HEALTHY EATING Sure….you’ve

heard it all before:"You need to eat your breakfast," "that's enough soda," “stop with the junk food and eat some real food."

Healthy eating is a great way to: Have energy for the whole day Get the vitamins & minerals you need to avoid illness Stay strong for sports or other activities Reach your maximum height (if you are still growing) Keep a healthy weight so you don’t have to ‘diet’ Prevent unhealthy eating habits, like skipping meals

and feeling overly hungry at the next meal

What is “healthy eating?”o Don’t skip breakfast!! 20% of

teens skip breakfast, but studies show that those that do tend to make poor food choices later in the day, and end up HEAVIER then those who eat breakfast

o A good breakfast includes a protein and a carbohydrate, plus, ideally, a fruit or vegetable

What is “healthy eating?”o Try for regular meals (usually 3 meals per day…

morning, afternoon, and evening) and healthy snacks (when you are hungry or need extra energy)

o Eating foods from all of the food groups (grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy proteins, and healthy fats) every day

What is “healthy eating?”

o Balancing foods with good nutrition with moderate amounts of other foods, such as sweets or fast foods. No foods are ‘forbidden’….balance is the key….

Eating when hungry and stopping when full

FOOD LABELS (OR ‘WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?”

First look at the serving size….all of the nutrition information on the label is based on that amount. And it may surprise you! A full bowl of cereal may be WAY more than the common serving size of a half cup!

Calories are a measure of the energy food provides. The usual value on a nutrition label is 2000 per day, but that may not be right for you. Here is a link that will tell you how many calories you need based on your age, activity, height and weight:

https://www.choosemyplate.gov/SuperTracker/createprofile.aspx

FOOD LABELS (OR ‘WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?”

The percent daily value information can be complicated. But a quick glance can tell you if a food is high or low in a particular nutrient.

• If a food has a daily value of 5% or less of a nutrient, it is considered to be low in that nutrient

• If the percent daily value is between 10% and 19%, it is considered to be high in that nutrient

• If the food has 20% or more of the daily value, it is considered to be VERY HIGH in that nutrient.

FOOD LABELS (OR ‘WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?”

“Empty calories’ are found in foods that are mostly all sugar or all fat, which means they don’t have nutritional value!

Fats are very ‘calorie-dense’ which means a little goes a long way. You DO need fats in your diet, but they should be mostly fats found in vegetables, (unsaturated) as opposed to fats found in animals (saturated)

FOOD LABELS (OR ‘WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?”

Sodium is salt. It is found naturally in many foods, and is added to processed foods to add flavor. You do need salt in your diet, but most of us get far too much. So look at the percent daily value for sodium on the label

Total Carbohydrates is the amount covers all carbohydrates, including fiber and sugar. The best sources of carbohydrates are fruits and vegetables, along with whole-grain foods like cereals, breads, pasta, and brown rice. Most of your daily calorie intake should come from carbohydrates.

FOOD LABELS (OR ‘WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?”

Which of these labels indicate a more nutritious snack?

FOOD LABELS (OR ‘WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?”

Sugars are listed separately under Total Carbohydrates. Sugars are what we referred to before as ‘empty calories’, as they do not offer any other nutritional value.

Checking sugar quantities on labels can be really eye opening. Often there's way more than you'd expect. For example, sometimes manufacturers cut back on fat but add sugar to keep a food tasting good. Some low-fat foods have nearly as many calories as their regular versions

BOTTOM LINE FOR HEALTHY EATINGYour goal in the beginning should be to eat a good breakfast and at least one other healthy meal every day. Each meal should contain a good source of protein, a fresh vegetables or fruit, and whole grains (e.g. brown rice, barley, millet, whole wheat, oats).

Try to eat foods that don't come prepackaged or prepared. Read the nutrition labels on the packaged foods you do eat so you can learn more about the food's sodium and fat content, as well as the many ingredients that are contained in the packaged foods. If you can't pronounce the ingredients on the label, chances are the food is not the greatest choice