Healthy eating to lose weight

June 22, 2008

My rule of thumb of healthy eating is not to eat anything that could eat you. Yes, that means that I’m a vegetarian, but that isn’t a practical answer for most of the world. Especially since the percentage number of obese people in America is increasing. I’ve done some research and discovered that there are many “solutions” to how to eat healthy and lose weight. The only problem with these “solutions” are that most of them contradict each other. So which answers do we trust and which do we just totally disregard. We can’t possibly test out each theory. Who has that time or patience? And people are looking for a quick fix, in other words an absolute answer.

The truth of the matter is that we need not to look any further than a chart. Yes, the food pyramid, now called Food Guide Pyramid, or a more recent title, the Improved American Food Guide Pyramid. The first food pyramid was made by the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), in the 1980’s. It was first published in 1992. It has recently been modified for people with diabetes and certain heart diseases. This Food Guide Pyramid is suppose to be the ultimate tool for Americans for eating healthy.

The guide includes an oil and sugar section, vegetable section, meat (protein) section , dairy section, fruit section and wheat (whole grain) section. I’ve viewed the Improved American Food Guide Pyramid, and noticed that it is still a bit outdated. The guide shows what people should eat and how much daily. But it also showed limits like with oils. We should all know that some oils and fats are good for our bodies. Olive oil, oil from avocado, nuts, coconuts and fish provides fatty acids that a healthy diet should maintain.
Meats are not always a must, especially when there are so many other sources of protein out there that are healthier than meat. Red meat contains a lot of saturated fats that people should avoid if they’re trying to eat healthier. A better option would be soy products, tofu, nuts, seeds or eggs.

Fruits and vegetables are a must. You could not consider yourself a healthy eater without 3-5 servings of vegetables and 3-4 servings of fruits. Now don’t worry if you think that you can’t possibly fit all those fruits and vegetable in three meals a day, because of a certain juices that provide all of your fruit and vegetable needs daily! Some V8 juices have all the servings of fruits and vegetables in bottle. And if you don’t want to pay for that juice you can go right a head and buy a home juicer that can go as low as $50, but around $150 for a good one. You can fit all of your fruits and vegetables in a glass before you even go to work in the morning.

Whole grains mostly include foods that are high in fiber such as whole wheat, oatmeal, pasta, whole wheat bread, and a lot more! The best part of whole grains are that most are filling, they’re healthy for you, and they help keep your digestive system regular. All of General Mills cereals are made of whole grains, which means you can have all of your whole grains in the morning. How could it get easier? Drink a V8, or juice your own fruits and vegetables, then have your General Mills cereal, and already you have your fruits, veggies, and whole grains, all before you even walk out the door in the morning.

Now for a milk and dairy. The Improved American Food Guide Pyramid and USDA endorses the eating and drinking of dairy products, but I am flat out against it. Soy milk is a better option when it comes to milk. Soy milk has way more protein, half the calories, and half the fat of regular cow milk. Cheese is a different story, because non-diary cheeses are disgusting. I would never recommend something that I didn’t believe in and non-diary cheeses are something that no one should believe in. Either eat the regular cheese or settle on something else.
All other food that would be considered unhealthy is ok to eat in moderation. If you know you’ll want a big desert try to exercise more to burn off the extra sugar. Remember that sugar equals fat, muscle equals weight, and protein equals muscle. If you want to gain fat then eat lots of sugar. If you want to get stronger drinks a lot of soy milk, eat a lot of eggs and exercise.

Exercise is another part of healthy eating that people sometimes ignore. In order to maintain an equal balance of gaining calories and burning off calories, we have to exercise. Remember that we eat for energy and if we just consume energy without burning off any we will gain weight. Exercising could be as simple and as easy as taking a walk around your block after every meal.
I hope that all this information has been helpful!