Ten Ways to Good Nutrition
1. The major dietary problem in the US and countries of the Western world is over-consumption of certain dietary components. Excessive intake of sugars and fats have resulted in excessive caloric intake together with a diet of low nutrient density. One in four Americans is obese, a risk factor for diseases of the heart, blood vessels, cancer, diabetes millitus and others.
3. Learn to recognize the difference between hunger and appetite.
- Hunger is the stimulus within our bodies that indicates to us that we need to consume food.
- Appetite consists of the pleasurable sensations provided by food and is associated with the enjoyment of food.
See Emotional Eating for another factor of over-eating.
4. Food is often used in one way or another to express feelings of happiness, love, security, or to cover up emotions of worry, grief, loneliness and so on. Before you have a snack, ask yourself why you need this snack, or why you may be reaching for something you know you should not eat.
5. There is a saying "A healthy body produces a healthy mind". This is true, because the brain benefits when food intake is adequate.
6. Support of family and significant other's is necessary for success.
7. Whatever you eat turns into YOU. Only you have complete control of what goes into your mouth.
8. Sugar. Be careful. It is very easy to eat excess amounts of sugary food raising your caloric intake too high. One 12 ounce can of a soft drink with sugar beyond your caloric requirement could cause a potential weight gain of almost 15 pounds in a year.
9. An important part of staying fit is controlling your body weight.
10. Food is anything that nourishes the body. No two foods are alike in the ability to nourish, for no two foods contain identical amounts of nutrients. Therefore, variety in your diet is important.