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Being healthy is more than just avoiding disease.
The following tips can help you set a path for a truly healthy
life.
The "How to Live It" Section gives
specific examples of changes you can make in your own life
to put these helpful hints into practice.
| Healthy
Living Tip |
|
How
to Live It |
| Reduce fat consumption,
especially saturated fat consumption. |
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Read food labels carefully;
foods which list fats or oils high on the ingredient list
may contain a large proportion of fat, by weight. Bake,
broil, braise, grill, or steam foods – avoid deep-fat
frying. Use herbs, spices, and citrus juice to flavor
foods. Choose lower fat condiments such as salad dressings
and sandwich spreads. Remove skin from poultry and trim
visible fat from meats. Use vegetable protein sources
such as soy products, lentils, dried beans and peas. Consume
low-fat and nonfat dairy products. Avoid foods which are
high in saturated fat such as high-fat meat products,
butter and lard, cakes and pastries, high-fat cheeses,
cream products (sour cream, ice cream, whipped cream),
coconut and palm oils (usually used to pop movie-theater
popcorn). |
| Lower refined sugar consumption. |
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Carbohydrates are an important source of
energy, but there are more and less healthy carbohydrate
sources. Complex carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables,
legumes and whole grains are the better choice, providing
energy along with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Simple
sugars, such as those found in soft drinks, cookies, and
candies, provide energy but few other nutrients. Sometimes
it is difficult to determine if a product has a lot of
sugar because manufacturers may call sweeteners by different
names. All of the following terms are synonyms for “sugar”:
corn syrup, corn sweeteners, dextrose, evaporated cane
juice, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, fruit sugar,
glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar
(glucose and fructose), levulose, maple sugar, molasses,
natural sweetener, and raw sugar. |
| Maintain naturally-occurring
vitamins and minerals in foods. |
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Vitamins, especially water-soluble
vitamins, can be lost from foods prior to being consumed.
To increase the percentage of vitamins that you can derive
from your food: Include raw fruits and vegetables in your
menu planning. Refrigerate products, especially leftovers,
to slow nutrient loss. Rinse foods in cold water –
but do not soak them. Chop fruits and vegetables immediately
before cooking; chop only as finely as is necessary. Avoid
overcooking; prolonged exposure to heat causes the loss
of some vitamins. |
| Focus on balance, variety, and moderation. |
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Choose a balanced diet. Eat foods from
all five major food groups – grains, vegetables,
fruit, dairy/milk, meats and beans – each day. Each
group provides different essential nutrients, vitamins,
and minerals. |
| Within each food group,
choose a wide variety of foods. Eat a spectrum of brightly
colored fruits and vegetables, try different types of
whole grains, and try new types of lean protein and dairy
sources. Eating a variety of foods can help you avoid
the pitfall of over-consuming any one type of food. |
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Eat a spectrum of brightly
colored fruits and vegetables, try different types of
whole grains, and try new types of lean protein and dairy
sources. eating a varietyof foods can help you avoid the
pitfall of over-consuming any one type of food. |
| Consume all foods in moderation. |
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Television and print advertisers, restaurants
and other food providers often provide images of platter-sized
plates filled to the brim with food. These are not realistic
images of healthy portion sizes. Review images and statistics
on actual serving sizes by exploring the different food
groups at http://www.mypyramid.com.
Try using smaller plates and utensils. Ask at restaurants
that half of the meal be put directly into a take-home
container. Avoid “all you can eat” restaurants.
Share an entrée with a friend. |
| Be physically active. |
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Many Americans live a
sedentary (inactive) lifestyle. Levels of physical activity
tend to decrease with age. Physical activity and exercise
positively impact the body in a number of ways providing
mental, physical, and social benefits. Physical activity
has been shown to reduce levels of stress, anxiety, and
depression and increase quality of life. Exercise helps
you live a longer and healthier life by maintaining and
increasing muscle tone, strengthening heart, lungs, and
joints, and reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes,
cancer, and high blood pressure. Regular physical activity
has been linked to increases in positive social behaviors
in children including reducing rates of smoking and drug
use and increasing chances of academic success. It is
recommended that Americans engage in one hour of physical
activity per day. |
| Make meals memorable. |
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Eat more slowly, chewing carefully. Savor
your food. Avoid distractions, such as television, during
meals. Sit at a table rather than eating meals while standing,
driving, or on the run. Maintain a pleasant atmosphere
during meals and steer conversations to positive topics.
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