1 Maintain a balance between your calorie intake and calorie expenditure and recommend a daily allowance of 2,000 calories with a 60/20/20 split of carbohydrates/protein/fat
2 Eat a wide variety of foods especially vegetables, whole grains, or fruits including foods high in complex carbohydrates such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals, low in fat, and free of cholesterol.3 Don’t be the food police and maintain moderate portions, especially high-calorie foods.
4 Try to get fresh, local produce
5 Drink more water with our bodies 75% water it is a vital part of a healthy diet, flush our systems, especially the kidneys and bladder, of waste products and toxins.
6 Limit sugary foods, salt, and refined-grain products.
7 Add regular physical exercise to make a healthy eating plan work better.
8 When you eat, avoid doing anything else but eating and slow down and chew.
9 Listen to your body and stop eating before you feel full as eating just enough to satisfy your hunger will help you remain alert, relaxed and feeling your best.
10 Eat early and often.
Carbohydrates are food composed of combination of starches, sugar and fiber - provide the body with fuel it needs for physical activity by breaking down into glucose, a type of sugar our cells use as a universal energy source.Bad carbs have been “stripped” of all bran, fiber, and nutrients to make cooking fast and easy. i.e. white flour, refined sugar, and white rice.
Good carbs are digested slowly keeping blood sugar and insulin levels from rising and falling too quickly, and helping you get full quicker and longer i.e. whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables.
Dietary fiber is found in plant foods such as fruit, vegetables and whole grains and are essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system. A healthy diet should contain 20 to 30 grams of fiber a day. There are two types of fiber;
Soluble fiber dissolves in water to lower blood fats and maintain blood sugar i.e. beans, fruit and oat products
Insoluble fiber cannot dissolve in water that pass through the digestive system i.e. whole grain products and vegetables.
Fruits and Vegetables are low in calories and are packed with vitamins, minerals, protective plant compounds and fiber. They are a great source of nutrients and antioxidants vital for a healthy diet, should be part of every meal, and be first choice as a snack. Eat a minimum of five portions each day.
Greens: are a vital part of a healthy diet and packed with calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, and Vitamins A, C, E and K. Greens help to strengthen the blood and respiratory systems.
Sweet Vegetables: are an excellent to add healthy sweetness to your meals and reduce your cravings for other sweets. Some examples of sweet vegetables are corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes or yams, winter squash, and onions.
Fruits: Eating a wide variety provide us with beneficial properties such as natural sugars, fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. Go for the brights as the brighter, deeper colored fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Protein in food is broken down during digestion into 20 amino acids that are the basic building blocks our bodies use to create its own protein to maintain our cells, tissues and organs. A lack of protein results in slow growth, reduced muscle mass, lower immunity, and weaken the heart and respiratory system. Beans, nuts, nut butters, peas, and soy products are good sources of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals and many provide iron which is better absorbed when a source of vitamin C is consumed with the meal. Choose: Black beans, navy beans, garbanzos, lentils, and other beans including almonds, walnuts and pecans. Also include soy products like tofu, soymilk, tempeh and veggie burgers. Avoid: Salted or sugary nuts; refried beans.
Dairy products (sources for calcium and vitamin D) provide a rich source of calcium, necessary for bone health. Most are fortified with vitamin D, which helps the small intestine absorb calcium. Calcium can also be found in dark green, leafy vegetables, such as kale and collard greens, as well as in dried beans and legumes. Recommended calcium levels are 1000 mg per day. Choose non-fat or low-fat dairy products that do not contain rBST (bovine growth hormone).
Fats are another vital part to a healthy diet but avoid the bad and enjoy good. Good fats are needed to nourish your brain, heart, nerves, hormones and all your cells, as well as your hair, skin, and nails. Fat also satisfies us and makes us feel full. Recommendation to keep total fat intake to 20-35% of calories and limit cholesterol to 300 mg per day. It is vital to keep consumption to a minimum because refined sugar is a bad carbs and not only causes problems with blood sugar level, but uses up stored resources within our body (such as minerals and enzymes) in order to process the sugar.
Saturated fats, primarily found in animal sources including red meat and whole milk dairy products. Limit less than 10% of your calories
Trans fat increases your risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), as well as lowering HDL, or good cholesterol and created by heating liquid vegetable oils in the presence of hydrogen gas, a process called hydrogenation i.e. vegetable shortenings, margarines, and snacks. limit trans fats to 1% of calories
Monounsaturated fats tend to have lower risk of cardiovascular disease i.e. olive oil, plant oils like canola oil, peanut oil, olive oil and other sources such as avocados; nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans; and seeds such as pumpkin and sesame seeds.
Polyunsaturated fats include Omega-3 and Omega-6 groups of fatty acids which your body can’t make i.e. sunflower, corn, soybean, and flaxseed oils, and walnuts. It is important to know that these oils become unhealthy when heated due to the formation of free radicals, which can lead to disease.
Treats (sweet) should be with naturally occurring sugar such as fruits i.e. strawberries, apples, sweet potatoes or winter squash.
Salt is the over consumption of processed salt and sodium should be limited to 2,300 mg per day or one teaspoon of salt. A high quality sea salt can have up to 90 minerals that has a reddish or brownish tint, has no coloring, additives, chemicals and has not been bleached.
