Your Fitness & Nutrition
Healthy eating is the best possible
way to:
-
Have energy
all day long
-
Get the
vitamins and minerals you need
-
Stay strong
for sports or other activities
-
Reach your
maximum height if you are still growing
-
Maintain
the weight range that is best for your body
-
Prevent
unhealthy eating habits
What is "healthy eating?"
-
Aiming for
regular meals and snacks
-
Hitting
most of the major food groups each day to meet your needs for
growth and health
-
Balancing
nutrition-rich foods with moderate amounts of other foods like
sweets or fast foods
-
Eating when
hungry and stopping when full
-
Learning
about nutrition, but keeping your food as just one important part
of your life
Tips for Healthy Eating
1.
Don't skip meals - plan for meals and snacks.
-
Believe it
or not, 3 meals and 2 snacks are best to maintain both energy
levels and healthy weight. You are more likely to overeat or
choose nutrition-poor foods when you skip meals and are
over-hungry.
-
Eating away
from home? Don't leave yourself stranded—take foods with you or
know where you can go to buy something healthy and satisfying.
2.
Learn about simple, healthy ways to prepare foods.
-
Think about
baking, boiling, grilling, stir-frying, or microwaving as healthy
ways to cook foods instead of deep frying your foods.
-
Try dried
herbs (basil, oregano, parsley) and spices (lemon pepper, chili
powder, garlic powder) to spice up your food, instead of adding
toppings like butter, margarine, or gravy.
-
Try
trimming off the skin and fat on your meat: you'll still get
plenty of flavor and it's more nutritious and
heart-healthy!
3.
Sugar is "empty energy" - avoid getting too much.
-
Sugary
drinks are a big source of empty energy. This means that they
contain a lot of energy (in the form of calories) that your body
may not need and they don't have vitamins, minerals, protein, or
even fiber. Try sugar-free sodas, sugar-free drink mixes, and
water instead of regular drinks or juice. Even "natural"
unsweetened juices contain a lot of energy you may not need. Don't
go overboard—2 small glasses a day of regular soda or juice is
fine.
-
Lots of
sugar is also found in desserts like cakes, cookies and candies.
Make a place for these foods once in a while, but don't give up
nutrition-rich foods to do it.
4.
Pay attention to your eating and your body.
-
Slow down
when you eat. Try to relax and pace yourself so that your meals
last at least 20 minutes, since it takes 20 minutes for you to
feel full.
-
Listen to
your body. Eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are
full will help your body to balance its energy needs and stay
comfortable. Ask yourself: Am I eating because I'm hungry, or
because I'm stressed or bored?
-
Try warm
foods (soup, hot cereal, cocoa) and high-fiber foods (whole
grains, vegetables, beans) to increase your feeling of comfortable
fullness.
5.
Stay healthy and happy—avoid "diet thinking."
-
There are
no good foods or bad foods. All foods can be part of healthy
eating, in moderation.
-
You do not
need to buy fat-free or dietetic foods. Fat-free or dietetic foods
are not necessarily lower in calories -they usually have lots of
added sugar to replace the fat!
-
YOU are
more important than your weight or body size—believe it! And your
health and happiness can be hurt by drastic weight loss plans. If
you have not yet reached your adult height, too much weight loss
could interfere with your growth, even if you are overweight. For
younger teens that are overweight but still growing, it may be
important to keep your weight steady as you continue to grow,
instead of focusing on weight loss.
-
If you feel
you are overweight and want to make some changes in your food
intake, it's a good idea to contact your health care provider. You
may also want to ask your health care provider for a referral to
see a nutritionist (a person who has studied nutrition, and knows
all about food and healthy ways to lose weight).
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