Students select food items from the lunch line of the cafeteria at Draper Middle School in Rotterdam, N.Y., Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012. The leaner, greener school lunches served under new federal standards are getting mixed grades from students. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink) For the first time, the …
Healthy eating is a term that is often mixed with medical terminology and thrown about like it was the elixir of good health. In reality, healthy eating simply means eating the right quantities of foods from various food sources each of which is divided into groups called “food groups”. These food groups are Grains, Vegetables, Fruits, Milk and Meats. Each of these groups in turn, contains a list of healthy eating food items that are deemed healthy and good for you.
The terms “healthy eating” and “diet” are inter-linked. Diet simply means the food we consume in the course of a day and does not refer to some stringent exotic food plan. Therefore, the terms “healthy eating” and “good healthy diet” essentially mean the same thing i.e. they promote good health.
A good Healthy Eating Ideas must include certain quantities of food from all the five food groups and for this reason it is known as the “balanced diet”. Nutrition experts have worked out the balanced diet by taking into consideration all the requirements of your body including hair, skin, tissues and internal organs.
Let us examine each of these food groups that form part of your healthy eating diets:
Grains: A healthy eating for men should ideally consume no less than 3 ounces of whole grains per day. Unlike polished grains (e.g. white rice), whole grains are rich in minerals, vitamins and fiber.
Tip: When buying whole grain you need to be careful because it is usually not possible to visually identify whole grain. You need to look at the product label.
Food items made from whole grain includes cereals, breads and pastas. Again, please read the labels to ensure these are made from 100% whole grain. Some whole grain foods and flours are corn, brown rice, wild rice, bugler, wheat, buckwheat, oatmeal (oats), spelt.
Vegetables and Fruits for Daily diet meal plan: Fruits must be consumed fresh either whole or in the form of bite sized chunks. Fruits contain oxidants and so must be consumed immediately after cutting because the oxidants in the fruit begin to deteriorate the moment it comes in contact with air. For this reason, fruits must never be consumed in the form of juices because the moment the fruit is turned into pulp, the oxidation that occurs reduces the nutritional value of the fruit rendering it near useless.
Vegetables too must be consumed fresh. The more dense the color of the vegetable the better it is. Thus fresh, dark green or purple or yellow is better than pale colors. Leafy vegetables or healthy salad dressing must form part of your healthy eating meals.
Meats: Your body needs protein for tissue repair. Foods rich in protein also usually contain essential minerals, such as zinc, iron, magnesium, and also B vitamins. If your source of proteins is meats then care should be taken to trim away any visible skin and fat before cooking. Fish too is an excellent source of healthy eating out and protein as well as omega oils. Ideally, you should grill or roast your meats and fish. Never fry.
Milk: Milk and milk products are a good source of calcium which is required for your bones and teeth. As far as possible avoid full cream milk. Low fat or skimmed milk is ideal. People, who cannot consume milk and milk products, should include broccoli, cabbage and Soya milk in their diet.
By: Ed Stephens
Posted:
healthy eating
Eating can actually be healthy and fun. But with the proliferation of fast foods and other tasty cholesterol-rich snack items, making your child see the beauty of eating healthy and natural food may become a challenge. Since access to unhealthy food choices are easy, and the choices are plenty, what‘s the best way for introducing healthy eating habits to your kids? Here are some effective healthy eating guidelines to consider.
Healthy Foods Actually Tastes Good
The typical fast food fare can be very tempting for most kids today. The problem is that the usual fast food fare consists of high-salt, high-sugar and high-calorie food items, which kids find so appealing, and are also easier to eat. For parents who are concerned about their children’s eating habits, learn to keep your cool. The reality is that healthy food can actually taste great. However, making your children love eating healthy food may require more effort and extra planning. While carrot sticks or cauliflower stalks may not be as fun as a plate of French Fries, you’ll require a little time and creativity to make these natural food items appealing to your kids.
Slowly Introduce Your Kids To A Wide Array of Fruits and Veggies
Making your children adopt healthy eating habits need not end up in a shouting match, or a concentration camp forced-eating regimen. Slowly introducing your children to a wide array of fruits and vegetables will help in jump-starting their appreciation of healthy eating. As most fruits are naturally sweet, it should not pose much of a barrier for kids to like. You can even create stories about the fruits and vegetables they consume, to make things more interesting. The most satisfying thing is that, once your kids consume the fruit, you’re assured that they’re getting their fill of vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Cook At Home, And Involve Your Kids
According to most healthy eating advocates, every child should be taught how to cook, both in school and at home, and not simply be fed with slogans about good nutrition. The truth is that good and healthy food can actually be cooked in just 15 minutes. Also make it a practice to involve your kids in cooking food at the kitchen. Guide your kids through the recipe. While the older kids can chop the veggies, the younger ones can help toss the salad dressing or veggies. It will also be great if you could bring the kids along to the market when buying your ingredients. The best thing with this activity is that children will easily understand the significance of food preparation, and have a better appreciation of healthy eating.
If you’re kids are initially not receptive to your healthy eating suggestions, don’t worry. Never give up in your quest to make your children find the fun in healthy eating. As most children will outgrow their often limited eating habits, their tastes and food choices shall develop and expand, over time. Although it may take you more than 10 or 15 tries before your kids start appreciating the perks of eating legumes, beans, cabbages, squash, lettuce and other greens. Once they find the fun in eating fruits and vegetables, you’ll soon find yourself with happy, contented and healthy eaters.
By: Dina Brown
Posted:
Anyone who knows me, knows that I am into healthy eating and am always banging the drum where diet and exercise are concerned!
I was reading some pretty shocking statistics about how some children are not only not getting enough fresh fruit and vegetables each day – but some are even struggling to correctly identify certain fruits when they are presented with a picture of them. Shocking …..
Like most children, my girls are given the odd packet of crisps, sweets or chocolate here and there, but we always have plenty of fruit on hand as a first choice. Francesca is particularly fond of Bananas – or "Narnna’s" as she refers to them!!
Here she is devouring one earlier!
Date Taken: 2011-07-24 16:07:47
Owner: Steve Tolcher
healthy eating
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