Determining if your diet is healthy enough
Tony Robinson

Everyone wants to eat a healthier diet, but it can sometimes be
difficult to know if your diet is healthy enough. There are a
number of factors that go into creating a healthy diet, and it
is important to evaluate the current state of your diet before
embarking on a plan for healthier eating.

There are several questions you should ask yourself when
evaluating the healthiness (or lack thereof) of your current
eating plan. These questions include:

Do I eat a wide variety of foods? Variety is one of the most
important hallmarks of a healthy diet, since no one food
contains all the nutrients needed by the human body. It is
important to eat foods from all the major food groups, including
grains and breads, fruits and vegetables, milk and dairy
products, meats, beans and nuts.

If you find yourself avoiding some food groups, such as
vegetables for instance, it may be time to look for a healthier
diet.

Do I recognize the importance of cereals, breads and other grain
products? Eating a wide variety of grain based products is
important to a healthy diet. Grains and cereals contain a large
number of important nutrients, including high levels of dietary
fiber.

It is important to choose whole grain products as often as
possible, since whole grain products like wheat bread contain
more nutrients than more refined white bread and similar
products. When eating cereal, it is a good idea to choose whole
grain varieties, or those that are enriched with vitamins and
minerals.

Do I eat lots of fruits and vegetables? Many people do not eat
sufficient servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Most
experts recommend eating between 5 and 9 servings of fruits and
vegetables every day, roughly equivalent to 2 cups of fruit and
2 cups of vegetables.

When shopping for vegetables and fruits, it is important to
choose a good variety of dark green, dark red, orange and yellow
varieties. That is because different colored fruits and
vegetables contain a variety of different nutrients, including
vitamin C, vitamin A and beta carotene.

Do I eat a good breakfast every morning? Breakfast, or the
absence of it, is often a good indicator of the state of your
diet. If you rush out of the house every morning and grab a
donut at the local convenience store, chances are your diet can
use some work. A healthy breakfast provides a foundation for the
rest of the day, helps you avoid cravings and provides much
needed nutrition.

Do I choose low fat foods over higher fat alternatives? This is
also an important question to ask yourself. Low fat alternatives
are available for a variety of products, including milk, cheese,
meats and more.

One part of following a healthy, low fat diet is avoiding
prepared foods whenever possible, since prepared foods tend to
have higher amounts of fat and sodium than fresh foods.

It is also important to control the amount of fat that is added
at the table. Adding things like butter, sour cream and heavy
sauces is a sure way to ruin an otherwise healthy meal. Even
healthy foods like salads can be sabotaged by the addition of
high fat salad dressings. Try using lower fat alternatives like
flavored vinegars instead.

Do I drink plenty of water? Drinking plenty of fresh, pure water
is important to maintaining a healthy body and a healthy
lifestyle. Water is important to maintaining optimal levels of
health.

If you think you need more water, try substituting water for
less healthy beverages like soda and coffee.

Am I able to maintain my optimal body weight? Gaining weight
without trying to is often a sign of a poor diet. Following a
healthy diet, and getting plenty of regular exercise, is the
only way to lose weight and keep it off.

Do I limit the amount of salt, sugar, alcohol and caffeine in my
diet? While all of these elements are fine in moderation,
excessive amounts of any of these four can indicate a serious
problem with your diet. It is important to limit the amount of
unhealthy elements in any diet.

About the author:

None

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Why have healthy nutrition?
John Gibb

While many people know that there are benefits to having a good nutritional plan, few regard it as being very important. Many people wonder, why have healthy nutrition?

In a world where fast food is quicker, simpler, and sometimes better tasting, its easy to get tempted by what the corporations have to offer us. Gone are the days of eating every meal at home. Regarding this, we need to keep a more watchful eye over our nutrition intake to make sure our body can be in the best working order.

Why have healthy nutrition? The benefits are many. The human body needs various nutrients and minerals to keep it functioning in tip-top shape, and the only way this can be accomplished is by maintaining a healthy diet including vitamins and minerals. These nutrients are necessary to the body for many different reasons; they are crucial for obtaining energy, helping your body grow, and repairing worn out tissues. If your diet lacks certain necessary vitamins, your health may suffer. Therefore, the primary benefits of healthy nutrition are mainly that it keeps your health up.

A sound nutritional schedule is recommended by doctors when a patient is inflicted with any of a number of diseases. Keeping your nutrition up when afflicted with such diseases as cancer or aids can be key to your survival. These are just a few of the benefits of a healthy nutrition. In addition, keeping fit by exercising while maintaining a healthy nutritional plan can result in higher levels of energy, higher self esteem and a generally better feeling of well-being.

As you can see, there are many answers to the question “Why have healthy nutrition”, and all of them point to a better way of life. While the temptations of fast foods and junk can be great, some simple will-power and restraint can help you achieve levels of health you didn’t even know were possible.
About the Author

John Gibb manages http://www.nutritional-suplement-guides.com

The site dedicated to nutrition.

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If you have ever been looking for diet plans for overweight teenage boys, then you are in luck. Many teenage boys are overweight, even some of the more active ones. From football players to baseball players, overweight teenage boys can be found doing all sorts of different things. It does not matter what race they are or what types of activities they do or what all they eat for supper. Overweight teenage boys can be found from all walks of life.

Many have a stereotypical idea that all overweight teenage boys indulge in video games for hours upon end and simply do not get the proper exercise that is required in order to help maintain a healthy body weight. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Even in teenage boys that participate in active sports, some will find themselves still being overweight. Whether they play tennis, golf, baseball, or chess, these overweight teenage boys are found in each and every niche.

Finding the right diet plans for overweight teenage boys can be extremely difficult. Even if you find the right exercise plan for the particular teenager, it might simply not be enough. One might try to resort to other methods, such as diet pills, but this is not always the best way to go. Sometimes the answer can be much simpler than to resort to buying diet pills. Sometimes, the answer is as simple as taking a combination of actions in order to help that teenager lose weight.

The first step is to ensure that the teenager is on a good, healthy diet. Remember that teenagers are always growing, and so they need more energy than you might think. This can make it hard to determine just how much is too much, but with time and patience, and a little luck, you can usually determine what is just right for your specific teenager. Not only should you pay attention to how much is in the diet, but you must also pay attention to what is in the diet. Growing teenagers need a wide variety of nutrients. Vitamin and other dietary supplements can help to ensure that your teenager is getting all of the vitamins and nutrients he needs, though you cannot depend entirely on them.

After having determined the right diet for your teenager, try to get him on an exercise plan that helps to ensure that he is active. If he is already involved in active sports, then this, combined with his new healthy diet, should help to ensure that your teenager begins to lose weight. It can be truly amazing how much of a difference dieting and exercise when combined can make in a teenage boys life, or in the lives of others. He will have more energy and be more confident in himself and his abilities. Diet plans for overweight teenage boys can be the perfect way to motivate your teenager and help him feel good about himself.

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There are a lot of books and articles out there that serve as a guide for teen girls who want to lose those excess pounds. For a change, here is something that people should read about to know what are some the things the individual should not do.

The most effective way for a teen to lose weight is to go on a diet. Unfortunately, the definition of a diet for some is so extreme that the person would rather starve to achieve the desired results.

Is this good? Definitely not because it robs the teen of the much needed vitamins and nutrients while growing up.

Studies show that the starvation diet also leads to weight gain. This is because the body is not used to shortage of food entering the system and will force one to engage in binge eating to recover on the losses.

The same report also shows that the so-called weight loss is not really fat but rather is the lean muscle which gives the teen strength. This is because the food being eaten contains calories that are much more needed by the muscles in the body.

The calorie intake increases as the teen gets older. An 11 year old boy for example will need a daily requirement of 1800 calories while someone at the age of 18 will need close to 3000.

Those who decide to go below that are susceptible to nutritional deficiencies, fatigue, bone weakness, hair and skin loss and hormonal problems.

One report shows that some kids have even resorted to laxatives to make this happen. This is also not a good idea because it doesnt lose fat but rather water in the system. This means someone can suffer from dehydration and may even cause problems in the colon.

So what should be done to avoid this? For starters, the teen should not panic. There is a safe way of fighting weight loss and this can only happen with the help of a professional.

A doctor can examine the patient and see what improvements can be done. Going on a diet is one way of doing it but not at the expense of skipping meals. This simply means cutting down on the food being consumed.

The teen may have to give up eating snacks and replace this with fruits. Others will skip the in-between meals and then just concentrate on the three most important meals of the day.

Cutting down the food intake will not make the teen lose weight. The best combination for any diet plan is exercise. It may involve walking or jogging a few miles a day to engaging in a sport.

This will really depend on the physical condition of the teen since there are some that are already known to be obese.

There is no overnight solution for teenage girls to lose those excess pounds. This has to be done gradually by getting into a well thought out plan.

The first results will probably be seen in just two weeks as the person’s metabolic rate increases. This may dip a week later so the doctor must try different things so the body will not be able to adjust to it. Changes will happen and this varies from one teenage girl to the next.

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