Your body functions like a giant factory, requiring a special mix of nutrients from the foods you eat to power it. "Eating well" means meeting the body's needs by choosing appropriate amounts of the foods that best complement both the potential of, and the limitations of, your genes. Obviously the specific foods each of us chooses and the amounts will vary from person to person. There are, however, helpful guidelines to use when selecting those specific foods and they're explored here.
First, make your choices from a variety of whole foods each day, preferably organic whole foods. Click here to read What about whole foods? Whole foods retain all their original nutrients, in the correct proportions intended by Mother Nature. In contrast, processed foods often have lost many of their valuable nutrients and may have a number of other chemicals added. Today food scientists are still discovering many of the nutrients that exist in whole foods and working on understanding just how they relate to health. Since there is such much yet to learn, it makes sense to choose these foods with their full complement of nutrients as often as possible. Selecting organic foods minimizes the chances that the whole foods you eat will contain contaminants, such as pesticides, herbicides, hormones, or antibiotics. Keeping the beneficial components in and the harmful things out of your food is an excellent approach to optimizing your health. Click here to read about how foods can pave your way to prevention one bite at a time.
Matters of Size
Secondly, be mindful of the amount of food you eat. Healthy eating involves quantity as well as quality. You've probably noticed that you can't eat the same amount you ate in your younger years without gaining weight. An increasing waistline is not all that's changed over the years. Studies have shown that portion sizes of foods in the marketplace have steadily increased over the past 20 years. This is particularly true with restaurants, packaged foods and beverages. Today, soda is served in 64 ounce containers. The whopping 800 calories this provides is almost half of your daily calorie needs. Not to mention that pouring sugar water into your body is of little nutritional value.
Beverages are not the only items that have been super-sized; restaurants serve meals averaging 1,500 calories per plate. Calories are definitely a major concern here. Additionally, foods prepared in restaurants are often loaded with saturated fat and sodium. When eaten on a regular basis, these added ingredients can affect your heart health. When eaten on a regular basis, these added ingredients can affect your heart health. Click here to explore the Heart Health contents of the Knowledge Center.
Several studies have shown that larger food portion sizes can lead to eating more than your body needs. Researchers have found that how much you eat is not always based on how hungry you are. Instead it's largely determined by the amount on your plate. Even if you want to eat less, it's almost impossible to find restaurants and cafés that still serve small portions. Interestingly enough, using larger plates, bowls, and cups can lead to eating or drinking more. Click here to view More Than Meets the Eye. Finding ways to eat the right amount of food to fuel your body and balancing these calories with daily physical activity is an important part of healthy living. Click here to read about portion size awareness.