Today, nearly one in five children is considered obese and that number has grown significantly in the past several decades. And the number of adults that are considered obese is about one in three adults. We have a serious health crisis as obesity can often lead to chronic diseases including heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and cancer.
One of the most important things we can do for kids is to set them on the right path to make good nutritional choices as they grow older. The more that kids are exposed to healthy food choices when they are young, the more likely they are to choose those foods into adulthood. And kids are always watching what adults do, so parents should model healthy food choices.
But what is a heathy food? Our bodies need foods that contain vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, and fat. These are essential nutrients that make sure our bones, muscles, and brain develop properly and help us lead a healthy lifestyle. A healthy diet consists of foods that are nutrient dense, which are foods that are rich in the nutrients our bodies need without added sugar and sodium or too much saturated fats. Healthy food choices, along with regular physical activity, help us sustain an active lifestyle.
Examples of nutrient-dense foods include:
- Protein such as lean meat and poultry, eggs, seafood, beans, lentils, soy products, and nuts and seeds
- Fruits and vegetables can be enjoyed in all forms, including fresh, frozen, dried, or canned. Check canned vegetables for no salt added on the label and look for canned fruit that is packed in its own juice to reduce added sugar.
- Grains provide necessary carbohydrates to our diet and include both whole grains and refined grains. Whole grains are more nutritious since they involve the whole grain kernel and include whole-wheat bread and pasta, oatmeal, quinoa, popcorn, or brown rice.
- Dairy products may include fat-free or low-fat dairy products, such as milk, yogurt and cheese. Dairy alternatives can also include fortified products that contain soy, almond or cashew.
Adults and children should limit their consumption of products that contain added sugars and sodium, and limit foods high in saturated fats. Reading nutrition labels carefully on processed foods helps identify foods that contain added sugars and high sodium. Saturated fats mainly come from animal products, including butter, red meat, ice cream, and cheese. Manufacturers often add sugar, salt and fat to their processed food to help them taste better and improve their shelf life, but frequent consumption of these products can have lasting impacts on our health.
Sugar sweetened beverages (sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, flavored juice drinks) are the most common source of added sugars in the American diet and frequent consumption of these products can have lasting impacts on our health.
Sugar sweetened beverages (sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks, flavored juice drinks) are the most common source of added sugars in the American diet and frequent intake can lead to Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and tooth decay.
Choose My Plate is a nutrition guide published by the US Department of Agriculture and is based on the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The site contains information on age specific guidelines for different life stages and activities and recipes that align with the MyPlate recommendations.Bone health is important for all stages in life and what we put in our bodies is important to ensure our bones are strong from childhood through adulthood.
Rev Your Bev is a campaign to reduce consumption of sugar sweetened beverages by increasing water consumption and the site offers many ideas on how to increase water intake an