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2012年9月11日 星期二

Talk to Your Kids About Food Servings


Many kids are eating too much. For the first time in history doctors are seeing childhood diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and joint problems. Kids need to eat right if they are going to have long and healthy lives. Share these food serving facts with your kids and grandkids.

* Read the serving size on the label first because it may not match US Government Food Pyramid serving size. (USDA, "Food Portions and Servings: How Do They Differ?")

* Many shoppers think the label serving size is the recommended amount, but it is not. This amount is based on the product's nutritional analysis. (Mayo Clinic, "Lose Weight With Proper Portion Control")

* Before you take a bite ask yourself, "Do I want a portion or a serving?" A portion is how much you choose to eat. A serving is a measured amount, such as a cup or half cup. (USDA, "How Much are You Eating?")

* Serving sizes depend on your age and how many calories you need each day. (USDA, "Food Portions and Servings: How Do They Differ?")

* Use food label information to your advantage. Compare the serving size that is listed with the amount you usually eat. Then "right size"your serving size. (Mayo Clinic, "Lose Weight With Proper Portion Control")

* Americans underestimate their food consumption by as much as 25 percent. To figure out how much you are really eating compare the food on your plate with the US Government Food Pyramid servings. (Meals Matter Web site, "Making Sense of Portion Sizes")

* To understand normal servings measure food with a food scale and standard measuring cups and spoons. Have you been over-eating? (Meals Matter Web site, "Making Sense of Portion Sizes")

* You may also use the hand method to measure food. Your fist is a cup, your palm is a serving of meat, your thumb is a serving of cheese or peanut butter, and a handful is a serving of pretzels, chips or nuts. Compare your hand with a measuring cup before you measure food.

(www.dpi.state.nd.us/child/new/PortionControl/Serving size.pdf, "Serving Sizes Are in Your Hand")

Don't succumb to portion distortion. Eat healthy servings with your kids and keep on eating them. For a helpful wallet-size serving card log onto the Portion Distortion Web site, an article titled, "Keep an Eye on Portion Size," and print cards for your kids. Print one for yourself, too.

Copyright 2007 by Harriet Hodgson




http://www.harriethodgson.com

Harriet Hodgson has been a freelance nonfiction writer for 29 years. She is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Her 24th book, "Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief," written with Lois Krahn, MD, is available from http://www.amazon.com A five-star review of the book is posted on Amazon. You will find other reviews on the American Hospice Foundation Web site ("School Corner" heading) and the Health Ministries Association Web site.

Please visit Harriet Hodgson's Web site and learn more about this busy author.





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2012年8月31日 星期五

Some Things You Might Not Be Aware of About the Food Pyramid


In the 1960s the food pyramid was developed because of rising problem in the health of our nation. Heart attacks were becoming more common and people were dying from diseases related to malnutrition. I'm not talking about starvation and malnutrition here, I'm talking about people eating the wrong types of foods and not getting enough nutrition, or people eating the wrong types of foods and causing themselves all types of problems. The food pyramid has gone through several revisions since it was first released and it has become the cornerstone of many diets and indeed has become good practice with nutritionists and doctors alike.

The problem with the food pyramid is about when you are trying to decide whether its authorship is genuine. It's like anything else in life, if it comes from the government we are supposed to believe in it. Now the authors of the food pyramid are the United States Department of agriculture. Agriculture equals food and a basic necessity food at that. But when you start to think about it, the main job of the United States Department of agriculture is to promote agriculture. It is not to promote healthy nutrition.

So the question that we must all ask ourselves... is the United States Department of agriculture impartial? Is the United States Department of Agriculture thinking about the nutritional needs of the citizens of the United States, or are they thinking about the promotion of agriculture? These two things do not necessarily work in unison with each other. There is an obvious conflict of interest here.

There is a revised edition of the food pyramid that is due for release in 2010. I think that the new authors should be completely impartial, they should have no ties to any major foods department whatsoever.




Although the food pyramid gives you a better understanding of your nutritional requirements and does need general alteration. People need to be aware of what they can eat what they cannot eat. They must be aware of what foods are going to give them maximum benefit and what kind of foods they should be avoiding altogether. There cannot be any misinterpretation of the facts. And they're also cannot be any misinterpretation of the motivation of the authors of the food pyramid.





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2012年8月24日 星期五

Teaching Kids About Nutrition? Add Patience to the Food Pyramid


With the onset of a new school year, it was time to start thinking about establishing healthy school-time routines especially in the area of nutrition. After dining on cold cereal and pop corn all summer, it was time to reacquaint my kids with foods that don't come with toys or have cartoon characters on the back of the box-or for that matter, foods that don't even come in a box.

Upon preparing to enter the seventh grade, my daughter announced that she wanted to pack a lunch to school. After toting a lunchbox all through grade school, I thought she would be ready for school lunch. Then she told me what she wanted to have in her lunch. Together, the items she requested for her lunchtime menu had all the nutritional value of a screwdriver.

Encouraging my kids to consume a healthy diet has been particularly challenging to me because I can't exactly lead by example. The "do as I say not as I do" command lost its effectiveness long before I had the opportunity to use it. I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle. My kids are aware that I regularly go running or cycling because they insist that I hose myself down and pass through a decontamination chamber before entering the house after a workout. While my diet is pretty nutritious, my mouth doesn't exactly water at the prospect of a veggie burger with a side of tofu. And I do my best not to get within 10 miles of steamed broccoli.

Over the course of six years, I've gone the rounds with my oldest daughter about eating at least some of the lunch I packed. I tried threats, bribes, and episodes of getting on my knees and begging. Each day her lunch was either completely untouched or looked like she used her lunch box as a footstool with its initial contents mangled beyond recognition. Nothing worked. She either starved herself during lunch or graciously accepted handouts from her classmates. I was ready to give up. However, in order to prevent myself from being added to the guest list of child protective services for starving my children, I still made sure my daughter had a nutritious sack lunch in her backpack each morning. I even ended all discussion about whether she ate her lunch or not.

Eventually she started to soften. I started seeing partially eaten sandwiches and fewer carrots in her lunch box after school. I wouldn't say that I'm the suspicious type, but my daughter's dentist would because I showed up at his office with a half-eaten sandwich to have him confirm that the bite marks were actually my daughter's. He also thinks I'm a little strange.

Through all the arguing, tantrums, and threatening to hold my breath until I turned blue, it turned out that patience and letting my daughter make her own decisions worked the best. This doesn't mean that following a nutritious diet is no longer an issue, but we have made great progress. I think as long as I silently maintain a healthy lifestyle (and don't get caught snitching the multi-colored cereals), the kids might just catch on and make a healthy choice.




David Jensen is a freelance writer with expertise in article marketing, copy writing, journalism, press releases, and employment. To see more of his credentials and services, visit [http://www.ascensionwriting.com]





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2012年8月20日 星期一

General Information About the Food Pyramid


Many food intake guides have been published over the years to help people understand healthy eating. For example, the food pyramid is designed as a nutritional guideline to suggest optimal daily food intake. It is divided into colored components or "shelves" and the components represent the major five food groups which include carbohydrate, protein, fat, vegetable, and fruit. It also outlines the suitable intake for less desirable elements such as sugar, salt, and oil. There are many variations to the pyramid guide but they essentially highlight the right quantity for food choices.

In general, we know that there is strong association between food and culture. Therefore, this gives rise to cultural variations of the pyramid such as Asian diet pyramid, Latin American diet pyramid, and Mediterranean diet pyramid. The triangular shape of the pyramidal guide shows you where to focus in your food selection. Naturally, the base represents the group of food that you should consume the most. As you move up the pyramid, the type of food consumed in each shelf should be reduced in terms of quantity and frequency.

With so many guides and different variations, people may be confused as to which guide is the best. Basically, there are a few rules of thumb that you can adhere to when planning your diet. Firstly, increase the intake of fruits, vegetables, and grains. Secondly, reduce the intake of saturated fat, salt, and sugar. Next, balance your diet with adequate water intake and exercise. By following these steps, you have already taken one step closer to a healthier you. You'll need to eat a variety of food because there is no single food that can provide the daily dosage of nutrients that you need.

Recently, a special version of the food pyramid has been released. This version is meant for kids because many children today are bombarded with junk food advertisements and they face tougher food choices. To cultivate healthy eating, you need to pay attention to the different food groups listed in the pyramid and try your best to follow the recommendations.




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