There sure is a lot of overeating after Halloween and through the New Year’s holiday. For some of you, the holiday eating even continues through Super Bowl Sunday. Fortunately, many of you work at getting back into your healthy eating habits after the new year.
Most of us know what we should do when it comes to healthy eating. The key to healthy eating is balance, variety and moderation. In short, this means eating a variety of foods without getting too many calories or too much of any one nutrient. This also can mean reducing the amount of sugar and fat in our eating.
Make sure to eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods. You need more than 40 different nutrients for good health and no single food supplies them all. Your daily food selection should include vegetables, fruits, bread, dairy products, meat and poultry, fish, other protein foods and whole grain products. You may not have to eat as much as you think. The amount depends on your calorie needs.
Try to enjoy plenty of vegetables, fruit and whole grains. Surveys show that most of you don’t eat enough of these foods. You should try to eat five servings or more of vegetables and fruits daily. If you don’t like some of these foods at first, give them another chance. Look through cookbooks and visit Myplate.gov for tasty ways to prepare them. Be aware of the sauces, butter and cheese you add. These can add a lot of calories.
Find and maintain a healthy weight that is right for you. This depends on your age, sex, height, heredity and how active you are. Keep in mind that obesity increases your chances for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancer and other illnesses. On the other hand, being too thin can increase your risk for osteoporosis and other health problems. Regular exercise not only makes you feel better, but it will help you maintain your weight.
Keep portion sizes moderate and reasonable. It is easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy. Remember, the recommended serving size of cooked meat is three ounces (the size of a deck of cards). A medium piece of fruit is considered one serving. A cup of pasta is equal to two servings, while a pint of ice cream contains four servings.
Finally, make sure to eat meals regularly. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in overeating. When you’re very hungry, it’s also tempting to forget about good nutrition. Snacking between meals can help curb hunger, but don’t eat so much that your snack becomes an entire meal. Here is to the New Year and eating for your health.
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Mary Ann Lienhart-Cross is a Purdue Extension educator in Elkhart County. She can be reached at 574-533-0554 or at [email protected].
