Jan 06

Vegetables, fruits, and grains are normally low in fat and have no cholesterol.  Most are great sources of dietary fiber, complex carbs, and vitamins.   The American Heart Association recommends that you eat foods that are high in complex carbs and fiber.

Below are some tips for making healthy food choices:

-  Coconut is high in saturated fat, while olives are high in monounsaturated fats and calories.  You  should use these items sparingly to avoid getting too many calories from fat.

-  When vegetable grains are cooked, saturated fat or cholesterol is often added.  For example, egg yolks may be added to bread or even pasta.

-  Processed, canned, or preserved vegetables may also contain added sodium.  With some people, toomuch sodium (salt) may lead to high blood pressure. There are some food companies that are actually   canning vegetables with less salt.  You can look for these in the market area or choose fresh and even frozen vegetables.

-  Nuts and seeds tend to be high in calories and fat, although a majority of the fat is polyunsaturated or monounsaturated.  There are some varieties, macadamie nuts for example, that are also high in saturated fat.

Foods that are high in soluble fiber are a great choice as well.  Examples include oat bran,  oatmeal, beans, peas, rice bran, barley, and even apple pulp.

Whenever you are looking for healthy food choices, always make sure you read the nutrition label or information about the food.  You can then determine what the food contains and how healthy it truly is for your body.  By taking your time  and making your healthy food choices wisely, you’ll have a lifetime to enjoy the foods that will take care of you.

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Jan 06

Eating healthy is something we all would like to do,  although it can be hard.  In order to eat healthy, you must first make the right food choices.  Eating healthy is all about what you eat, which makes the choices very crucial to your results.

Grains

You should consume 6 ounces of grains per day.  To do this, you can eat 3 ounces of whole grain cereals, breads, rice, crackers, or pasta.  You can get an ounce of grains in  a single slice of bread, or 1 cut of cereal.

Vegetables
These should be varied, as you should eat 2 1/2 cups of them each day.  You should start eating more of the dark vegetables, such as broccili and spinach.  Carrots and sweet potatoes are good as well.  You should also eat more dry beans such as peas, pinto beans, and even kidney beans.

Fruits
Fruits are very important.  You should try to eat 2 cups of them each day.  Focus on eating a variety, such as  fresh, frozen, canned, or even dried fruit.  You can  drink fruit juices as well, although you should use  moderation when doing so.

Milk
Milk is your calcium rich friend.  For adults, 3 cups is the ideal goal.  For kids 2 - 8, 2 cups is where you want to be.  When choosing milk products or yogurt, you should go for fat-free or low-fat.  Those of you who don’t like milk or can’t have it, should go for lactose free products or other sources of calcium such as fortified foods and beverages.

Meat and beans
Eating 5 ounces a day is the ideal goal, as you should go lean with your protein.  When eating meat, always bake it, grill it, or broil it, as this will prevent grease from  adding to the equation.  You should vary your protein  as well, with more fish, beans, peas, and nuts.

When cooking your food, you should also limit solid fats such as butter, margarine, shortening, and lard.  These  foods may add flavor to your dishes, although they can  also help raise your cholesterol as well.  Therefore, you should try to add these foods and any foods that happen to contain them.

To help keep your saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium low,  you can check the nutrition facts label.  This label can  be found on the food package and will tell you all the  information you need to know about the food item.

By picking your foods wisely and watching what you eat, you’ll help control your lifestyle.  Exercise is great as  well, as it goes along perfect with a healthy eating  lifestyle.  No matter what your age may be, eating healthy will help you keep your active lifestyle for years and  years - even help you and your health in the long run as well.

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Jan 06

This information is aimed at helping you to  reduce your fat intake.  The average individual eats too much fat, a factor that’s linked to a variety of health problems, including cancer.  Diets that are high in fat are associated with breast and colon cancer, with some studies  linking high fat to prostate cancer as well.

A majority of people can bring their fat intakes down to a healthy range by making a few adjustments in the way they shop, cook, and prepare the foods they eat.

Now days, it’s getting easier and easier to control the amount of fat you consume.  The fat content of foods are now available through the nutrition label and through brochures distributed by food companies and even fast food restaurants.

You can use this information on nutrition to choose lower fat foods by comparing products and food  brands.  Once you have a rough idea of what a healthy intake of fat is, you’ll know what you can and what you can’t have.

From day to day, the amount of fat you eat will vary.  Some meals and some days will be higher in fat than others.  Even high fat meals can be kept   in line with healthy eating as long as you balancethose days accordingly.  The average fat intake over the course of weeks and months is important, not the fat intake of every meal and food you consume.

Younger adults and high active adults who have  higher calorie needs can probably eat a little more fat.  Older adults and those that aren’t very active should aim for a lower fat intake.  This way, you can control your fat intake and avoid the many  problems that fat is associated with.

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