- Suggestions
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Diet---Healthy eating requires a balanced intake of nutrients. To function properly the body must receive adequate proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins and fluids. Even though it is possible to eat a zero fat diet, a diet completely lacking in one of these components is not healthy and leads to poor dietary habits. Experts agree the key to healthy eating is the time-tested advice of balance, variety and moderation. In short, that means eating a wide variety of foods without getting too many calories or too much of any one nutrient. These 10 tips can help you follow that advice while still enjoying the foods you eat.
- Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods. You need more than 40 different nutrients for good health, and no single food supplies them all. Your daily food selection should include bread and other whole-grain products; fruits; vegetables; dairy products; and meat, poultry, fish and other protein foods. How much you should eat depends on your calorie needs. Use the Food Guide Pyramid and the Nutrition Facts panel on food labels as handy references.
- Enjoy plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Do you eat 6-11 servings from the bread, rice, and cereal and pasta group, 3 of which should be whole grains? Do you eat 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables? If you don't enjoy some of these at first, give them another chance. Look through cookbooks for tasty ways to prepare unfamiliar foods.
- Maintain a healthy weight. The weight that's right for you depends on many factors including your sex, height, age and heredity. Excess body fat increases your chances for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some types of cancer and other illnesses. But being too thin can increase your risk for osteoporosis, menstrual irregularities and other health problems. If you're constantly losing and regaining weight, a dietitian can help you develop sensible eating habits for successful weight management. Regular exercise is also important to maintaining a healthy weight.
- Eat moderate portions. If you keep portion sizes reasonable, it's easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy. Did you know the recommended serving of cooked meat is 3 ounces, similar in size to a deck of playing cards? A medium piece of fruit is 1 serving and a cup of noodles equals 2 servings. A pint of ice cream contains 4 servings. Refer to the Food Guide Pyramid for information on recommended serving sizes.
- Eat regular meals. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger, often resulting in overeating. When you're very hungry, it's also tempting to forget about good nutrition. Snacking between meals can help curb hunger, but don't eat so much that your snack becomes an entire meal.
- Reduce, don't eliminate certain foods. Most people eat for pleasure as well as nutrition. If your favorite foods are high in fat, salt or sugar, the key is moderating how much of these foods you eat and how often you eat them.
Identify major sources of these ingredients in your diet and make changes, if necessary. Adults who eat high-fat meats or whole-milk dairy products at every meal are probably eating too much fat. Use the Nutrition Facts panel on the food label to help balance your choices.
Choosing skim or low-fat dairy products and lean cuts of meat such as flank steak and beef round can reduce fat intake significantly. If you love fried chicken, however, you don't have to give it up. Just eat it less often. When dining out, share it with a friend, ask for a take-home bag or a smaller portion.
- Balance your food choices over time. Not every food has to be "perfect." When eating a food high in fat, salt or sugar, select other foods that are low in these ingredients. If you miss out on any food group one day, make up for it the next. Your food choices over several days should fit together into a healthy pattern.
- Know your diet pitfalls. To improve your eating habits, you first have to know what's wrong with them. Write down everything you eat for three days. Then check your list according to the rest of these tips. Do you add a lot of butter, creamy sauces or salad dressings? Rather than eliminating these foods, just cut back your portions. Are you getting enough fruits and vegetables? If not, you may be missing out on vital nutrients.
- Make changes gradually. Just as there are no "super foods" or easy answers to a healthy diet, don't expect to totally revamp your eating habits overnight. Changing too much, too fast can get in the way of success. Begin to remedy excesses or deficiencies with modest changes that can add up to positive, lifelong eating habits. For instance, if you don't like the taste of skim milk, try low-fat. Eventually you may find you like skim, too.
- Remember, foods are not good or bad. Select foods based on your total eating patterns, not whether any individual food is "good" or "bad." Don't feel guilty if you love foods such as apple pie, potato chips, candy bars or ice cream. Eat them in moderation, and choose other foods to provide the balance and variety that are vital to good health
- Smile! It's good for you ...
I noticed that you are all tensed up when we are having this little chat. Smile! It is good for you! It's official: instead of maintaining a composed and passive countenance, British people are smiling more, which has to be good news all round. Here are some simple tips on how to make the most of your smile, and the benefits you can feel from smiling. Smiling and laughing are just two of several stimuli, including stress, aerobic exercise and meditation, which make our brains produce endorphins. Endorphins are substances that are important for pain control, and can give us a sense of pleasure, peace and well-being. As BUPA psychiatrist, Dr Sally Cubbin, says 'Smiling has a positive and beneficial effect, not only on the person who is smiling but also on others around. It's hard not to respond positively to someone who is smiling.'
- Exercise
Your lack of exercise really worried me. Here are a few exercises almost anyone can fit into his schedule using any time available and repeating at least three times during the day.
Neck Extension:
Place hands behind your head with the fingers placed together. Attempt to push your head backward for six seconds (counting one-thousand-one, one thousand two, etc) as you resist with your hands. Resist with head forward, then straight, and all the way back. Stretch your neck as far as you can in all directions.
Squeeze the Desk Together:
Sit at your desk, attempt to com-press it by pulling your arms together, resisting for six seconds. This exercise helps to keep the chest muscles strong and the bust firm. Use stove, refrigerator, wardrobe or any other con-venient item of furniture.
Shoulder flexion:
Sit at your desk (or table) and raise your arms forward until the backs of your hands are touching the underside of the desk in front of you. Keep your stomach muscles tight and your back straight. Attempt to lift the desk, pushing for six seconds; then relax. Vary this exercise by stand-ing in a doorway and trying to push its two sides apart with the backs of your hands.
Back exercise:
Bend over at the waist, holding your legs with your hands behind the knees. Pull your stomach muscles in and attempt to straighten your back. Resist back extension with your hands and hold for six seconds. Try these exercise anytime your back feels tired but remember to stretch and loosen up the back before and after.
Straight leg raising backward:
Lean over a table. Slowly raise one leg as high as possible (for six seconds). Slowly return to the starting position. Alternate legs. Vary by raising leg with knee bent.
V sit-ups:
You can do this one in bed. Raise both legs and your upper body simultaneously-keeping your legs straight with arms out straight for balance. Hold this V position for six seconds, slowly returning to the starting position. Three rep-etitions of this exercise will help you to relax so you can get a good night's sleep.
Hip flexion:
Sit on a sofa with your feet under the coffee table. Hold the top of the table for stabilization. Raise one leg-keeping the knee straight-until the toes touch the table. Try to lift the table with the straight leg for six seconds; relax. Alternate legs.
Stretching on the stairs:
Stop as you go up the stairs, hold onto the rail and place the balls of your feet on the edge of a stair. Slowly rise on the toes as high as possible; stretch. Slowly lower own beyond the edge of the stair, stretching the heel cords. These easy quick exercises in the office really help to keep you fit and fine.
Try some squats:
Stand in front of your office chair with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees as though you're sitting on the chair, keeping your weight on your heels. When your legs are parallel with the seat of the chair, slowly rise to your original standing position.
Opt for plié squats:
Take a wide stance with your toes pointing outward. Standing upright, slowly bend your knees in the direction of your toes until you can no longer see your toes. Slowly return to your starting position.
Hold up the wall with wall sits:
With your back touching the wall, move your feet away from the wall so that the wall is supporting the weight of your back. Bend your knees so that your legs form a 90-degree angle. Hold as long as you can.
Pose like a warrior - with a lunge:
With your arms by your side, take a giant step forward with your right leg so your thigh is parallel with the floor. Pushing off the same leg, return to your starting position. Repeat with the left leg. (Traveling lunges are also an option.)
During a coffee break, try calf raises:
Holding onto your desk or a file cabinet for balance, raise your heels off the floor, then lower. Peek into your neighbor's cubical while you do toe raises: Sitting in your chair or standing, lift and lower your toes while keeping your heels on the ground, or walk around on the heels of your feet.
Burn those buns with a gluteal squeeze:
While sitting or standing, squeeze the muscles of your rear end. Hold, then relax.
Get on the floor and do some crunches:
Lying on your back with your knees bent, reach for your knees, hold for two counts, then return to the floor.
Stay on the floor to do some push-ups:
Perform push-ups standing upright with your hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart, against a wall or lying facedown on the ground.
Do some dips:
With the palms of your hands on your chair and feet on the floor, scoot your rear end off the end of your chair. Bend your elbows, lowering your body, then straighten your arms to return to the starting position
The Food Guide Pyramid is a practical tool to help you maintain a balanced diet. (It doesn't take into consideration calories.)
Recommended Daily Intake
2-3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts
2-3 servings of milk, yogurt and cheese
2-4 servings of fruit
3-5 servings of vegetables
6-11 servings of bread, cereal, rice and pasta
Use fats, oils and sweets sparingly.
To make the most of the Pyramid, you need to know what counts as a serving.
Serving Size per Food Group
Bread--1 slice bread, 1\2 bagel or English muffin, 1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal, 1\2 cup cooked cereal, rice or pasta, or 5-6 small crackers
Vegetable--1 cup raw, leafy vegetables, 1\2 cup cooked or chopped raw vegetables or 3\4 cup vegetable juice
Fruit--1 medium piece of fruit, 1\2 cup mixed fruit or 3\4 cup fruit juice
Milk--1 cup milk or yogurt, 11\2 ounces natural cheese or 2 ounces process cheese
Meat--2 - 3 ounces cooked lean meat, poultry or fish (about the size of a deck of cards)
Other foods which count as 1 ounce meat: 1\2 cup cooked dry beans, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons peanut butter or 1\3 cup nuts
Below are some recipes that are easy to make, and very healthy for you.
Rice Almondine
Prep: 5 min, Cook: 20 min.
- 1-1/3 cups chicken stock
- 1-1/4 tsp. parsley flakes
- 1-1/4 tsp. minced onion
- 1/4 tsp. oregano leaves
- 2/3 cup long grain or converted rice, uncooked or 1-1/3 cups instant rice, uncooked
- 2 tsp. unsalted butter
- 2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. slivered almonds, toasted
Combine first 4 ingredients in a heavy non-reactive saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and stir in next 2 ingredients. Cover pan and reduce heat to medium low. Cook 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork. Gently toss in toasted almonds and serve. For Instant Rice: Follow above instructions, adding 2 tsp. butter to the stock mixture. Stir in 1-1/3 cups instant rice. Cover and remove from heat, let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and gently toss in toasted almonds.
Per serving: calories 104, fat 5.3g, 46% calories from fat, cholesterol 5mg, protein 3.7g, carbohydrates 10.5g, fiber 0.8g, sugar 0.5g, sodium 261mg, diet points 2.9.
Cauliflower with Lemon
Prep: 5 min, Cook: 10 min.
- 1 lb. cauliflower florets\cooked
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Place cauliflower in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover saucepan and steam 7-8 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Transfer cauliflower to a serving dish. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently before serving.
Per serving: calories 30, fat 0.5g, 12% calories from fat, cholesterol 0mg, protein 2.1g, carbohydrates 6.0g, fiber 3.1g, sugar 2.0g, sodium 17mg, diet points 0.5.
Baked Chicken Kiev
Prep: 15 min, Cook: 25 min.
- 1/4 cup low calorie margarine
- 2 Tbs. fresh parsley, minced
- 1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
- 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved
- 2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. skim milk
- 3-1/2 Tbs. fine breadcrumbs
- 3/4 lemon, cut into wedges
- round wooden toothpick
Combine margarine, parsley, rosemary, garlic and pepper to taste in a small mixing bowl. Shape margarine mixture into 4 2 inch long sticks; freeze until firm. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of waxed paper and flatten to 1/4 inch thickness with a meat mallet or rolling pin. Place 1 margarine stick in the center of each chicken breast; fold ends over margarine and roll up, beginning with long side. Secure each end with wooden toothpicks. Dip chicken rolls into the milk and coat thoroughly with breadcrumbs. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes until browned. Arrange chicken on a serving platter, spoon juices from pan over the top, garnish with lemon wedges and serve.
Per serving: calories 184, fat 7.1g, 35% calories from fat, cholesterol 53mg, protein 22.5g, carbohydrates 7.0g, fiber 0.8g, sugar 1.3g, sodium 255mg, diet points 4.6.
Included is a table for you to record down the food you ate, so that you could be aware of whether you are having a balanced diet.