Sometimes We Need a Hand

Donut, anyone?

Alright, let's get real for one moment. We all know that eating a bag of chips for dinner isn't the healthiest of options. And we all know consuming a donut versus a two egg omelet for breakfast isn't going to win us the race. But the fact of the matter is, not everyone knows the drastic implications of those choices or where to make the first step in correcting them. "The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Dietary Guidelines for Americans offer science-based advice to promote health and to reduce risk of major chronic diseases through diet and physical activity." (Sizer & Whitney, 2011, p. 35)



The guidelines are quite simple, it requires identifying proper fats, carbohydrates proteins, etc. And it also involves knowing what "things" to avoid such as alcohol and tobacco products. Creating a balance of the said items in conjunction with regular physical activity will guarantee a solid foundation. From there, each of us has the responsibility of determining where we want to personally take our nutritional and physical health - through further research, planning, and avoiding diets that make unrealistic promises. It can be very easy to begin moving in the right direction, face a stressful situation and fall right back where we started; in the pitfalls of the donut we chose for breakfast.

One of the surefire ways to making the necessary changes in our nutritional, physical and mental health is to plan - learn about the different types of foods, how each fuels - or sabotages - our body, deciphering how we will implement those foods into our diet and putting together a plan. As a girl who grew up eating cereal, toast, cheese & crackers, the only way I could implement my better eating habits, was to plan and I continue to plan our meals every week. This comes with two benefits - the plan forces me to eat what I had prepared and it saves me a lot of money since I only purchase the items on my "plan." So your waistline AND your wallet benefits!

References:

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2011) Nutrition: Concepts and controversies. (12th edition) Belmont, California: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (2011) Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. Health.gov. Retrieved on September 11, 2011. Retrieved from http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2010.asp