Healthy Eating Guidelines

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• QIs it okay to indulge in a favorite food?

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  A Intermountain Registered Dietitians , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Intermountain Healthcare

  Certainly, enjoy foods that you love. If your favorite foods also tend to be higher in calories and low in nutrients (think cookies, cakes, chocolate, chips, etc.) then enjoy them occasionally in modest portion sizes. When eating these types of favorite foods try these wise-eating tips:

  • Don't buy large packages of these types of foods. When you have a lot, you're more likely to eat a lot.
  • Serve yourself a portion instead of eating directly from the package. This can help you stick to a reasonable portion size.
  • Don't keep snacks and treats like this where they are frequently visible, like the kitchen countertop. Out of sight, out of mind.
  • Don't eat these foods while distracted (for instance while watching television or reading the newspaper). In order to fully enjoy eating your favorite foods, pay attention as you eat.

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• QWhat are some tips for healthy eating?

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  A RealAge answered

  Nutritionists and diet gurus know that the two rules to healthy eating and slimmer waistlines are: Always eat a nutritious breakfast within an hour of rising, eat every three to four hours thereafter. Of course, what you eat is also important, and can go a long way toward remedying, and preventing, sags and slumps during your day. Avoiding that sensation of being off-the-charts ravenous will help you to fight mental fatigue and subzero energy. It will also help you to make better food choices at your next meal or snack.

  From The Mind-Beauty Connection: 9 Days to Less Stress, Gorgeous Skin, and a Whole New You by Amy Wechsler.

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• QHow much dairy should I eat per day?

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  A Intermountain Registered Dietitians , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Intermountain Healthcare

  Stick with products that are 1% fat or less, and aim for 3 servings (3 cups) every day. Sample servings (portions) are:

  • 1 cup low-fat, skim, or fat-free milk
  • 1 cup fortified soy milk, rice milk, or almond milk
  • 1 cup low-fat yogurt or calcium-fortified soy yogurt
  • 1 ounce low-fat cheese
  • ½ cup low-fat cottage cheese

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• QWhat is a healthy breakfast?

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  A Manuel Villacorta , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

  The benefits of breakfast are almost too numerous to list. Breakfast wakes up your metabolism after sleep and starts you burning calories. It reduces stress hormones and improves your mood.

  A healthy breakfast is not made of processed foods and they are not all from one food-type (carbohydrates, or proteins). A healthy breakfast should have the same qualities that make up a good dinner: fresh ingredients and a blend of protein, fat and carbohydrate. In fact, in many countries a typical breakfast is composed out of the leftovers of what was used to make traditional dinners!

  Here are my four principles regarding breakfast:

  • Any breakfast is better than no breakfast. Eat something, even if it's little.
  • Eat what you like. This is a corollary to #1. If you don't like it you won't eat it, no matter how much you think you should.
  • Be guided by moderation. A bagel is not a great breakfast because it is all refined carbohydrates, but it isn't going to kill you if you eat it once a month. Try to create balance across a week, rather than be perfect every day.
  • Diversify your food types. What makes a good dinner makes a good breakfast -- that is, a mixture of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Just eggs? Not great. Eggs with

  Embrace breakfast; take the time to eat it. And there's much more about eating healthy by eating what you love in my new book, Eating Free: The Carb Friendly Way to Lose Inches, Embrace Your Hunger, and Keep Weight Off for Good!

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• QWhy do I have to limit the amount of fat in my diet?

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  A Intermountain Registered Dietitians , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Intermountain Healthcare

  Although fat is an essential nutrient and a carrier for other essential fat soluble vitamins, it is a dense source of calories and should be limited. The American Heart Association recommends that fat be limited to 25%-35% of your total daily calories (approximately 55-75 grams per day for a moderately active person). Limiting your total fat intake also allows you to consume a more balanced diet with calories from a variety of sources and thus a variety of nutrients. 

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• QHow much fat should I eat?

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  A Intermountain Healthcare answered

  Keep your total fat intake to 25% to 35% of your total daily calories. (That's 56 to 78 grams of fat for a 2,000-calorie diet.)

  The healthiest way to stay in this range is to follow these guidelines:

  • Monounsaturated fats should make up 20% or fewer of your total daily calories.
  • Polyunsaturated fats should make up 10% or fewer of your total daily calories.
  • Saturated fats should make up fewer than 7% of your total daily calories.
  • Trans fats should be as few of your total daily calories as possible.
• QWhat should my daily limit be for added sugar?

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  A RealAge answered

  How much of the sweet stuff can you have without blowing a healthful eating plan?

  If you want to ward off excess pounds and heart disease, heart experts recommend you use this simple cap: 100 calories. That's about how many calories' worth of added sugar you should limit yourself to each day.

  Actually, it's 100 calories for women, 150 for men (lucky fellas). And an "added sugar" would be any sugar that's been added to foods or beverages during processing or preparation, be it sweetened yogurts, cereals, or candies. Unfortunately, most Americans get about 430 calories of added sugars daily—enough extra to easily contribute to the growing pandemic of obesity and cardiovascular disease.

  So what does 100 mean in real-world terms? About a can of cola, actually. A 12-ounce can of sweetened soda has roughly 130 calories of added sugars. That means if you have a can of ginger ale, you've hit—or more likely passed—your daily limit. So use those discretionary calories wisely. And don't let them crowd out the nutritious things in life, like fruit, vegetables and whole grains.

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• QWhy is a balanced diet important?

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  A Mercy Health answered

  A balanced diet is important because what people eat plays a role not only in managing illness, but also preventing it, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. For example, a well-balanced diet can help keep the immune system strong and that is an important safeguard against disease and illness. 

  If a person has a chronic condition, a carefully planned menu can make a difference. For instance, incorporating heart-healthy foods into an eating plan can help prevent and lower high blood pressure and this reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

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• QHow can I make healthier food choices?

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  A Piedmont Heart Institute answered

  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) offer tips for healthy eating in Dietary Guidelines for All Americans.
  
  Focus on fruits. Eat a variety of fruits—fresh, frozen, canned, or dried—rather than fruit juice for most of your fruit choices. For a 2,000-calorie diet, you will need 2 cups of fruit each day. An example of 2 cups is 1 small banana, 1 large orange, and 1/4 cup of dried apricots or peaches. Vary your veggies.

  Eat more: Dark green veggies, such as broccoli, kale, and other dark leafy greens; Orange veggies, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and winter squash; Beans and peas, such as pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, split peas, and lentils. Get your calcium-rich foods.

  Each day, drink 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk. Or, you can get an equivalent amount of low-fat yogurt and/or low-fat cheese each day. 1.5 ounces of cheese equals 1 cup of milk. If you don't or can't consume milk, choose lactose-free milk products and/or calcium-fortified foods and drinks. Make half your grains whole. Eat at least 3 ounces of whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta each day. One ounce is about 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of breakfast cereal, or 1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta. Look to see that grains such as wheat, rice, oats, or corn are referred to as "whole" in the list of ingredients.

  Go lean with protein. Choose lean meats and poultry. Bake it, broil it, or grill it. Vary your protein choices with more fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds. Limit saturated fats. Get less than 10 percent of your calories from saturated fatty acids. Most fats should come from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils. When choosing and preparing meat, poultry, dry beans, and milk or milk products, make choices that are lean, low-fat, or fat-free. Limit salt. Get less than 2,300 mg of sodium (about 1 teaspoon of salt) each day.
  
  This answer is based on source information from the National Women's Health Information Center.

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• QHow much sugar should I eat a day?

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  A UCLA Health answered

  It is important to note that humans are not intended to eat a lot of simple sugar.
  
  The American Heart Association recommends 24 grams of refined sugars per day. It doesn't take much for you to take in too much sugar–which can lead to insulin resistance, meaning diabetes and heart disease. 

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