What Is A Healthy Diet?
Alan LeStourgeon

What is a healthy diet? It’s not about counting calories,
measuring portions or cutting carbs. You won’t really find a
healthy diet on the lite menu at your favorite restaurant and
you certainly won’t find it at the local fast food joint. A
healthy diet is all about what you eat rather than how much you
eat.

If you think the latest fad diet is your panacea to health, you
are in for a big surprise. Losing weight, staying healthy and
getting back into shape after many years of diet neglect is not
about fads or eating in some radical new way for six to twelve
weeks and then going back to the way you used to eat.

The best thing you can do to keep yourself healthy is to eat a
healthy diet…all the time, not just when you want to lose
weight. Eating healthy is a long-term lifestyle choice,
something you need to do for your entire lifetime.

But what is a healthy diet? Is it what we have been lead to
believe – milk for strong bones and teeth, protein in the form
of lean beef or chicken and maybe a “healthy” microwave dinner
if we are “on the go.” Unfortunately this diet is what is
identified as the Standard American Diet or the SAD.

And what’s so wrong with the SAD?

Well, has it made us a healthier people? Are we better off as a
nation because of it?

With all of the health studies, advanced health care, the war on
cancer dating back to the 70’s, and the most advanced technology
available on the planet we have to ask ourselves why do we still
need to spend $1.3 trillion a year on health care in the United
States. Why aren’t we getting any healthier?

Other pertinent questions about your health beg for answers such
as, why after more than 30 years since the “War On Cancer” was
declared, do we still have an increasing cancer rate. Yes, we
have many more people surviving cancer but the rate at which
people are getting cancer is increasing. We have come a long way
in taking care of sick people, but we haven’t made any progress
as a nation in preventing those people from getting sick.

Why do more than 15 million people in the United States have
diabetes? Why do we still have more heart problems today than we
did 30 years ago? Why is more than 50% of our population on some
kind of prescription drug?

We spend more per person on medical care than any other nation
in the world. Why is this happening in a country that seems to
be able to solve nearly any technological problem? Why can’t we
solve our medical problems? How would life be different for us
if we were to be a nation of healthy individuals?

The secret to a healthy diet and a healthy life is living food –
fresh vegetables, fruit, juices and green leafy salads. The
answer to a healthier you is summed up in three words,
breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Living a healthy life and having a healthy family is all about
eating a healthy diet, every day of our lives!

About the author:

Alan LeStourgeon along with his wife Jean run the web site www.ezHealthyDiet.com
where they explore what it means to eat a healthy diet, have a
healthy
home and live a healthier life.

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Following healthy habits are the essential key to teen weight loss. Without such a habit, teenagers may find it difficult to maintain their healthy weight.
The way today’s food consumption is being looked at in this country, healthy eating has surely been put at the wayside. Teenagers of today really have a myriad of delicious food choices to eat. But sad to say, most of them belong to the unhealthy food group. It is now easier for teenagers today to get fat because of the convenience brought about by fast food.

Parents today live in a very busy world where time is spent more on work. Such parents may not have the time to prepare food and sometimes must rely on the nearest pizza or hamburger place to provide the nourishment for their children. But this should not be. Fastfood is considered to be one of the reasons why most teenagers are getting fatter. Fastfood is considered junk food since they are not able to supply all the nourishment that growing kids need. But fast food can really be fattening with the great amounts of fat and carbs that they contain. It is a bad choice if you wish to help your child stay at a healthy weight as he or she grows up.

Your concern to see to it that your teenagers grow up to be healthy and fit individuals is the first step in keeping their weight down. Always bear in mind that teenage obesity is a dangerous and a growing problem in this country. But you can do something about it. You can make effective use of your concern about your teenager’s weight by putting it into action. You can help show your teen the way by following a practical plan for success. There’s no easy way for teen weight loss. The most important thing that you can do is letting your teenager adopt healthy habits that can last a lifetime. Here are some tips:

1. Start with a heart-to-heart talk.
If your see that your teen is getting overweight, chances are, he or she is also concerned about the excess weight. Aside from bringing in lifelong health risks such as high blood pressure and diabetes, the social and emotional consequences of being overweight can have a devastating effect on your teenager. Talk to your teenager about it. Try to offer support and gentle understanding and make him or her verbally aware that you really are concerned. Try also to add in a willingness to help your teen take control of the weight problem that he or she is facing.

2. As much as possible, resist looking for quick fixes.
Make your teen realize that losing and maintaining an ideal weight is a lifetime commitment. Encouraging fad diets may rob your growing teen essential nutrients essential to his or her continuing development. Buying weight-loss pills for your teenager and other quick fixes won’t be able to address the root of the weight problem. The effects of such quick fixes are often short-lived and you teen may likely balloon back. What you should be able to teach is adopting a lifelong healthy habit. Without a permanent change in unhealthy habits, any weight loss program will only remain a temporary fix.

3. Promote and encourage doing more calorie-burning activities.
Just like adults, teens also require about an hour of physical activity everyday. But that doesn’t mean sixty solid minutes of pure gut-wrenching activity. You can plan shorter, repeated bursts of activity throughout the day that not only can help burn calories, but also become an enjoyable, fun and worthwhile affair. Sports and hiking can be probable options.

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Studies have shown that there are a lot of people who are either obese or overweight. People can blame it on the food being served in the cafeteria or the type of meals being served in the fast food joint but in the end, the only one to blame is the person.

This is because everyone has a choice whether to live with a good diet plan or not and those who are too heavy just decided to eat more than what is allowable.

Luckily, there is a way to stop this from getting any worse. There are doctors and dietitians that the teen can go up to help create a weight loss plan.

Is there one plan out there suitable for every teen? The answer is no. This will depend on the physical condition of the patient after an examination has been conducted.

One of the advantages of losing weight while the person is still young is that there are not that limitations compared to an adult. This allows the body to burn calories much faster when engaging in a workout or playing a certain sport.

Since physical education class is not enough to get those calories, the doctor can recommend that the patient work out in the gym or in the youth center. These places have the equipment such as treadmills, weights and other sports facilities that can cater to the weight loss plan.

Most people are advised to engage in a physical activity for 20 minutes three times a week. Teens have a lot of energy and it wouldn’t hurt to do this everyday. Since the body may adapt to the changes, the doctor may recommend some variations to help those extra pounds weekly.

The chances of getting the desired weight will not happen if the food being consumed is not being monitored. The dietitian must also come up with a program in order for this work.

The basic dietary plan is called the no nonsense balanced diet. This means simply getting enough carbohydrates, proteins and fats in each meal because there are many who put more emphasis on one or the other.

Having too much carbohydrates could be the cause for someone being overweight. This can be stopped by following a low carb diet plan where the patient will have to cut down on carbohydrates and replace this with food that is rich in proteins and fats. People will see results in less than a month and just have to continue to maintain the ideal weight.

Another option is the low calorie diet in which the teen will eat six small meals a day instead of the three that people normally practice. This is distributed during different hours of the day and is proven to works in just 14 days.

Aside from exercising and dieting, the weight loss plan involves getting enough rest. This will allow the body to recharge from the activities of the day to be prepared for the challenges tomorrow.

Overweight teens will not lose the excess pounds overnight. The teen can only make this happen by following the doctor’s advice with regards to the food being consumed and with proper exercise.

One way to check on the effectiveness of the plan will be to go up the weighing scale. If it is not working as projected, perhaps the teen can ask for another weight loss plan given there are different ways that can make this happen.

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One past time that people love to do is eating. This can happen at anytime aside from the three basic meals of the day whenever the person is craving for something.

Whenever the individual buys the snack or meal to suit that craving, little attention is paid on how much cholesterol the food has. In fact, a lot of those of the dishes made in fast food joint are unhealthy which has prompted McDonalds to print the calories, cholesterol and other things on each product given to the customer.

The growing number of those who are overweight and obese has caught the attention of doctors since this means there are a lot of people now who are considered to be high risk of suffering from heart disease or stroke in the United States.

Aside from advising people to visit the doctor annually, many are suggesting to make some lifestyle changes before it is too late. This usually means making some changes in the food being eaten since this is the only way to control the amount of cholesterol going in the system.

So what type of foods must be avoided to have lower levels of cholesterol in the body? The first is reducing the quantity of red meat being consumed. A good example is steak, ham and bacon that is high in fat.

Giving it up will be difficult so eating smaller portions should be done especially for those who are moderate or at a high risk of getting a heart disease or a stroke.

Fried food such as hamburgers and fries should also be avoided. The ingredients and oil used in cooking these things are also high in cholesterol that could be dangerous to ones health. This also includes pre-packaged frozen meals that a lot of people will just throw in the microwave after a long day at the office.

Dairy products such as milk, eggs and chicken should also be reduced. If the person has a hard time giving this up, this can be substituted using non-fat milk or yogurt to provide calcium that the body needs.

It is safe for kids to have junk food, candies and cake. As the individual gets older, these things have to be avoided. This is because the ingredients used in making these products are high in fat.

Now that more or less the food the person should avoid has been revealed, it is time to mention those that can be substituted to maintain a good diet.

Ideally, those who want to reduce the cholesterol intake should have a diet that contains less than 30% of fat. Those who can eat less will do better in living a healthy life.

The best products in the market to get are beans, fish oil, fruits, garlic, grains, soy, vegetables and whole grain bread. These things have vitamins and minerals as well as omega 3 acids that are known to reduce cholesterol levels in the body.

Different variations can be done daily so the person will not get tired of eating the same thing just to have a healthy diet. If planning this is difficult, a dietitian will gladly help and make changes every week so the cholesterol levels will improve when the patient pays another visit to the clinic.

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