Healthy Food

By Michael E Lee

There have been some new changes to come about recently to the rules of the types of foods we should eat everyday to keep us healthy. In addition to these rules there are a couple of strategies that we each should follow everyday that would enhance these rule changes as well. Lets' review these new rules and strategies now.

1. You need to eat fewer calories. I know that you have heard this before, so you are going to hear it again. Try to stay around 2000 calories per day. This will help you maintain a healthy weight.

2. You need to get more of your food from a plant source. Try to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and cooked dried beans and peas. We got to be more like vegetarians if we want to live a long life.

3. You need to eat more fish as part of your diet. Instead of just 2 servings per week as it was recommended in 2005, you need 4 to 5 servings per week. Fish is good for your heart as it has omega-3-fats that can reduce the risk of heart disease.

4. Turn to low-fat dairy products which are lower in saturated fat and is also link to heart disease. Also new research has found that when you replace high fat dairy products with low or nonfat you can lower your blood pressure too. I will say that you can use dairy products to get the calcium your body needs as a bone-strengthening mineral that your body loses as you get older. However, for those of you who do not believe in drinking milk, you can get the calcium your body needs from beans, broccoli, leafy green vegetables, collards, and kale. One note, spinach does not like to give you it calcium very easily like other plants, so do not rely on it too much.

5. Lower your consumption of added sugars and solid fats. Too much sugar has been a main cause of diabetes and solid fats like butter have added calories to your mid-section with few if any nutrients that your body needs.

6. Also you need to reduce your sodium intake and refined grains such as pasta and white bread. If you want to eat these foods as many people do, substitute them with whole wheat as they are widely available in many products now.

7. Cut back on eating lean meats, eggs and poultry. You can still eat these items but try to have them once a week for lean meats and poultry and twice a week for eggs. Also, keep the portion sizes small as well.

8. Cut out drinking sodas and non-100 percent fruit juices and drink 8 cups of water per day instead. On average our bodies are made up of 70 percent of water. Water is instant energy and all your body is doing is going through all the other liquids to get to the water, so why not cut out the middleman.

9. Getting 7-8 hours of sleep per night is another part of your healthier life style that needs to be highlighted too. This is a concept that has not been talked about a lot, but needs to be added to your overall health plan.

10. Last but not least, Exercise, Exercise, Exercise. We need to get 2 1/2 hours per week of moderate-intensity or 1 1/4 hours per week of vigorous-intense aerobic physical activity or a combination of both. You also need to add muscle-strengthening exercise that is moderate to high intensity 2 or more days per week.

Add all these things up and you will be well on your way to a longer and healthier life.