| What Not to Eat for a Healthy Balanced | | | | kitchen scale if you have trouble with |
| Diet | | | | portion sizes for packaged foods. Be |
| Using the unhealthy examples of foods | | | | cautious when you eat out in restaurants |
| mentioned above, make sure you limit | | | | and coffee shops. The typical bagel in a |
| your overall intake of sugar, fats, | | | | coffee shop is equal to 5 servings of |
| sodium and calories. | | | | bread and one supersized meal at a fast |
| Excess Sugar: | | | | food restaurant might be equal to all of |
| Desserts, candy, treats. | | | | the calories you need for the whole day. |
| Excess Fats: | | | | Whether you are at home or in a |
| Junk foods, fatty meats, fried foods. | | | | restaurant, use these tips for |
| Excess Calories: | | | | recognizing portion sizes of healthy |
| Sugary foods, heavy sauces and gravies, | | | | foods at meal times: |
| big portions. | | | | 3 ounces of meat -- one serving is about |
| Excess Sodium: | | | | the size of a deck of cards. |
| Processed foods, prepackage meals, | | | | 1 cup of pasta -- one serving is about |
| canned soups and vegetables. | | | | the size of a tightly closed fist. |
| Cooking for a Healthy Balanced Diet | | | | 2 tablespoons of peanut butter -- one |
| Cooking Methods are important as well. | | | | serving is about the size of a ping-pong |
| Improper cooking methods add calories | | | | ball. |
| and unhealthy fats and in some cases, | | | | 2 cups of green leafy vegetables -- one |
| reduce overall nutrition. For example: | | | | serving is about the size of two closed |
| Meats should be baked, broiled or | | | | fists. |
| carefully grilled, not fried to reduce | | | | 2 ounces of cheese -- one serving is |
| the amount of unhealthy fats. | | | | about the size of 2 dominoes. |
| Vegetables should be eaten raw, lightly | | | | 1 cup of green vegetables -- serving is |
| steamed or cooked in a microwave rather | | | | about the size of a tennis ball. |
| than boiled, which reduces many of the | | | | When you serve your meal on a plate, |
| nutrients. | | | | divide the plate into four quarters. One |
| A quick vegetable saut in olive oil or | | | | quarter is for your serving of meat or |
| canola oil is better than cooking your | | | | protein. One quarter is for one serving |
| vegetables in butter or margarine. | | | | of starchy carbohydrates such as pasta, |
| Carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins in a | | | | cereal, bread, rice, potatoes or corn. |
| Healthy Balanced Diet | | | | The half of the plate remaining should |
| A healthy diet should be made up of the | | | | be filled with lower calorie vegetables, |
| correct ratios of carbohydrates, fats | | | | salad or fruit. Remember that butter, |
| and proteins. The USDA suggests that you | | | | margarine, sauces, gravy, and cheesy |
| get about 50% of your calories from | | | | toppings add calories to your plate, so |
| carbohydrates, 30% from fats and 20% | | | | use those sparingly. Better yet, use |
| from protein. If you eat all of the | | | | olive oil, lemon juice, herbs and spices |
| recommended servings of each food group | | | | to add flavor to your meal. |
| and no more or no less, you should get | | | | Don't Skip Meals |
| your recommended amounts of nutrients | | | | Most people need to eat breakfast, |
| without consuming too many calories. You | | | | lunch, and dinner. Skipping meals is a |
| can also use portion sizes and meal | | | | bad idea and will leave you feeling |
| planning to make sure you get just the | | | | sleepy and so hungry at your next meal, |
| right amounts of everything. | | | | you will be prone to over-eating. |
| Typical Meal and Portion Size for a | | | | Skipping breakfast will not help you |
| Healthy Balanced Diet | | | | lose weight and skipping dinner might |
| Many people suffer from portion | | | | lead to late evening snack munching, so |
| distortion. It can be very difficult to | | | | set a meal schedule and stick to it. You |
| picture just how big a serving of any | | | | may also want to leave a few calories |
| particular food is and if you don't | | | | open for one or two small snacks during |
| control your portion size, studies show | | | | the day. |
| you will overeat. Read labels and use a | | | | |