Food is fun
and tasty, but what’s its
real mission? It’s fuel for
your body, and the old adage
“You are what you eat”
couldn’t be truer. Food
helps shape and define you,
but many of us don’t pay
attention to what we put
into our bodies—or we forget
what really matters.
However, guidelines do exist
that can keep us on a
healthy track, and they’re
supplied annually by the
American Heart Association
(AHA) for free—no
nutritionist or fitness
coach required. What’s
more, these guidelines
actually work, when it comes
to helping you stay fit and
feel fantastic.
Go to AHA’s
website (americanheart.org)
for 2010’s hot, new
recommendations, but don’t
be surprised if you find
yourself immediately
claiming, “A-ha!” You know
this stuff already. But so
many of us—especially our
kids—are tempted by those
great-tasting “empty”
calories: the refined or
processed convenience foods,
and fat-and sugar-filled
treats.
And why not?
They taste great. But they
won’t help you or your
family ramp up energy
levels, lose weight, feel
better or live longer. Just
following a few simple,
everyday rules, though, can
virtually guarantee success.
Heart Health
for grown-ups
Healthy
living for the whole family
starts with a heart healthy,
nutritious diet and getting
regular physical activity.
As any parent knows, kids
mimic their parents. So
here’s how adults can set a
great example:
-
Eat
a variety of nutritious
foods from all food
groups—fruits and
vegetables, whole-grain
products and protein.
Buy lean meats, poultry
and fat-free or low-fat
dairy products. (Buy
organic when you can).
-
Have
two servings per week of
oily fish like salmon,
trout or herring. These
contain omega 3 fatty
acids, which help lower
the risk of heart
disease.
-
Limit the amount of
empty calories you
consume in processed
foods and drinks like
soda.
-
Don’t have more than 300
milligrams (mg) of
cholesterol a day.
Limit your intake of
cholesterol, saturated
fat and trans fat.
(stay away from the
burgers, fries and
milkshakes—remember your
kids are watching).
Read labels, for
instance, foods with
partially hydrogenated
vegetable oils contain
trans fat.
-
Limit salt (sodium)
intake to less than
2,300 mg a day.
-
Women should aim for no
more than one alcoholic
beverage per day; men
can have two drinks.
-
Don’t smoke and avoid
breathing passive smoke.
For 150
delicious and nutritious
recipes, check out the
American Heart Association
Healthy Family Meals
(Clarkson Potter, 2009).
Kid Stuff
Childhood
obesity has become a major
public healthy problem, and
recent reports indicate than
even kids can develop
atherosclerosis (hardening
of the arteries). As
parents and grandparents,
what can we do to help keep
our kids heart-healthy?
We can start
by feeding our kids a heart
healthy diet that helps them
maintain their ideal weight
for their age (find ideal
weights for children at
kidshealth.org).
At the same
time, their diets should
support growth and
development, provide the
energy they need and
discourage overeating.
To keep kids
healthy, the AHA suggests
that their diets should meet
or exceed the recommended
daily allowances (RDA) for
all nutrients, including
iron and calcium. That
might tempt you to overfeed
to make sure your kids are
getting their nutrients, but
follow these
recommendations:
·
A 1-year old
child needs just 900
calories a day.
·
Depending on
activity level and gender,
children age 2-13 need
between 1,000 and 1,800
calories.
·
Fourteen to
18 year-old girls need 1,800
calories.
·
Fourteen to
18 year-old boys need 2,200
calories.
Getting kids
to eat healthy is easier
said than done, especially
when children are bombarded
with commercials for
processed junk foods and
sugary cereals. But feed
your kids the way you’d feed
yourself when following a
heart-healthy diet—with a
few tweaks.
Visit the
AHA website to find out the
exact amounts of whole
grains, and nutrients and
fats kids should have in
their diet daily to keep
their bodies strong and
healthy.
Yours
in good health |