so, it helps to have a general idea what these three
basic foods types are all about.
Carbohydrates are a type of food found mainly in breads, cereals, pastas,
fruits and vegetables. They are quickly broken down by the body into simple
sugars, which the body uses for energy.
Fats are a source of stored energy for the body. They are very high in
calories. Fats are found in many animal products such as animal fats,
butter and lard. They are also found in vegetable oils, including margarine.
Proteins are made up of chemicals called amino acids. These are the basic
“building blocks” of the cells in your body, so they are very
important for good health. Proteins are found in meats, fish and eggs.
For a healthy diet, you need a combination of these three food types.
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What about fast
foods?
Fast foods — hamburgers, french fries, soft drinks and so on —
have come in for a lot of criticism recently. Are they really as bad as
all that?
There’s no doubt that a steady diet of fast food is bad for the
health. Products like hamburgers and cheeseburgers conain a lot of animal
fats. To make matters worse, many fast foods such as french fries are
deep fried in oil. This adds even more fat to a typical fast food meal.
While everyone need some fat in their diet, too much is not a good thing.
Fats contain a lot of calories. They also contribute to higher cholesterol,
a fatty substance in the blood that increases the risk of heart problems.
Fast foods also contain a lot of sugar (soft drinks, ice cream), and
often a lot of salt. At the same time, fast food meals often leave out
healthy foods like fruits and vegetables altogether.
For all these reasons, it’s not wise to eat fast foods too often.
Of course, the occasional cheeseburger and order of fries is fine. The
key is moderation.
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Tips for healthy eating
- Check with your doctor. He/she may offer some valuable tips, or may
refer you to a dietician for expert counseling.
- Drink plenty of water to keep your body well hydrated
- Try to avoid foods that are high in fat (for example, salad dressings,
hamburgers or fatty cuts of meat, fried foods, butter, margarine)
- When possible, replace animal fats with vegetable oils
- Choose fruits and vegetables when snacking. Most fruits and vegetables
contain little or no fat. Also, they are an excellent source of important
vitamins and minerals.
- Limit your intake of caffeine (coffee, tea, many soft drinks). Caffeine
can dehydrate you. Also, because caffeine is a stimulant, it may interfere
with sleep.
- Limit sugar intake (sugar, soft drinks, desserts). Sugar is very high
in calories. Too much sugar can lead to weight gain.
- Don’t be tempted by vending machines or fast food outlets. Healthy
eating requires planning — and impulse buys aren’t part
of the plan.
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Food shopping - make a
plan for success
When you’re shopping for healthy food, it pays to be organized.
Most food stores contain an eye-dazzling array of foods and drinks —
not all of them nutritious. It’s easy to get carried away and end
up with foods that taste good but don’t contribute to better health.
Start by planning your meals for the next few days. Then jot down what
you need to make those meals. Keep your shopping list someplace handy,
like the refrigerator, so you can add to it as you think of things you
need.
A proper shopping list makes shopping a whole lot easier, because when
you enter the store, you’ll know exactly what you want. If something
that’s not on your list catches your eye, ask yourself if you really
need that item — or if it’s just an impulse buy you should
avoid.
As a general rule, the healthy foods are found around the edges of supermarkets,
while the less healthy, processed foods are in the center.
With a little planning, you can bring home healthy foods every time —
and save money. To start your shopping list click here.
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