The recommended food pyramid provides a simple guide to establishing healthy eating habits. The food pyramid was originally established in the 1960s in response to the increase in heart disease, and to help people understand what it takes to stay healthy. There are several facets of the food pyramid, which help you to analyze what you are eating and what you need to change in order to maintain your healthy eating habits.
The base of the pyramid is the bread & grains group. There are a variety of different types of foods that fall into this category. According to this pyramid, a healthy diet contains six to eleven servings of a breads & grains per day. An example of a single serving would be half of a cup of rice, cereal or pasta or one slice of bread. Another thing to consider is the type of grain. The pyramid recommends at least half of the bread & grains you consume are whole grain, such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, or oatmeal.
From here, various versions of the pyramid split. Some versions pyramids include fruit and vegetables in a single group, others split them into two groups. For the vegetable category, it is important to add two to three servings of vegetables to your daily diet. A serving generally consists of a cup of vegetables or vegetable juice. It is also key to eat a variety of different types of vegetables over the course of a week. The typical food pyramid groups vegetables into five groups:
* Dark green: such as broccoli and spinach.
* Orange: pumpkin and sweet potatoes
* Dry beans and peas: navy beans, kidney beans, lentils, tofu
* Starchy vegetables: corn, potatoes, green peas
* Other vegetables: cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant, tomatoes
(Note: While we have given examples of the members of each group, it is certainly not an exhaustive list)
With fruits, a cup of fruit or fruit juice, or a half-cup of dried fruit counts as a serving. Recommendations are one to two servings of fruit each day.
The next part of the food pyramid is the milk and dairy section. This group includes milk (including lactose-free), yogurt, cheese and other variations of this type of product. About three servings per day is the recommended amount. A typical serving of dairy would be a cup of milk or yogurt, 1 ounces of natural cheese or two ounces of processed cheese.
Next to last is the meat and beans group. This group contains meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and dried beans. Choosing low-fat cuts of meat and poultry are key to a healthy diet. Five to six ounces of mean and beans each day is the recommended daily intake for this group.
The highest level of the food pyramid is the oils and fats level. While there are different types of oils and fats, this food group should be the smallest portion of a healthy diet. General recommendations are five to seven teaspoons of fats or oils per day; not very much. An ounce of nuts, such as peanuts or almonds, contains three teaspoons of oil. A tablespoon of mayonnaise contains about two and a half teaspoons.
The food pyramid can provide excellent guidlines to ensure that your meals will be more balanced and nutritious. Though the number of servings in each group will vary based on your age, body type, activity level and other individual needs, the food pyramid can help you on your way to developing a pattern of healthy eating.
2007年12月17日星期一
2007年12月16日星期日
Using Healthy Foods for Anti-Aging
One of the best ways to keep the body as young, fit, and healthy in appearance is really quite obvious. No, it is not plastic surgery, either. Through the use of highly nutritious foods, any body can fight the signs of the passing of years and claim their own anti-aging miracle.
To be certain, there are many diets out there that claim to have youth-extending benefits, and most are probably at least based in truth. You see, the anti-aging benefits of dietary staples like oranges, broccoli, and certain berries come from their high content of antioxidants, which are minerals that help keep the walls of the cells nice and pliant, so as to allow the maximum absorption of other essential nutrients and vitamins. When the cells that make up the human body are kept lithe, then the entire body, from the skin to the intestines, is kept in optimum shape, thus creating an anti-aging effect.
There are, of course, many other elements to the anti-aging dietary choices, like yogurts, pumpkins, whole grains and oats, and the ubiquitous soy. Round out the intake with some lean, white meat of turkey and a bit of salmon (well-known to be high in the Omega-3 fatty acids we hear so much about), and consume a handful of nuts, like walnuts, and you have yourself a personalized anti-aging diet.
Most of the anti-aging formulas, lotions, and potions contain some sort of concoction of vitamins and minerals, and this is with good reason. All of these nutritious elements help the body get rid of built up toxins and cleanse away the accumulated waste matter that makes the body act and look older than it really is. In fact, anti-aging can be achieved by simply changing the eating habits and adding some physical activity. In this way, the anti-aging benefits of naturally occurring and carefully prepared foods can be realized by any person who wishes to feel and appear younger and more youthful.
Anti-aging can be achieved quite easily, and it does not have to cost loads of money or time. Change the shopping list to include more items from the fresh produce section and the health food aisle, and anti-aging benefits will pile up in your cart and in your body.
=====================================
To be certain, there are many diets out there that claim to have youth-extending benefits, and most are probably at least based in truth. You see, the anti-aging benefits of dietary staples like oranges, broccoli, and certain berries come from their high content of antioxidants, which are minerals that help keep the walls of the cells nice and pliant, so as to allow the maximum absorption of other essential nutrients and vitamins. When the cells that make up the human body are kept lithe, then the entire body, from the skin to the intestines, is kept in optimum shape, thus creating an anti-aging effect.
There are, of course, many other elements to the anti-aging dietary choices, like yogurts, pumpkins, whole grains and oats, and the ubiquitous soy. Round out the intake with some lean, white meat of turkey and a bit of salmon (well-known to be high in the Omega-3 fatty acids we hear so much about), and consume a handful of nuts, like walnuts, and you have yourself a personalized anti-aging diet.
Most of the anti-aging formulas, lotions, and potions contain some sort of concoction of vitamins and minerals, and this is with good reason. All of these nutritious elements help the body get rid of built up toxins and cleanse away the accumulated waste matter that makes the body act and look older than it really is. In fact, anti-aging can be achieved by simply changing the eating habits and adding some physical activity. In this way, the anti-aging benefits of naturally occurring and carefully prepared foods can be realized by any person who wishes to feel and appear younger and more youthful.
Anti-aging can be achieved quite easily, and it does not have to cost loads of money or time. Change the shopping list to include more items from the fresh produce section and the health food aisle, and anti-aging benefits will pile up in your cart and in your body.
=====================================
2007年12月11日星期二
Adjusting Your Diet to Reflect Your Menopause Needs
Are you approaching menopause? There are so many changes that happen to a woman as she nears this phase of her life.
In order to deal with these changes, it is important for a you to change your her diet to cope with the changes to your body. As we get older, our bodies require different foods. While this does not mean that you can no longer enjoy the foods you once did, you must learn how to incorporate foods with the necessary nutrients into your diet.
There are even some foods that can help you deal with your menopause symptoms. For example, choosing foods with high potassium content, like bananas, will help you balance water and salt retention issues. Dried fruits like figs and apricots can do the same thing. You may also want to add dark, leafy green vegetables to your diet like cabbage, broccoli, kale, spinach and collard greens. Try to increase the amount of "right" whole grains in your diet, like soy beans, brown rice, wheat germ, and lentils.
In addition to adding these foods to your life, you may also want to increase your consumption of foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Sardines, trout, tuna, salmon, and herring are just a few examples of foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Studies have also shown that eating soy products can be quite beneficial to women going through menopause. Yogurt, tofu, soybeans, and soy milk can help in this area. Nuts work well with your new nutritional needs, so throw in some sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds.
Choosing the right kinds of oil is an important part of your diet planning: include flaxseed and canola oils.
Try seaweed - it's great on rice or as an additional vegetable. Kimbu, Arame, Nori, and Wakame (available at your local health market in the seaweed section) are other helpful choices since they have naturally occurring chemicals and hormones that are very good at combating natural menopause symptoms.
These foods are not only helpful for menopause; they are part of an overall healthier diet. As we age, blood pressure rises, as does the risk of higher cholesterol levels. These diet changes can help us to improve our overall health. Instead of fighting with the side effects of prescription drugs, you can handle these risks by eating well and maintaining your ideal body weight, which can help your heart deal with its age as well. Remember that you don't have to strictly hew to your new diet, just a tendency in these directions can improve your overall health.
There is little reason why you can't have a slice of your birthday cake, or sneak a cookie in with your afternoon coffee once in a while. You might even try learning to bake with different kinds of ingredients. As you start working on your diet, you may not even notice the sheer number of things that have changed as you will be changing, too. You may feel better, have more energy, and have more concentration. These diet changes will help you to have fewer hot flashes, night sweats, heart palpitations, and other menopause symptoms.
In order to deal with these changes, it is important for a you to change your her diet to cope with the changes to your body. As we get older, our bodies require different foods. While this does not mean that you can no longer enjoy the foods you once did, you must learn how to incorporate foods with the necessary nutrients into your diet.
There are even some foods that can help you deal with your menopause symptoms. For example, choosing foods with high potassium content, like bananas, will help you balance water and salt retention issues. Dried fruits like figs and apricots can do the same thing. You may also want to add dark, leafy green vegetables to your diet like cabbage, broccoli, kale, spinach and collard greens. Try to increase the amount of "right" whole grains in your diet, like soy beans, brown rice, wheat germ, and lentils.
In addition to adding these foods to your life, you may also want to increase your consumption of foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Sardines, trout, tuna, salmon, and herring are just a few examples of foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Studies have also shown that eating soy products can be quite beneficial to women going through menopause. Yogurt, tofu, soybeans, and soy milk can help in this area. Nuts work well with your new nutritional needs, so throw in some sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds.
Choosing the right kinds of oil is an important part of your diet planning: include flaxseed and canola oils.
Try seaweed - it's great on rice or as an additional vegetable. Kimbu, Arame, Nori, and Wakame (available at your local health market in the seaweed section) are other helpful choices since they have naturally occurring chemicals and hormones that are very good at combating natural menopause symptoms.
These foods are not only helpful for menopause; they are part of an overall healthier diet. As we age, blood pressure rises, as does the risk of higher cholesterol levels. These diet changes can help us to improve our overall health. Instead of fighting with the side effects of prescription drugs, you can handle these risks by eating well and maintaining your ideal body weight, which can help your heart deal with its age as well. Remember that you don't have to strictly hew to your new diet, just a tendency in these directions can improve your overall health.
There is little reason why you can't have a slice of your birthday cake, or sneak a cookie in with your afternoon coffee once in a while. You might even try learning to bake with different kinds of ingredients. As you start working on your diet, you may not even notice the sheer number of things that have changed as you will be changing, too. You may feel better, have more energy, and have more concentration. These diet changes will help you to have fewer hot flashes, night sweats, heart palpitations, and other menopause symptoms.
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