Healthy Diets
How to eat better, be happy with these simple guidelines

COMMENTARY
Keely Hawkins

It is becoming harder and harder to eat healthy food every day. One of the results is that obesity is becoming an increasing problem in America, probably because the majority of people are eating too many calories overall for their level of activity. Consequently, many people are turning to the popular “Fad Diets,” which can be detrimental to their health or just too hard to follow for long periods of time. Therefore, they almost always fall out of their diet and go back to their unhealthy eating habits. By adopting healthy ways of eating and exercising regularly, they could stay fit and trim and live a longer life.

Building healthy eating patterns can have long-term benefits and be well worth the effort. Eventually, you won’t even think twice about it and you will notice the extra energy you have. These eating habits can help you reach and maintain a healthy weight, and the increased energy you will have will help you cope with everyday stresses.

WHAT TO EAT
The food pyramid is a good guide to follow to establish a healthy eating pattern. It is recommended that you consume about 6-11 servings of grains, 3-5 servings of vegetables, 2-4 servings of fruits, 2-3 servings of milk and 2-3 servings of meats and beans. However, you should eat fats, oils, and sweets, but sparingly.

Smaller framed people should focus on the lesser recommended serving amount whereas the larger framed people should include the greater recommended serving amount. By following the food pyramid, you should be able to incorporate the right amount of daily carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

CARBS
Carbohydrates are often viewed as bad in our society, but not all carbohydrates are. You should limit your intake of refined carbs, like white breads and pastries, and stick to the more complex carbohydrates, like whole-grain breads, pastas and cereals.

FATS
Just like carbohydrates, not all fats are created equal. The best thing to remember about fats is to limit your intake of saturated fats and trans-fatty acids. However, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (which are found in nuts, fish, and canola and olive oils) are an important part of a healthy diet.

PROTEINS
About 15 percent of your daily calories should come from protein. You should concentrate on the more lean sources of protein like fish, chicken and lean beef. Beans, eggs and tofu are also good sources of protein.

THE PLATE
When you are preparing your plate, a good rule of thumb is to fill about 1/4 of your plate with a protein source, 1/4 with a whole grain or starch and the other half should contain colorful, richly textured fruits and vegetables. Also, keep in mind that it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to tell your stomach how full you actually are. You should stop eating when you feel about eight parts full out of 10.

EXERCISE
Along with a healthy diet, you need to incorporate exercise to maintain your ideal weight. It is recommended that you spend at least 30 minutes a day engaged in moderate physical activity to achieve health benefits. Sixty minutes of moderate physical activity every day is recommended to protect against weight gain and to obtain significant health benefits.

By incorporating healthy eating habits and daily moderate activity you can achieve your ideal weight in a healthy manner. This method doesn’t work on everyone because most people want a quick fix and turn to the modern “Fad Diets.” These can often be overwhelming, because when you stop the diet you gain the weight back and become discouraged. Don’t be one of these people. Forget about the “Fad Diets.” Try being patient and sticking to a healthy lifestyle to maintain your ideal body weight, and thus feel more energetic throughout the day.

Keely Hawkins is a junior nutrition major from Odessa.