healthy eating

To start this section out, I better post on what "Healthy Eating" is. There are so many theories on how to eat healthy and the truth is, there is no single right way to eat healthy. Eating healthy for someone with Celiac Disease means avoiding any food with gluten in it. Eating healthy for someone with seizures who is on the ketogenic diet means eating mostly fat and hardly any carbohydrates or protein. Healthy eating between people without allergies/disease/special circumstances can be varied as well. So, I have come up with a short list of general guidelines.

My list is based off the new food guide pyramid.*



- Balance:
This means eating foods from all of the food groups


- Variety:
Eating a variety of foods within each food group. Focus on whole foods as much as possible--whole grains, whole fruits and veggies as opposed to juice, etc. There are so many different nutrients in various foods besides just vitamins and minerals that are healthful for your body and you don't want to miss out on them! Focus also on nutrient dense foods** as opposed to high calorie foods (skim milk vs whole milk)

- Moderation:
This is the hard one. I always say that any food can fit into a healthy diet--including cheesecake or onion rings. The key is to eat foods with moderation. First, you should eat the suggested amount of foods within each food group according to your specific needs (go to www.mypyramid.gov to learn more). When you do enjoy higher calorie foods like dessert or fried foods, they should be in smaller portions and NOT on an every day basis.


- Pleasure:
Take the time to enjoy what you eat. Feeling guilty while eating is NOT healthy! Also be adventurous and try new things. Try them more than once--sometimes it takes up to 20 exposures to a food before you realize how much you like it!

- Special Circumstances:
Take into consideration your own special circumstances whether you are pregnant, have food allergies/intolerances, have a disease that is treated with a specific diet, etc. This list can still serve as a guide to most people with special circumstances.


I think it is also important to note that Living Healthy includes EATING HEALTHY balanced with HEALTHY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. But I will save the physical activity part to the exercise experts.

*many people criticize the government for the Food Guide Pyramid. Just remember that it is a GUIDE for healthy eating and while it may not be perfect, they are constantly updating it to make it better with the current research that they have.

**nutrient dense foods are those that have a higher percentage of nutrients (or even one particular nutrient) compared to calories.