13 Keys to a Healthy Diet

13 Keys to a Healthy Diet

Low Fat Diet

1 Eat plenty of high-fiber foods—that is, fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. These are the "good" carbohydrates—nutritious, filling, and relatively low in calories. They should supply the 20 to 30 grams of dietary fiber you need each day, which slows the absorption of carbohydrates, so there’s less effect on insulin and blood sugar, and provides other health benefits as well. Such foods also provide important vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals (plant chemicals essential to good health).




Organic Healthy Foods

2 Make sure to include green, orange, and yellow fruits and vegetables—such as broccoli, carrots, cantaloupe, and citrus fruits. The antioxidants and other nutrients in these foods may help protect against developing certain types of cancer and other diseases. Eat five or more servings a day.




Healthy Fruits and Vegetables

3 Limit your intake of sugary foods, refined-grain products such as white bread, and salty snack foods. Sugar, our No.1 additive, is added to a vast array of foods. Just one daily 12-ounce can of soda (160 calories) can add up to 16 pounds over the course of a year. Many sugary foods are also high in fat, so they’re calorie-dense.

White Bread and Salty Snack Foods




Sugary Foods

4 Cut down on animal fat. It’s rich in saturated fat, which boosts blood cholesterol levels and has other adverse health effects. Choose lean meats, skinless poultry, and nonfat or low-fat or nonfat dairy products.



Animal Fat Foods

Low Fat Foods

5 Cut way down on trans fats, supplied by hydrogenated vegetable oils used in most processed foods in the supermarket and in many fast foods.

Healthy Fast Foods









Fast Foods

6 Eat more fish and nuts, which contain healthy unsaturated fats. Substitute olive or canola oil for butter or stick margarine.

Fish and Nuts

7 Keep portions moderate, especially of high-calorie foods. In recent years serving sizes have ballooned, particularly in restaurants. Choose a starter instead of an entrée, split a dish with a friend, and don’t order supersized anything.

High Fat Foods

8 Keep your cholesterol intake below 300 milligrams per day. Cholesterol is found only in animal products, such as meats, poultry, dairy products, and egg yolks.



High Fat Animal Foods




Low fat milk and Dairy Products

9 Eat a variety of foods. Don't try to fill your nutrient requirements by eating the same foods day in, day out. It is possible that not every essential nutrient has been identified, and so eating a wide assortment of foods helps to ensure that you will get all the necessary nutrients. In addition, this will limit your exposure to any pesticides or toxic substances that may be present in one particular food.



Variety of Foods for Healthy and Long Life

10 Maintain an adequate calcium intake. Calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth. Get your calcium from low-fat sources, such as skim milk and low-fat yogurt. If you can't get the optimal amount from foods, take supplements.






Calcium for Strong Bones and Teeth

11 Try to get your vitamins and minerals from foods, not from supplements. Supplements cannot substitute for a healthy diet, which supplies nutrients and other compounds besides vitamins and minerals. Foods also provide the "synergy" that many nutrients require to be efficiently used in the body.

Low Fat Desserts

12 Maintain a desirable weight. Balance energy (calorie) intake with energy output. Exercise and other physical activity are essential.





Exercise for Healthy Live and Long Life

13 If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. That is one drink a day for women, two a day for men. A drink is defined as 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits. Excess alcohol consumption leads to a variety of health problems. And alcoholic beverages can add many calories to your diet without supplying nutrients.





Drinnking Alcohol for Healthy Life

Menu planning: Eat healthier and spend less

Menu planning is a great way to provide your family members with a variety of healthy foods that meet their nutritional needs. Menu planning also saves time and money.

Save money

Start worrying about what to have for dinner

When the clock approaches 5:00 p.m., do you start worrying about what to have for dinner? Are you always scrambling for an answer? If so, try this old-school trick that's back in fashion — menu planning. Menu planning is a great way to make sure you're providing your family members with a variety of healthy foods that meet their nutritional needs. And, as every frugal cook knows, menu planning can also save both time and money.

How does menu planning save time and money?

Just consider how much time you spend standing in front of your refrigerator looking for something for dinner.

Or maybe you often end up eating out, which takes a big bite out of your budget.
In addition, if you eat out a lot — especially at fast-food joints — you're probably not eating as healthfully as you should.

No Healthy Junk Foods

Finally, think about the food that goes to waste because you bought it without a plan for how to use it.

Eat Healthy with Menu Planning

With menu planning you know what to buy, which makes your grocery shopping more efficient and reduces the need for unplanned trips to buy one or two items. And with a grocery list in hand — a byproduct of good menu planning — it's easier to resist overspending on food you won't use or don't need.

Getting started

Menu planning doesn't have to be complicated. To get started, jot down some of your family's favorite meals. Flip through cookbooks or look online for recipe ideas. Check the weekly food ads for sales.

Now get writing. If you're planning for the next week, create a grid or use a calendar and jot down your ideas for meals under each day. You can start by just planning dinners. Make sure to include side dishes as well as entrees, and maybe some healthy desserts. If you're feeling ambitious, add some healthy lunch and snack options for the week as well. When you have your menu plan filled in, create a shopping list of the ingredients you'll need. Some things to consider as you contemplate meal options:

Meal Planning Kit

• Think seasonal. What fresh produce is available this time of year? Is it salad season or soup weather?

fresh organic vegetables salad


Fresh Organic Fruits Salad

• Consider what's on sale and on hand. What's on sale this week at the supermarket? What's in your pantry?

Food on Sale

• Mix things up. Keep the menu interesting by planning some meatless meals or substituting breakfast for dinner. Alternate new recipes and old favorites.
  

• Picture the plate. Here's a trick for making sure your meals include appropriate portions of key food groups: As you plan a meal, keep in mind that fruits or vegetables should cover half your dinner plate, and lean protein and whole grains should each take a quarter of the plate.

Organic foods: Are they safer?

Organic or non-organic?

Organic and non-organic fruits and vegetables both look fresh, but the organic foods are very expensive.

The mineral content of organic apples, pears, potatoes, wheat, and sweet corn were compared to commercial varieties. Overall, the organic foods showed much higher levels of nutrient minerals and much lower levels of heavy metals.It made the case that organic food is not necessarily healthier than conventional food, and might actually be dangerous. Maure used in organic compost may be more harmful than the health risks from pesticide to humans. The pros in going organic is that organic food is free from artificial chemicals, pesticides antibiotics and fertilizers. And it is free from genetically modified ingredients. Organic foods show that they have more vitamins and beneficial trace elements than conventional green food and so may be more nutritious.

There are different views on whether organic foods are really helpful to us, or in fact may be harmful. In the future science will have to address these issues. As more studies are being done, our views about organic foods might change. In the past, we thought the egg was the perfect food. Now we know that although nutritious it contains high levels of cholesterol. Who knows what will be considered healthy eating in the future? At this point, organic foods seem to be beneficial.

Organic Apple

Non Organic Apple

Organic Berries

Organic Raspberry

Non Organic Raspberry

Organic Strawberrys

Non Organic Strawberry

Here are other differences between conventional farming and organic farming:

Conventional farmers	Organic farmers
Apply chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth.	Apply natural fertilizers, such as manure or compost, to feed soil and plants.
Spray insecticides to reduce pests and disease.	Use beneficial insects and birds, mating disruption or traps to reduce pests and disease.
Use chemical herbicides to manage weeds.	Rotate crops, till, hand weed or mulch to manage weeds.
Give animals antibiotics, growth hormones and medications to prevent disease and spur growth.	Give animals organic feed and allow them access to the outdoors. Use preventive measures — such as rotational grazing, a balanced diet and clean housing — to help minimize disease.

Organic Foods Labels



Baby Goat on the organic farm.jpg

Sheep on the Organic Farm

Organic Foods Farm

Organic Oranges Tree Farm

Organic Peaches Tree

Organic Apples Tree

Organic Egg Farm

Organic Cow's Milk Farm

• 100 percent organic. Products that are completely organic or made of all organic ingredients.

• Organic. Products that are at least 95 percent organic.

• Made with organic ingredients. These are products that contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. The organic seal can't be used on these packages.