Knowing What Foods Are Healthy
The question of what foods are healthy can often be quite a difficult
one to answer. The research often seems to be in conflict, The studies
that say a particular food is great for you one day often turn around
and warn against that very food the next day. Sorting through all this
clutter to find the real deal on nutrition and what foods are healthy
can be difficult.
Dietary fads seem to come and go on an alarmingly regular basis as well.
The low fiber high fat diets of yesterday give way to low fat low protein
diets, and the wheel just keeps rolling, with too little thought given
to what foods are healthy.
Understanding Your Current Diet
When evaluating your own diet, it is important to take a couple of steps
back and evaluate your own health, including what you want to get out
of your diet. Knowing your own tastes and preferences, in addition to
knowing which foods are healthy, will help you create a diet you can stick
to for the rest of your life.
When choosing what foods are healthy, it is essential that you choose
foods you actually like. If you choose a list of healthy foods you hate,
you will obviously have trouble sticking to your diet long term, and your
overall health and fitness level will suffer as a result. It is best to
choose from the long list of healthy foods you already like, and to incorporate
them into your diet for maximum benefit.
The Importance Of Fruits And Vegetables In The Diet
Among the healthiest of all foods are fruits and vegetables. There is
a good reason that fruits and vegetables make up such a large part of
the government's new food pyramid. The new government guidelines recommend
that everyone eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every
day, but unfortunately most people fall far short of this important goal.
It is important, however, to incorporate as many fruits and vegetables
into your diet as you possibly can.
Eating fruits and vegetables does not mean you are limited to simply eating
pieces of fruit and raw carrots all day. When choosing what foods are
healthy, it is just as important to prepare them in new and interesting
ways. You can add fresh fruits to your favorite energy drink or smoothie,
for instance, top your yogurt with strawberries or enjoy a sliced banana
with your morning cereal.
Learn To Think Long Term
This kind of variety is vital to the long term success of any diet.
It is not enough to simply know what foods are healthy. It is vital to
use that knowledge to create healthy meals that you and your family will
love.
In addition to fruits and vegetables, of course, there are a wide variety
of foods that are good for the body. These excellent foods include whole
grains, including whole wheat bread and crackers, low fat meats, chicken,
turkey and other poultry products and fresh fish. There are so many answers
to the question of what foods are healthy that the hardest part may be
choosing among them.
About Nutrition
| Back To School - Avoiding the Freshman Fifteen |
 Back when I was eighteen years old, people warned about the freshman five, referring to the few extra pounds kids gained when they first went off to college. Guess I'm getting older and college kids are getting bigger, because now the warnings are for the freshman fifteen. There are certain times in our lives when we're prone to gain weight, like when we become part of a couple and after having babies. The first common time for gaining weight is when we go off to college. It's understandable, especially for kids who eat at school. Most colleges have dining halls with an array of food choices (some healthy, others not so much) and there may be fast food services available on campus too. Add in several sedentary hours of studying per week and the pounds creep on quickly. If you're just starting college, you can avoid the freshman fifteen by making smart choices in the dining hall (think salad instead of an extra slice of pizza), avoiding the fast foods and make time for exercise. It also helps to keep healthy snacks and water in your dorm room and not chips or sugary sodas. Here's Help For Avoiding the Freshman Fifteen
Photo © Griszka Niewiadomski Back To School - Avoiding the Freshman Fifteen originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 at 11:13:39. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| High Fructose Corn Syrup or Regular Sugar? |
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So is regular white sugar better? Some higher-end soda companies use "real cane sugar" in their products. But is there really much difference between high fructose corn syrup and regular refined sugar? Learn more about sugar and high fructose corn syrup.
Photo © Gina Lee High Fructose Corn Syrup or Regular Sugar? originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at 10:15:18. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| Is It Monday Already? |
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Weekends go by so fast and it's already Monday. Do your eating habits change during the course of the week - do you eat more or less on the weekends? I know a lot of people abandon their healthy diet and 'have more fun' on the weekend. Is that really a bad thing? I think if you don't lose complete control over your diet, relaxing with a few fun foods now and then is perfectly okay. The USDA's MyPyramid.gov even gives you a few (like less than 200) calories every day to enjoy as a small treat. The problem occurs when you add extra calories every day, then your weight goes up and your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes goes up along with your weight. So how do you do it? Do you have a little treat every day? Do you eat right almost every day and have a 'day off' from your healthy diet once a week? I'm more of the eat a little something fun every day type of person - usually chocolate - and maybe once a month I 'll have a day when I eat things that I typically avoid like a big ice cream sundae. Of course, even on one of those days, I still eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
Need a little help keeping your weekends under control or taming your sweet tooth? Here's how:
Is It Monday Already? originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Monday, August 30th, 2010 at 08:28:27. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| Egg Inspection and Egg Safety |
 The recent and massive egg recall has many people wondering about egg safety and how (and if) eggs in the United States are inspected. Eggs are part of most people's diets and every link in the egg production chain is periodically inspected, but as the recent egg recall demonstrates, problems with Salmonella contamination still exist. The Food and Drug Administration recently updated their final rule for egg safety to prevent Salmonella contamination of eggs. Some people blame large egg producers and agri-business in general and want tougher regulations and more frequent inspections by the Food Safety and Inspection Service, but others don't trust government agencies at all. Leave me a comment to let me know how you feel about food safety, the egg recall and the government agencies involved. Image © Marcello U. Egg Inspection and Egg Safety originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Friday, August 27th, 2010 at 10:23:58. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| Where to Start? |
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Start by learning how to choose foods that fit your lifestyle. Soon you will be eating better, feeling healthier and looking great. More About a Healthy Diet: Photo © Pat Herman Where to Start? originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Monday, August 23rd, 2010 at 22:29:12. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
High fructose corn syrup is used in soft drinks and many processed foods because it is cheaper than regular sugar. Since it is high in fructose, some people claim that high fructose corn syrup is largely responsible for our bigger waistlines. 
Eating a healthy diet is important for feeling good and for looking good, but it isn't always easy to choose the right foods. Are you confused about what makes a diet healthy?