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Holiday Gluttony

With the holidays upon us and the New Year right around the corner, diets are being sabotaged all over the world.

It is hard to resist all those delicious foods at holiday parties and family gatherings. There are delicious cookies, heavenly hams, and excellent eggnog. However, if you are the typical American this is the time of year that you blow your diet and indulge in some very unhealthy eating habits.

The good news is that the New Year is right around the corner and 2018 can be the year that you develop and maintain healthy eating habits.  And there is no better time to start making some changes in your diet. The stats alone are frightening and just a few changes would benefit your health in so many ways.

Diets and our Health

Scientists estimate that 40% of all cancer occurrence in men, and 60% in women, is connected to their diets. Diet has also been indicated in two of the three risk factors linked to heart disease. The first one is high blood cholesterol, followed by hypertension, and smoking is the third indicator. Diet is also linked to a person being seriously overweight, which is also connected to developing cancers and type II diabetes.

What you eat is important, especially what you eat on a day to day basis. However, living in the information age it can be confusing with the myriad of information floating around out there in cyberspace.  Let’s say you want to make some healthy changes, but don’t even know where to look?

Fortunately, a general consensus has been reached by top-notch experts as to which dietary elements play a role or prevent diseases.  There is a now a set of guidelines established by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Institutes of Health, and the American Heart Association. These guidelines are broken down into nine basic rules for you to follow and implement into your diet.

 

Nine Basic Diet Rules

Fat intake and Cholesterol

Keep fat intake at or below 30% of total calories

Limit saturated fats-these can lead to high blood cholesterol levels-to no more than 10% of total calories

Limit dietary cholesterol to more than 300 milligrams per day

Calories

Make sure at least 55% of your total daily calories come from carbohydrates. (Complex carbs such as grains, legumes, veggies, and some fruits)

These foods can also provide you with 20-30 grams of dietary fiber per day, as well as vitamins and minerals.

Protein

These should only make up 12-15% of your total daily calories, and these should come from low-fat sources.

Balance

There should be a balance between the number of calories consumed with the calories you expend in physical activity. This will help you maintain a desirable body weight.

The more active you are, the more calories you eat to maintain this balance.

Sugar

Avoid too much sugar. It leads to tooth decay. Not to mention that many foods high in sugar are also high in fat.

Sodium

Limit sodium intake to no more than 2,400 milligrams per day. This is equal to a little more than one teaspoon of salt.

Alcohol

Drink in moderation, no more than one ounce of pure alcohol per day. Drinking alcohol beyond these limits can lead to health problems.

Vitamins and minerals

Maintain adequate intake of minerals and vitamins, especially iron and calcium. Obtain your vitamins and minerals from food intake, not from supplements. Healthy Year, Healthy You-2018

New Year, New You: Healthy Year, Healthy You

It is possible to make this upcoming year the best year ever for your health. Just by making a few changes in your diet, drinking enough water, and exercising on a regular basis; you should start feeling stronger and healthier soon.

Maybe this is new to you and you have no idea where to start.  There is no need to follow fancy diets or spend tons of money getting healthy.   Implementing a few changes in your daily eating, shopping, and cooking habits can reap huge results as well.

First of all, invest in a good cookbook, like Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook to provide you with balanced menu choices.

Secondly, carry a sturdy water bottle to ensure you are getting your daily recommended water amount.

Also, using a health and fitness tracker on a daily basis can encourage you to get up and get moving

Finally, if you are using proper health tools in your kitchen and home.

You were only given one body to live in. Be a good steward of what the Lord has given you during your time on earth. And remember mama’s that your husband and children need a healthy and happy you.

 

Blessings,

 

Stephanie, Training Keepers of the Home