Rules of Good Nutrition

The rules of good nutrition are pretty simple: 

• Choose nutritious foods.
• Eat only as much as you need to maintain a healthy weight.
• Avoid eating too much junk food.
• Stay active.

Here’s why you should follow these rules.

• If you don’t you are likely to fall back into your old ways of eating.
• If you eat too much, you will gain too much weight and become obese.
• Junk food is the main cause of obesity in America.
• Lack of exercise contributes to unhealthy weight gain. 

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Concerned about your weight? Talk to a registered dietitian. Registered dietitians/RDs are the healthcare professionals most trained and qualified to help you make the right food choices for your condition. You can find a registered dietitian by visiting the American Dietetic Association website at www.eatright.org or searching online for a registered dietitian.

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How Much Should You Eat to Lose Weight?

Overview
Just about everyone knows that you need to eat less calories and burn more energy in order to lose weight. But just how much should you eat? The answer is, it depends on your state of health and a number of other factors, including stress, sleep and exercise.

MyPyramid makes it easy to plan meals and snacks to meet the minimum nutritional needs of most Americans. Individual needs vary, so, it would be a good idea to consult a registered dietitian for additional guidance on how to use MyPyramid to meet your personal diet and weight loss needs.

Using MyPyramid
Here is a summary of the recommendations for how much food from the basic food groups American adults should eat daily, based on MyPyramid. You will have to make adjustments based on your personal health status, weight loss goals, and the amount of exercise you get. Keep in mind that exercise is the biggest factor when it comes to burning calories to lose weight.

Basic Food Groups and recommended intake

Grains - 5 to 8 ounce equivalents servings
These should be mostly whole grains. One serving is the equivalent of 1/2 cup cooked cereal or 1 slice of bread.

Fruits - 1-1/2 to 2 cups
One serving is the equivalent of 1cup of fruit or 100% fruit juice or /1/2 cup of dried fruit.

Vegetables - 2-1/2 to 3 cups
One serving is the equivalent of 1cup of raw or cooked vegetable or 2 cups raw leafy greens.

Dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese) - 3 cups or equivalent
One serving is the equivalent of 1 cup of milk, 6-ounce cup of yogurt or 1-1/2 ounces of natural cheese.

Meat or Other Protein - 5-1/2 to 6-1/2 ounce equivalents
One serving is the equivalent of 1 ounce of meat, fish or poultry; 1 egg; 1/4 cup cooked beans or peas; or 1 ounce of nuts.


Fats or Oils - 5 to 7 teaspoons
Avoid  Avoid saturated fats and trans fats.


Avoid eating foods with added sugars while you are trying to lose weight.

Sample Low-Calorie 
Here is a sample low-calorie menu for one day. Note: (The actual calories in this sample menu would vary depending on the actual ingredients used as well as actual amounts eaten. In general, the day's intake should range from 1600 to 1800  calories. You should be able to lose weight on a diet between 1200 and 1800 calories. If you exercise regularly, you will have more flexibility in how much you can eat and still lose weight.)


Breakfast: 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal, 1 cup low-fat milk and 1/2 cup raisins, water

Morning snack: 1/2 ounce nuts, water

Lunch: 2 slices whole wheat bread, small chicken breast, 3/4 ounce swiss cheese, 1-1/2 cup broccoli, water

Afternoon snack: 1 apple, water

Dinner: 1 small baked potato, 1/4 cup of baked beans, 2 ounces baked salmon, 2 cups tossed salad, 1 tangerine, water

Night-time snack: 6 ounces yogurt, water

Note: Avoid food and drink containing added fat, sugars and limit the amount of sodium you consume.

Summary
Cutting calories is important when you want to lose weight. But you need to eat enough to maintain your health. Use MyPyramid as a starting point for planning low-calorie meals and snacks, and talk to a registered dietitian for personal guidance to meet your unique needs. Get more details from the USDA.

Childhood Obesity - The National Agenda

Dr. Carter’s Nutrition Journal

Childhood Obesity: The National Agenda

By Dorene E. Carter, PhD, RD

5-14-2010

Miami, FL

Child>Nutrition>Obesity

Overview

First Lady Michelle Obama is at the helm of a huge challenge. Her goal is to reduce childhood obesity within the next generation. With this task force, we should see a lot more movement towards preventing childhood obesity and providing obesity management services that children and families need to treat obesity where it exists. One thing is clear, registered dietitians and professional nutritionists will have a major role to play if we are to reverse the course of childhood obesity in this country.

Who is affected?

Today, childhood obesity is considered a major public health epidemic. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in three children are overweight or obese. This epidemic has put America’s children at risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and a number of other diseases that were once considered adult-onset diseases and rarely seen in children.

Causes of childhood obesity

In simplest terms, childhood obesity is the result of eating too many calories and not burning enough. There are a lot of other things that contribute to childhood obesity and we have to address those issues.

According to the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity, some of the things that are contributing to childhood obesity are:

Children are eating more fast food, foods that are high in calories, fat, sugar and salt.

Children are eating more foods away from home.

More parents are working outside the home and spending less time preparing meals.

Fewer families are eating together.

Portion sizes have double and in some cases tripled compared to what they were a mere one or two generations ago.

Children are less active. They spend more time in front of the television or playing video games instead of engaging in real physical movement.

Lack of safe places for children to play causes parents to keep children indoors, thereby reducing the chance to exercise and  burn any excess calories that they may consume.

Children are exposed to a great deal of advertising for low-nutrient, calorie dense foods that do little to promote health and may increase the risk of unhealthy weight gain.

There are also other factors like genetics, prescription drugs that increases appetite or slows metabolism, among other things that also influence children’s weight gain and ultimately their health.

Steps to preventing childhood obesity

The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity recently provided a Report to the President outlining the challenges the Task Force and the nation face in combating childhood obesity. This report also outlines some key strategies that might be able to help reduce the incidence of childhood obesity in one generation.

Those recommendations include:

Improving prenatal care, encouraging breast feeding, reducing the amount of time that young children spend in front of the television and quality care and education in the early years.

Educating parents and caregivers about nutrition, food marketing and health care services.

Improving the quality of school meals by engaging families, communities, businesses and all levels of government to foster healthier food choices.

Mobilizing public and private sector resources to improve access to healthy food, affordable pricing and product formulation. Resources will also be allocated to reduce hunger and obesity among children in this country.

Additionally, the task force addresses the issue of physical activity with a look at ways to increase the level of physical activity among children. These approaches will include school-based and afterschool activities, as well as the build environment and community recreation centers.

Reversing childhood obesity is a tremendous challenge for the first lady and all Americans. The outcome will have far-reaching effects. Consequently, we have no choice but to rally around Mrs. Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign and give America’s children the chance for a healthy weight and a long, healthy, happy and productive future.

References

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html

http://letsmove.gov/taskforce_childhoodobesityrpt.html

Your comments and questions are welcome.

Dr. Dorene E. Carter is a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant, specializing in child health and nutrition, with special emphasis on childhood obesity. Dr. Carter, who earned her PhD in nutrition from the University of California, Berkeley, is CEO of CHANA Project, the Child Health and Nutrition Access Project. To learn more, visit www.dailydietguide.com and www.chanaproject.org.