My Health Tips Series! ALL ABOUT NUTRITION: Food

Guide to eating a balanced meal.

I find lately that I have been having cravings for sweet, savory and crunchy foods. Some of them are junk food like chocolate and potato chips and others are healthy like granola, nuts, and fresh berries. When I have my cravings I either rummage through the fridge and cupboards to see what we have that will satisfy me or I run to the store to see what I can find there. The problem I have with my cravings is that they aren't always easy to satisfy and sometimes I know that I should just ignore them when it is junk food I want. I have a hard time ignoring my cravings. When it comes to food of any kind I have to really work to keep things in moderation and within the bounds of good nutrition. I have a hard time stopping when the food is so good. I know when I am full but I will keep going until I am stuffed or even bloated. Even then I find myself still picking at the food if there is any left. It is one of the bad habits I learned as a child. I have been working on that bad habit for years.

In this blog entry I would like to pass on some  advice regarding Good Nutrition. In the picture above you see Canada's Food Guide to balanced nutrition. Various Canadian sites on the internet promote proper nutrition and endorse the food guide that was put out by the government. The guide is helpful as it can give you great ideas on how to have a balanced diet which can improve your health through eating right. No drugs, no fad diets, no weird infomercial exercise equipment. Just good healthy eating balanced with good exercise.

These links have some great information and are worth checking out.
Guide to healthy eating
Food Guide download
Heart & Stroke Foundation

sample label

I have learned that not every one knows how to read the Nutrition Facts labels on the food packaging. Even I have had troubles.

Here is a simple way to look at it:

The nutrients are labelled in a certain order. If you look at the picture (to the right) you can see ones that are colored yellow, these are the ones you should limit in your daily diet intake. Too much of these ingredients (like sodium and fats) can have negative consequences in large amounts over time. Too much of these can also make you feel gross in the short term too.

The ones colored in blue are the nutrients you want to get in your daily diet as these are the vitamins and minerals your body needs for proper functioning. The purple column just shows how much that particular product has of each of those listed. Of course the label on the product is not color coded like the picture but if you study it you can get a better understanding of what it is showing you. This is just a sample label.

We are all aware, I believe, that no one can live without sustenance of some kind. Whether you are a vegan, vegetarian, carnivore, fruitarian, pescetarian, raw foods eater or an over all lover of food like myself, you understand that food is important to your well being. I heard when I was growing up a common quote about food: you are what you eat. I was taught that if you ate crap then you were crap but if you ate healthy then you were healthy. It is a quote with a lot of truth to it. If you eat nothing but junk food and heavily processed crap then you are not healthy. Your body is full of salts, carbohydrates, cholesterol and other fatty substances that your body easily stores into more fat. In my opinion this is one of the main reasons for the declining health of North America. We eat too much crap!

If you want to be healthy then you eat fresh foods that are full of the proper nutrition. You become an active participant in life when you watch what you eat. When you have the best nutrients then your body feels the best. A healthy body leads to a healthier mind and a healthier spirit. There is a lot of information out there about nutrition and eating a balanced diet. My suggestion is to do your research, experiment a bit with new foods, and find what works for you. The Canada Food Guide is a great basic resource and the website can definitely get you started.

I would suggest you be a bit cautious regarding food sensitivities and allergies. Allergies are serious reactions to foods your body cannot handle. If you have food based allergies then you most likely are already aware of what you cannot eat and how to find out if your food purchase contains the allergy trigger. In today's world you do have to be aware of what you are buying and eating as many have hidden ingredient in them which can include: wheat products, milk products and nuts/seeds.

These links can provide information on what causes allergies if you are interested.
Allergy theory
Sudden Allergy development

The best advice or tip about food anyone can give you is to eat well and in moderation. Have appropriate portions of all the healthy foods you can find. Enjoy your nutritional intake and enjoy life.