Eating Smart - Your Way to Better Health

Eating smart holds the key to live a better and healthy life. Eating smart not only means eating good food but also eating a variety of foods. Eating smart refers to identify specific steps to improve eating habits and managing your weight as well as adopting habits that make you live a healthier and longer life.

Planning Your Diet

To eat smart and achieve better health, you need to eat a variety of foods. It is important to eat foods of all kinds as each food provides specific nutrients that are necessary for good health. To maintain good health, all things should be taken in a balanced amount and eaten according to the needs of the body. To perform different functions, our body needs different food items which help it to function normally and in this context, we should eat smartly to achieve a better health.

Food Groups

Food stuff can be divided in 5 groups which provide different kinds of nutrition value needed to make a healthy diet.

Meat Group

It provides iron, zinc, proteins and vitamin B.

Vegetable Group

It contains vitamin C, A folate and fiber.

Fruit Group

It is the source of vitamin A, C, potassium, folate and fiber.

Milk Group

It provides calcium, protein, vitamin D and vitamin A.

Bread group

It is needed for carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin B.

How Much Food Should Be Taken?

A meal that contains all kinds of food stuffs can be called a balanced diet. A variety of everything should be there to make it a healthy diet. Proteins and calcium are very important for bones and muscles, while carbohydrates and vitamins are very necessary as they provide energy to the body. Proteins and calcium are the building blocks of the body and resist all kinds of illnesses if taken in proportion, while carbohydrates and minerals are the working force that give strength to body.

Things to Be Avoided

• Too much fatty foods
• Junk food should be avoided
• Use low quantity oil while cooking, try using vegetable oils like olive and canola

Tips to Eating Smart

• Start the day with breakfast
• Start meals with low calorie foods such as soups or salads
• Drink water through out the day and also before meals
• Use vegetables with meat
• Use cereals and whole grain foods to provide carbohydrates as they provide fuel to body
• Cook in non stick pots and pans as they need less oil and reduce risk of burning.
• Try to boil or bake food instead of frying.

In short, it can be said that eating smart is the only way along with exercise and activities to keep good health. Eating smart not only keeps one healthy but also provides one all the necessary ingredients to avoid different problems and illnesses.