Nursing Notes
Specialized Public Health Nursing Program

Finding Your Way to a Healthier You
By Chander Singh, RN, Sr. PHN
Foster Care Nursing, Integrated Continuing Services (ICS)

This article is a contribution to "Team Talk" a bi-monthly publication for our foster parents.  This article will appear in the May/June issue. 

Feel Better today. Stay healthy for tomorrow.
The food and physical activity choices you make every day affect your health – how you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future. You may be eating plenty of food, but not eating the right foods that give your body the nutrients you need to be healthy. You may not be getting enough physical activity to stay fit and burn those extra calories. Eating right and being physically active aren’t just a “diet” or a “program” – they are keys to a healthy lifestyle. With healthful habits, you may reduce your risk of many chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain cancers, and increase your chances for a longer life.

Make smart choices from every food group
The best way to give your body the balanced nutrition it needs is by eating a variety of nutrient-packed foods every day. Just be sure to stay within your daily caloric needs. A healthy eating plan is one that: Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, includes lean meats, poultry, fish, bean, eggs and nuts, and is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium) and added sugars. Don’t give in when you eat out and are on the go. It’s important to make smart food choices and watch portion sizes wherever you are-at the grocery store, at work, in your favorite restaurant, or running errands. Try these tips:

• At the store, plan ahead by buying a variety of nutrient-rich foods for meals and snacks throughout the week.

• When grabbing lunch, have a sandwich on whole-grain bread and choose low-fat/fat-free milk, water, or other drinks without added sugars.

• In a restaurant, opt for steamed, grilled, or broiled dishes instead of those that are fried or sautéed.

• On a long commute or shopping trip, pack some fresh fruit, cut-up vegetables, string cheese sticks, or a handful or unsalted nuts-to help you avoid, impulsive, less healthful snack choices.

Mix up your choices within each food group

• Focus on fruits. Eat a variety of fresh fruits rather than fruit juice for most of your fruit choices.

• Vary your veggies. Eat more dark green veggies, such as broccoli, kale, and other dark leafy greens, orange veggies, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and winter squash, beans and peas, such as pinto, kidney, black and garbanzo beans, split peas, and lentils.

• Get your calcium-rich foods. Get 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk or an equivalent amount of low-fat yogurt and/or low-fat cheese every day. For kids ages 2 to 8, it’s 2 cups of milk. If you don’t or can’t consume milk, choose lactose-free milk products and/or calcium-fortified foods and beverages.

• Make half your grains whole. Eat at least 3 ounces of whole-grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice, or pasta every day. One ounce is about 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of breakfast cereal or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta.

• Go lean with protein. Choose lean meats and poultry. Bake it, broil it, or grill it. Vary your protein choices with more fish, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds.

Know the limits on fats, salt, and sugars. Read the Nutrition Facts labels on foods. Look for foods low in saturated fats and trans fats. Choose and prepare foods and beverages with little salt (sodium) and/or added sugars (caloric sweeteners).

Find your balance between food and physical activity. Becoming a healthier you isn’t just about eating healthy-it’s also about physical activity. Regular physical activity is important for your overall health and fitness. It also helps you control body weight by balancing the calories you take in as food with the calories you expend each day. Be physically active for at least 30 minutes most days of the week. Increasing the intensity or the amount of time that you are physically active can have even greater health benefits and may be needed to control body weight. About 60 minutes a day may be needed to prevent weight gain. Children and teenagers should be physically active for 60 minutes every day, or most every day. Consider this: If you eat 100 more food calories a day than you burn, you’ll gain about 1 pound in a month. That is 12 pounds in a year. The bottom line is that to lose weight, it’s important to reduce calories and increase physical activity.

Get the most nutrition out of your calories. There are a right number of calories for you to eat each day. This number depends on your age, activity level, and whether you’re trying to gain, maintain, or lose weight. You could use up the entire amount on a few high-calorie items, but chances are you won’t get the full range of vitamins and nutrients your body needs to be healthy. Choose the most nutritionally rich foods you can from each food group each day-those packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients but lower in calories. Pick foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products more often.

NUTRITION: To know the facts. Most packed foods have a nutrition facts label. For a healthier you, use this tool to make smart food choices quickly and easily. Check servings and calories, make your calories count, don’t sugarcoat it (sugars contribute calories with few, if any, nutrients, look for foods and beverages low in added sugars. Read the ingredient list and make sure that added sugars are not one of the first few ingredients. Some names for added sugars include sucrose, glucose, high fructose corn syrup, maple syrup, and fructose). Know your fats and reduce sodium (salt) intake.

These are the basic guidelines for eating a healthy diet and being physically active. For more information about the food group and nutrition values, or to pick up some new ideas on physical activity, go to: www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines.