5 nutrition habits that can improve your health
You’ve heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” In many ways, it’s very true. What you eat and drink makes a difference in how you feel and look. It also influences whether or not you develop a chronic health condition. Essentially, what you eat can make an important difference in your overall quality of life.
Drink water Water is critical for overall health—in fact, the human body consists of about 60 percent water. Water helps maintain the balance of body fluids, aiding in digestion, absorption of nutrients, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients and the maintenance of body temperature. Water also keeps skin looking healthy and helps ensure that muscles can do their job.
Replace one of your bottles of soda a day with water.
Start each day with a glass of water
Eat small It is very easy to eat more than we actually need. We do this for many reasons: The food tastes good, it is satisfying or we are stressed. It might be because we have a larger plate than we need! Since the 1950s, the average size of household dinner plates has increased from 9 inches to 11 or 12 inches. We may not have noticed the change in plate size, but it influences the amount of food we eat. In one research study, people who were given larger bowls consumed 16 percent more cereal than people who were given smaller bowls. That can make a significant difference in the number of calories we consume.
Choose to use a smaller plate or bowl.
Record everything you eat—including amounts—for a week. Use the MyPlate handout to see if you’re meeting the guidelines.
Eat fruits and vegetables Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can decrease the risk of developing heart disease and stroke, control blood pressure, prevent some types of cancer and guard against cataracts and macular degeneration. Fruits and vegetables provide fiber, which helps keep the digestive tract healthy. Men up to age 50 need 38 grams of fiber a day; women need 25 grams. Men over the age of 50 need 30 grams a day; women need 21 grams. Choose a wide variety of color when you choose fruits and vegetables, because that means you’re getting a wide variety of nutrients.
Make sure half your plate is fruits and vegetables.
Incorporate at least one fruit or vegetable into every meal.
Eat breakfast People who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight. People who eat breakfast have better attitudes toward work or school and higher productivity in the late morning. They also have the ability to handle tasks that require memory better than non-breakfast eaters. Breakfast truly is “breaking the fast.” After several hours of not eating, our bodies need a new supply of glucose or blood sugar. Glucose is the brain’s energy source. The brain needs a new supply because it does not store reserves. In addition, we need to eat to supply glucose to muscles for all of our activities throughout the day. To supply the brain and muscles with glucose, choose a good source of carbohydrates at breakfast. Carbohydrates are found in grains, fruits, vegetables and milk.
If you don’t eat breakfast, commit to eating breakfast three days in one week and see how it makes you feel.
Commit to choosing foods from three of the food groups for breakfast. Examples include:
Yogurt, walnuts and a banana
Oatmeal, raisins and milk
Whole-wheat mini bagel, peanut butter and an apple
Limit empty calories Empty calories are those that come from saturated fats, trans fats or added sugars. They add calories to the food but few or no nutrients. Sugary drinks and candy provide empty calories. Cakes, cookies, doughnuts and pastries also provide empty calories in the form of sugar and saturated fats.
The 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that we limit added sugars—not including natural sugars—to less than 10 percent of total daily calories. For the average American adult, that would be no more than 200 calories, or 50 grams of added sugar. A 12-ounce soda has roughly 40 grams, or 10 teaspoons, of sugar.
The 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans also recommends that saturated fat comprise less than 10 percent of our total daily calories. That translates to 200 calories, or no more than 22 grams, of saturated fat per day (for a 2,000-calorie diet). Limit trans fats as much as possible, and be aware that:
A chocolate bar has 8 grams of saturated fat and 24 grams of added sugar.
A double cheeseburger has around 21 grams of saturated fat, 2 grams of trans fat and 10 grams of added sugar.
Try replacing dessert with a fruit to satisfy your sweet tooth, and committing to not eating any added sugar for four days per week.
© 2019 by The Curators of the University of Missouri, a public corporation
Strength in Numbers
References 1. Duyff, R. L. 2012. American Dietetic Association complete food & nutrition guide. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. 2. Giblin, Colleen. 2014. The perils of large plates: Waist, waste, and wallet. Accessed February 25. Cornell University Food and Brand Lab. http://foodpsychology.cornell.edu/discoveries/largeplate-mistake. 3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015. 2015–2020 dietary guidelines for Americans, 8th ed., December. http://health.gov/\ dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/. 4. Zelman, Kathleen M. 2008. 6 reasons to drink water. WebMD. Last reviewed May 8. http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/6-reasons-to-drink-water#1.