How to Eat Right
We all know by now the importance of eating right, but why does it seem so difficult and confusing? Some diet companies are making millions of dollars each year because people feel so powerless (for whatever reason) over their ability to eat right. For a nice sized fee, companies properly portion meals, balance them out nutritionally and then deliver them to the doorsteps of their customers with a promise that if they eat only the food that is delivered, they will lose weight.
What if those same customers decided to take responsibility for their health (or weight) and engaged their minds in the process of learning what foods make up a nutritious diet and then started eating the right foods over and over again. Just like magic, they would suddenly discover one day that they had developed over time the habit of eating right, and they would be more in control of their lives. Those poor, poor people.
Now I know you are not one of those poor, poor people because you decided to read this article to find out - once and for all - how to eat right. Learning is the first step toward doing.
Listed below are some very baseline tips for how to eat right. Use this information as an opportunity to become creative with the way you incorporate these principles into your life, over and over again.
VEGETABLES AND FRUITS
Vegetables and fruits are most widely touted for their role in fending off heart disease and certain forms of cancer. Just one of the many reasons that you should eat plenty of vegetables and fruits is because they are rich with antioxidants. Antioxidants inhibit cell-damaging free-radicals in the body. They are also an excellent source of fiber.
Reminders:
- You do not need to limit yourself when it comes to vegetables. They are low in calorie and excellent for you. Go ahead and stuff yourself!
- Variety is best when it comes to vegetables and fruits, and color can be your guide. When choosing vegetables and fruits pick a variety of different colors to get a good mix of what these foods have to offer.
- Choose vegetables such as broccoli, dark leafy greens, cabbage, carrots, sweet potatoes, and winter squash for good doses of antioxidants.
- Choose fresh produce whenever possible, organic is even better.
- Choose frozen over canned. If choosing canned look for low sodium varieties.
- Enjoy vegetables cooked a variety of different ways to keep your diet enticing. Vegetables can be grilled, stir fried, sautéed, roasted, and steamed.
- Raw vegetables and fruits can be great snacks. Carrots, celery, mushrooms, sweet bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and sugar snap peas are all great for snacks.
- Almost all raw fruits can be eaten as snacks and are great for staving off a hunger pang and pre-empting binge snacking. Beware:
- Dried fruits and fruit juices should be consumed in moderation because they tend to be much higher in calories than the fresh fruit they were made from.
LEAN PROTEINS
Protein plays a vital role in keeping you healthy. It is important for the growth, maintenance, and repair of your bones, muscle, hair, and skin. Protein helps fight infection and provides the enzymes and hormones you need for metabolism, digestion and other vital functions.
Reminders:
- Your first choice for protein should be those that are considered "very lean" or "lean" such as, skinless chicken or turkey breast, lean pork, flounder, halibut, salmon or tuna (fresh or canned in water), lobster, shrimp, clams, low-fat or fat free cheese, low-fat or skim milk, egg whites, low-fat yogurt, light tofu, beans, lentils and peas.
- Become familiar with how much fat is in the proteins that you enjoy most and eat those with less than 4 grams of fat per ounce most often. Beware:
- Some sources of protein can be very high in saturated fat and increase your risk of heart disease and other illnesses. Beware of high fat proteins such as bacon, pork spareribs, pork sausage, full-fat cheese, processed lunch meat and any protein source with more than 8 grams of fat per ounce.
GRAINS
Whole grain foods contain all three of the essential parts of the grain seed – the bran, endosperm and germ. In contrast, processed grains have some or all of these essential parts removed which significantly diminishes the nutritional value of the grain. Therefore, it is important to make sure that you are getting plenty of whole grains as opposed to processed grains. In addition to providing energy, whole grains are high in fiber and provide plant proteins, B vitamins, vitamin E, trace minerals (selenium, zinc, copper and magnesium), phytochemicals and antioxidants. This means that whole grains are excellent for reducing the risk of many diseases such as heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, colon cancer, stroke, obesity and Type 2 Diabetes.
Reminders:
- The key to determining whether breads, pastas and cereals are good sources of whole grains is finding the word "whole" listed as one of the first ingredients on the package label. The words "100% Wheat" or "Multigrain" means that the food product may contain grains but not necessarily whole grains.
- It is becoming more common to find tortillas, bagels, pita pockets, rolls, and crackers made from whole grains. Look for them at your grocery store.
- Serve brown or wild rice instead of white.
- Less common whole grains include amaranth, buckwheat, bulgur, kamut, millet, quinoa, spelt, teff, triticale and rye. Search for recipes that call for these whole grains and have fun experimenting with tasty new ways for adding them to your diet. (Quinoa is growing in popularity and may be a good grain to start with.)
FATS
Fats can be tricky for us to reckon with when it comes to our diets. After all, aren't we usually trying to lose "fat". Health experts have found that some fats can actually be good for us while others should be avoided altogether.
Good Fats:
- Unsaturated Fats (Monounsaturates and Polyunsaturates): These types of fats are found in foods such as nuts and nut butters, avocados, canola oil, olive oil, walnut oil, fish, flaxseed and tofu. They help lower bad cholesterol (a cause of heart attack and stroke). While they can be good for us, they should be carefully measured because they are also high in calories.
- Easy Does It Fats Saturated Fats: These fats raise blood cholesterol levels and are found in meats, full-fat dairy products and tropical oils. To limit the amount of saturated fat in your diet, choose low-fat cheeses and other low-fat dairy products and eat plenty of whole grains and vegetables with foods that contain saturated fats.
BAD FATS (memorize these!):
- Transfats
- Hydrogenated Oils
- Partially Hydrogenated Oils
- Mono-diglycerides
One or more of these fats is usually a key ingredient in most junk foods. These fats are considered a significant contributor to heart disease and other major illnesses. These fats should be avoided. Check your labels carefully!
SWEETS
Unfortunately, there really isn't anything good to say about sugar other than we like the way it tastes. One of the biggest problems with sugar is that it raises your insulin level which promotes the storage of fat. Studies also show that sugar depresses your immune system and can cause anxiety, hyperactivity and hypoglycemia to name just a few of the ill affects that sugar can have on your body. Simply put, sugar paves the way for disease.
So with everything that you have committed to doing right, why undermine all of that effort with too many sweets.
Reminders:
- Try fruit as a healthy alternative to a sweet craving.
- Cultivate other pleasures to take the place of sweet rewards.
HYDRATION
Since water makes up 70% of the human body, it is very important to keep the body well hydrated. Without proper hydration throughout the day you can experience grogginess, lose muscle tone, build up toxins in your body, be unable to regulate your body temperature, slow the metabolizing of fat in your body and get dry, itchy skin.
Reminders:
- Caffeinated drinks actually dehydrate your body. Drink an extra 4 ounces of water for every caffeinated drink you consume (and that's in addition to the recommended 8 glasses per day). Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, colas, and some other soft drinks.
- Drink before you are thirsty. By the time your body releases the thirst sensation your body will already be in a water deficit.
- Try to do most of your hydrating before the evening. This will allow time to eliminate the water before bedtime so that you don't interrupt your sleep with needing to go to the bathroom during the night.
- It is best to do most of your drinking between meals and to avoid drinking too much water with your meals. Water can dilute down digestive juices making it harder for your body to digest food.
- Beware: Sports drinks and juices can help with re-hydrating your body but they are also high in calories.
Linda L. Cook, President VitalityCheck, LLC http//:www.vitalitycheck.biz
Linda L. Cook is the creator of a 3-in-1 daily journal (a food diary, exercise log and sleep journal) in the compact size of a checkbook. It is designed for tracking diet, exercise, sleep, supplements taken and mood plus much more. VitalityCheck® can be used in employee wellness programs, weight loss clinics, special events and tradeshows. Both imprinting and customization solutions are available.
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