Most Americans get very little nutrition in their daily diets. According to the President’s Council on Fitness, the typical American diet exceeds the recommended intake limits in four categories, including fats and added sugars, sodium, saturated fats, and refined grains. It also reports that most Americans eat less than the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables, and 90% of all Americans eat more sodium than what is recommended for a healthy diet. However, perhaps what is most shocking is that the average calorie consumption has increased by 600 calories per day in the past four decades! If one of your goals this year is to eat a healthier diet, here are some tips for living a healthy life that will help you make better decisions every day from here on out so that you can look forward to a long and healthy future.
Sit up straight and eat your vegetables! How many times did Mom nag you with this line when you were growing up? Well, now you’re all grown up, and, if you want to slump down at the kitchen table, or rest your head on your hand while downing your cornflakes… so be it. But, when it comes to eating your veggies, take Mom’s advice to heart.
Preparing food nowadays is so much more complicated than ever before. If you want to eat healthy, it is advisable to check labels closely to fully understand the components of what you will be ingesting. If you simply run into the grocery store and toss a few items in your cart without a care in the world, instead of perusing the product carefully, the old adage of “what you see is what you get” may just apply to you.
If you are of a certain age, you remember eating white Wonder bread as a kid. Kids liked that soft squishy bread that Mom piled high with peanut butter and jelly. Back in the 60s, the catch phrase for white Wonder Bread was “Wonder helps build strong bodies 12 ways” because this bread was chock full of nutrients. Through the years, Wonder Bread has added to their product line, so, in addition to the classic white bread, you can now get the same texture of bread but in whole grain. Mom is doubly happy to serve it to the kids and it still has that same moist texture that kids loved.
There is a popular expression people often use about “comparing apples to oranges” sometimes it is used in a rather snarky manner, as if to indicate that there are apparent differences between two items – in other words, the distinction is a “no brainer”.
Chances are, the mere mention of the word “chia” as in “chia seeds” will bring a giggle or two to those who fondly remember a gift called a “Chia Pet” first introduced in the early 1980s. (
If you love fresh veggies, once growing season is in gear, there is no better place to go than the local vendors to load up on local produce. One of the first vegetables available in Spring is fresh asparagus. While this valuable veggie is available year-round, Spring is the peak season for taste. Crops are harvested beginning in late February through June, with April as the prime month.
What if you were told that eating foods rich in Omega-3 or taking supplements of Omega-3 would guarantee that you would reap the following benefits:
From the Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day weekend, sometimes it is all one big food fest, isn’t it? There are picnics and barbeques and family get-togethers galore. Most of these events involve potluck meals, with everyone toting along a different dish. Of course you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, so you have to try everyone’s special dish, and before long, you feel overstuffed and want to undo your clothes.