Healthy eating improves strength, endurance, sleep, immune function, mood, energy expenditure and self esteem while decreasing stress and unhealthy weight gain. But what is healthy eating? It’s easy to become confused by all the different diets and nutrition messages out there. At this site we hope to provide you with the basic information that you need to eat well and also provide high quality references to help guide you if you want to go beyond the basics.
Our bodies need more than 50 different nutrients in order to work properly. We must eat the foods that contain these nutrients in amounts our bodies need to maximize wellness. Balancing intake and activity as well as getting all the necessary nutrients can be a challenge, but every small positive change you make now can have a large impact in the long run. Key points to remember are listed below.
Water – drink plenty of it! The average person’s body is about two thirds water. Loss of as little as two percent of your body water can make you feel sluggish and weak. High altitude, hot temperatures and activity increase water needs. Carry a water bottle with you to help you drink the recommended 9-13 cups per day.
Eat many different plant foods daily. Fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains supply the body with a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates (including fiber) and phytochemicals. To make sure that you get enough of what you need, include colorful fruits and vegetables every time you eat and eat as many different colors of the these foods as you can.
Include fish, nuts, olive oil and canola oil in your diet regularly to assure that you get adequate amounts of health promoting unsaturated fats.
Maintain an adequate daily intake of calcium to help keep your bones strong. Low fat and fat free dairy products, fortified milk substitutes and also some plant foods are good sources.
Curb your intake of high fat animal products (high fat meats and whole fat dairy products) to reduce your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol which are associated with heart disease.
Limit sugary foods, refined grains, and fried foods. These foods provide a lot of calories but often few of the other nutrients that a healthy body needs. Watching portion sizes is an excellent way to avoid eating excessive calories. Eating in moderation can allow you to eat some of the rich foods that you may enjoy without over doing it. In recent years common portion sizes have grown significantly. Download the Portion Distortion slides to learn more about differences in the amount of food served today verses that common 20 years ago.
Limit you intake of highly processed foods as they generally contain less of the essential nutrients and fiber, and more salt, trans fats and calories than less processed alternatives.
When in doubt, read the label. Click on Food Labels for instructions to help you accurately interpret the information provided on a food package.
Eat regularly. Eat three meals spaced throughout each day to provide a steady supply of nutrients and energy. Skipping meals can slow your metabolism and also lead to overeating when you finally do eat.
If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Many of us don’t realize that alcohol has very few nutrients but a lot of calories! Use the Alcohol Calorie Counter to find out how alcohol can impact your diet.
Several guides have been developed by various groups to promote proper diet. If you’d like to learn a little more about the amounts and types of foods that should be included in your diet regularly, check out the USDA’s Food Pyramid web site. At this site you can create a personalized food pyramid based on your gender, age and typical daily activity. The American Heart Association and American Cancer Society also publish healthy diet and lifestyle guidelines that may be accessed from the Nutrition Portal page.
Want to learn more? Check out some of the Nutrition Information Sheets if you want more information about diet and health. Also, if you’d like to access additional accurate information, click on the Nutrition Portal to find some excellent web links. To learn about services available on campus click on Nutrition Services.
