Healthy Eating - The Best Thing

healthy foods

Healthy Eating

It goes without saying that one of the best things you can do for yourself is to eat a healthy diet. While you cannot control your heredity and many of the environmental factors that affect your health, you do have a choice about what foods you put into your body each day.

A Case of TMI

Every week there is a fresh "study" that reveals some new aspect of healthy eating. If you find yourself confused by this barrage of information, you are not alone. Even a person trained in the field of nutrition, can be flummoxed by the often conflicting reports.

Low-fat. Low-carb. Low-glycemic. High-Protein. High-fiber. Trans-fat. Saturated fat. Raw food. Vegetarian. Vegan. Miracle Foods.

Know the Healthy Eating Basics

As I talk to people, I realize that there is a great deal of confusion about basic healthy eating concepts. In addition, there is lots of good information about healthy eating that is simply not known by the average person.


Take the time to educate yourself about eating healthy. Click on the topics at the top of this page to learn about healthy eating. The more you know, the easier it will be to achieve your healthy lifestyle goals.


Recently, our local paper carried a news article on the front page about healthy eating and it was obvious to me that the author did not know the difference between protein and carbohydrates. (Apparently, neither did the editor since the article passed muster and made it to the front page.)

Get to know the basics of healthy eating, so that you can make better food choices for better health. If you put in a little time now, it will soon become second nature to know about the types and combinations of foods that will help you feel well and live longer.

Everyone is an Expert

Part of the problem with a discussion of eating healthy, is that everyone is an expert on eating because we all do it!  In addition, when it comes to eating healthy, we tend to believe what we want to believe. Nearly everyone has a story about an aged relative who swears by his or her daily regimen. "Every day for lunch my grandpa ate a chocolate bar washed down with a pint of beer and he lived to be 100!"  Since we like beer and candy bars, we believe that they are the secret to longevity--or at least, that they will not hinder it!


Healthy Eating Guidelines

Don't be overwhelmed 

Depending on where you are in the healthy eating continuum, you may have a lot of work to get from where you are now to where you want or need to be. In fact, many people give up on the whole concept, because they are overwhelmed by the amount of change that is required.  However, you can pick just one change that you are going to make today that will help toward your goal of eating well.  Read more...


Healthy Eating Plan

Keeping the doctor away

You may have heard the old adage, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." This is actually pretty good advice, since apples are a lower-glycemic fruit loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. However, there is a little more to your daily nutrition requirements than eating apples every day. Most of us want to feel well and live a long, productive life. Although you cannot control all of the factors that affect your wellness, you do get to choose what you put in your mouth, and your daily food intake can have a tremendous affect on your ability to live long and well.  Read more...


Healthy Recipes

Too many cooks

Since cooking is such a personal endeavor, I hesitate to share my favorite recipes. Experience has taught me that cooks are a diverse group with regard to expertise, tastes, common sense and even frugality. So, how do I tailor a recipe so that it is successful for everyone who tries it, taking into account all of the above-mentioned variations?  There are so many techniques and bits of knowledge that are part of cooking and baking, that it is often difficult to know how much information to include in the instructions. Read more...


Healthy Eating During Pregnancy

Before you know it 

Most discussions of eating during pregnancy start with a reminder that you should be eating healthy even BEFORE you conceive. This is because by the time you know you are pregnant, the baby will already have made considerable progress in its development. Most discussions of eating during pregnancy start with a reminder that you should be eating healthy even BEFORE you conceive.  While this is excellent advice, chances are, if you are reading this page, you are already expecting a blessed event and need to consider your diet going forward from here. Since the baby’s growth and development is almost completely dependent on your nutritional status, it is vital that you eat a healthy diet during pregnancy. Read more...


Healthy Eating for Children

Most important thing  

It is not an exaggeration to say that feeding your children a healthy diet is one of the most important things you can do for their future. A child’s proper growth and development is largely dependent on whether or not they receive all the nutrients they need in the appropriate amounts for their age, gender and activity level. In addition, the food patterns that you establish for your children while they are young, will have a significant effect on their health throughout their lives. Read more...


Healthy Eating for Seniors

Life in your years  

Someone once said that it's not the "years in your life, but the life in your years" that matters. This seems particularly true when you think about health. Good health is one of those things that you take for granted when you have it, but miss it almost more than anything else when it's gone. As the population ages, and the percentage of people over the age of 60 increases, concerns for seniors are often at the forefront of the healthy eating debate. As we age, our bodies change and the necessity for eating healthy becomes more critical.  Read more...


Tips for Healthy Eating

-Eat a variety of fresh, whole foods, including selections from the five food groups—Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, Meat/Legumes and Dairy.

-Include at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, with an emphasis on vegetables.

-Include a serving of low-fat versions of good quality protein with each meal and snack.

-Eat good carbs such as whole grains most, if not all of the time. 

-Choose unsaturated fats such as olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds.

-Include fiber foods with each meal so that you get a total of 25-30 grams of fiber each day.

-Eat a balanced diet with a ratio of 40-30-30 of good carbs, low-fat protein and good quality fats respectively.

-Eat colorful foods for their phytonutrients.

-Choose low-fat versions of dairy products and leaner meats.

-Stay away from empty calories that provide calories but little nutrition.

-Limit your intake of foods that contain added sugar and salt.

-Eat fewer prepackaged foods and fast foods, which are generally over-processed, full of preservatives and high in sodium.

-Drink 6-8 glasses of filtered water each day, while avoiding soft drinks and limiting fruit juice.


Diabetes Facts

Common Disorder  

Everyone seems to know someone that has diabetes. However, there is a lot of misunderstanding about this common metabolic disorder. Therefore, it seems like a good idea to provide straightforward diabetes information, to help dispel the confusion.  The full name of the disease that most people are referring to when they say “diabetes” is “Diabetes Milletus. Diabetes Milletus refers to a group of metabolic disorders that are characterized by high blood sugar and problems with proper insulin secretion and metabolism. Read more...


What is Gluten?

Not exactly haute cuisine  

When I was in the first grade, there was a kid in our class that loved to eat what we used to call library paste. No matter how many times the teacher would reproach him, he could often be seen sticking the stuff in his mouth instead of onto his art project. If you grew up in the fifties or sixties, you probably remember those large plastic jars of thick, white paste that were found in every elementary school classroom. Read more..


Foods with MSG

Are you sensitive?  

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer and preservative that has been added to the food supply for over 60 years. Unfortunately, for some people this food additive can cause discomfort--from mild to severe, which may include headache, nausea, anxiety, numbness, heart palpitations, weakness and flushing. Read more...


What is Chia Seed?

Ch-ch-chia? 

Most people have heard of chia seed, but not in the context of a “super food". You may have even purchased one of those pottery “pets” that you spread with seeds and then watch it grow into a “hairy” green creature, as the chia germinates and produces blades of grass. However, what you may not have known is that those tiny black or white seeds are packed with an abundance of nutrients, including fiber, protein, antioxidants, Omega-3 fatty acids and minerals.  Read more...


Benefits of Flax Seed

Not just for Uncle Sam  

Until recently, many of us had only seen flax seed in that cereal named after a patriotic “uncle”, and even then we may not have known that those tiny, dark brown seeds were flax. However, everything changed a few years ago when flax seed became the latest “super food.” Whether you buy the tastier, and usually more expensive, golden flax or the standard brown flax, you are getting a nutritional powerhouse. Read more...


How to Use Turmeric

The Super Seasoning

Turmeric is that bright yellow spice that gives mustard its distinctive yellow color and is used in Indian curries. It comes from the root of the Curcuma Longa plant and is sometimes called “Indian Saffron.” Native to India and Southeast Asia, its warm, peppery flavor is popular around the world. Although turmeric has been used for thousands of years, recently it has been designated a “super” foods. Read more...


MY TWO CENTS

Look for me throughout the site. (That's me on the right!) This is where I will tell you what I think about the subject at hand. I don't always agree with conventional wisdom, but then sometimes conventional wisdom is not very wise. You can take my opinion or leave it, but I hope you will think about it and maybe do some research on your own. My thoughts may only be worth two cents, but that could be a bargain at today's prices!


Benefits of Healthy Eating

In case you need to be convinced, here is a list of benefits of healthy eating.

-You will feel better, with better digestion and general well-being.

-You will live longer, at least with regard to health-related mortality.

-You will sleep better.

-You will look better, with healthy skin, hair, eyes, teeth, etc.

-You will have more energy to do the things you love.

-You will require fewer visits to the doctor and dentist.

-Your mood will improve.

-Your love life will improve (especially if your spouse is eating healthy, too).

-You are less likely to struggle with obesity.

-You will be less likely to develop degenerative diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

-If you are already suffering from a disease or disorder, eating healthy will help keep it under control or even reverse it.


They say, "we are what we eat," so let's be healthy, shall we?!


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