Saturday, November 8, 2008

Steps to a healthier you


That right my inter-peeps. I've gone healthy.
I know...I'll give you a second to let the shock wear off.
Last week I started my Nutritional Science class and the first assignment involved the use of a food diary. {YIKES} I then had to weigh my food choices against the recommended servings from MyPyramid, which is the latest version of the Food Pyramid. You can go to MyPyramid Tracker and do the same if you'd like to check it out.
Turns out, though I thought I ate fairly good {not counting the splurges on baked goods} I found that the majority of the food I eat is basically empty calories. Lots and lots of calories...with absolutely no nutritional value.
So, I did some research {because I had to for the assignment} and found out which were the better foods and did all my grocery shopping based on that list. It took me FOR-E-VER to do my shopping this last time. Reading labels and comparing labels is rather time consuming. And this time I wasn't just quickly scanning the fat content like I normally did before. I was looking for the iron and calcium and vitamins and fiber that the food contained. I also had to check the ingredient list to make sure that foods saying they were multigrain, or whole wheat actually contained substantial amounts of those items. You'd be surprised at how many foods claiming to be better are really the exact same as the original.
Anyway...I have been eating this way for almost two weeks now. And let me tell you....I eat A LOT of food. I had no idea I could eat this much food and still stay within my limits. Turns out fruits and vegetables really are good for you. Crazy! :0)
Three cups of milk per day
Two cups of fruit per day
Three cups of vegetables per day
5.5 ounces of meats or beans per day
6 ounces of grains per day
See? Lots of food! I thought I had to be hungry to lose weight. I have already lost a pound, and honestly, I wasn't really even trying. I was just eating, and learning to eat while I did it. I can now say that I get a full days supply of all of the essential vitamins and minerals required each day....simply by eating. And not over-eating....just eating GOOD. I have never gone over my calorie recommendations, nor the fat recommendations. In fact, I'm usually on the low side...but I'm full. I am full...my tummy is happy.
And that makes me happy.
So, go check out the website. Fill out your food diary and see what you are getting out of your daily food intake. Are you healthy?

9 comments:

Bonnie B. said...

i'm pretty sure i'm not healthy. but thanks for the link, so i can get healthy!!

Amber M. said...

My sister is an RD and she turned me on to this site earlier this year. I love how you can calculate a menu and fill all your nutritional req. for the day.

I'm so excited to be an inter-peep!

Jaime and Scott said...

thanks for the info. i have been working out w/ a trainer and i need to eat healthy, not diet, just eat healthy.

Anonymous said...
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Buxton Family said...

I'll check it out. Good for you.

Unknown said...

hooray for healthy! :) good for you! i've been trying to be a bit healthier lately too.

Holly said...

Good for you! You probably feel more energetic too, right?

Victoria said...

Good for you!

Sister Sassy said...

I want to know more about what you learned. Like what were some foods that weren't good for you or whatever.

Have you seen www.fitday.com?