what exactly is heathy eating and how do i get started?

Question

fruits and veg of course but how much of each and what kinds of food its all confusing

Answer 1

You get energy from food, right?

Well, the quickest way to get energy is from sugar - but we rarely need energy that quickly, so the sugar sticks around and gets us fat.

The next quickest energy is from starches - bread, pasta, crackers, potatoes, rice, corn. It's better for us than sugar, but still converts to energy a little too quickly if we're to stay a reasonable weight. Starches make you feel all nice and comfy cozy - they're a major temptation away from healthy eating, though we need some of them.

The next quickest energy is from the other carbohydrates - vegetables and fruits, which, in addition to the energy they provide, give us lots of other needed nutrients and fiber. Eat lots of these.

Next is the energy from fat - butter, cream, oils. Fat converts to energy pretty fast, but slower than starches and other carbohydrates. We need some fat in our diets, but we get too much. Fat is cheap and tasty, so food manufacturers use it a lot. Don't let the mega food corporations sell you a bill of goods - cut back on fat, particularly the bad kind (the trans fats) and you'll be a lot healthier.

The last energy source to get converted is the time-release capsule of food: proteins, like meat, fish, eggs, milk. Try to get a couple of servings of high-quality protein every day to help repair your body.

If you think of the energy value of food, you can feed yourself what your body needs. If you're a physical laborer, you can eat from the sugar-starch end and you'll get energy fast and work it off fast, too. If you're a sedentary person, you need less food, and more of it from the protein end.

It's hard to avoid getting too much fat, salt and sugar. Just try cutting down and you'll see your choices diminish to practically nothing on the menus of most restaurants. However, there is a whole world of delicious food that doesn't rely on a stick of butter and a cup of sugar in every serving! Try some ethnic foods - if you've got a Trader Joe's nearby, you can find some good stuff that is inexpensive and easy to cook. Heck, if you can cook, you can do no better than to start with the real thing - meat, fish, vegetables and fruits. Only buy things from the outside perimeter of grocery stores - that's where the least processed food usually is!

The current pyramid from the USDA is pretty good, but you have to study further, since the USDA has occasionally bowed to pressure from food companies rather than say what it really thought.

I recommend reading what Dr. Andrew Weil has to say on this topic. He's a Harvard-trained M.D. with a strong interest in nutrition, who also recognizes the value of exercise, doing good works and having good friends as part of a whole program of being healthy. See if he has a program to recommend that would be tailored to your lifestyle, age, and general health! He sells some things, but there's a lot of good free advice and recipes and things on the site.

M
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Answer 2

It has to be tasty. You have to learn to love good food and keep full on it. snak on veggies and dip yummmmm keep it prepared in the fridge so iot is easy. I have been vegi since I was 12 I am 31 so i know disapline. Don't go extreme right away or you will fail. When you eat high suger high calorie eat only the best and only for a treat.
Stop soft drinks. Drink sparkling water with juice.don't drink plain juice eat fruit instead less calories more filling.example:eat an apple drink water. Never let yourself get too hungry then you will opt for an unhealthy choice. eat light all day.Less carbs and sugar never hurt anybody. No fast food EVER.Drink teas and remember never let yourself get too hungry just eat good things lightly all the time and prepare healthy snacks in advance so it is easy

Answer 3

The US Dept of Agriculture has put together a web site to help show you what kinds of which foods you should eat. Just click on each triangle in the pyramid.

http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/index.html

But, an easier way to start might be to cut out unhealthy things. The two worst enemies are:

Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated Oils
High Fructose Corn Syrup

Start reading food labels and cut back on anything that lists the above ingredients. Just cutting out the worst of the worst will cut your risks of heart disease and diabetes later in life.

Answer 4

go to the grocery store and do not buy anything in a mix or box or frozen dinners...cook from scratch. Buy the caned or frozen veggies. Get the Betty Crocker cook book and just start cooking what you like in the boxes or frozen foods. It taste alot better too...you will never buy boxed dinners again. You can buy the frozen veg. but fresh is better. I do not like frozen green beans, the can ones are good with a little cooked onion.

Answer 5

a super form of the international lives on some version of grains and beans - and there are maximum of scrumptious information on a thank you to try this. it incredibly is a super (and affordable) place to start for sturdy protein. in case you are going to be rapid approximately it, and you have prompt brown rice, a can of black beans or kidney beans, and a sauce you like, you're in company. Or, in case you have a can of refried beans and a tortilla, you're additionally in company. while you at the instant are not vegan, cheese and eggs can help in the protein branch to boot. You do could do merely a dash examining. pass on your library and spot what they have. Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon is taken under consideration one of my renowned cookbooks of any sort. i stumbled on eating ordinary for a Small Planet useful too. yet another individual gave some super books techniques to boot.

Answer 6

just drink lots of water, no soft drink!
eat salads fruits and veg
dont eat 2 much pasta or white bread
no chips, choc or lollies
no deep fried foods
eat stuff like soup
quiche
stir frys
rice
w/meal bread
etc...

Answer 7

The book "You on a Diet", or the website will give you a lot of info. The website (Dr. Oz) is free and will tell you all you need to know, and you can download exercises free. The website is www.realage.com