Wikipedia defines “A healthy diet is one that is arrived at with the intent of improving or maintaining optimal health”. “This usually involves consuming nutrients by eating the appropriate amounts from all of the food groups, including an adequate amount of water.”

The main benefits of a _link’]);” rel=”external nofollow” target=”_blank” href=”http://www.alfitness.com.au” title=”healthy diet”>healthy diet are:

1. Improves your immune system

2. Increases energy levels, vitality and alertness

3. Decreases your risk of heart disease and diabetes

4. Helps you cope with stress

A healthy diet is essential to live a healthy lifestyle. Having the correct nutrients can have a significant effect on your energy levels and vitality while decreasing the risks of disease. A healthy diet consists of meeting your daily calorie intake of the five major food groups with portion control of each food group totalling your necessary calorie intake.This will help you follow a healthy diet and lose weight at the same time.

The five major food groups are:

1. Fruit

2. Vegetables

3. Lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, legumes

4. Bread, cereals, rice, pasta

5. Milk, yogurt, cheese

A healthy diet is also made up of portion control. The portion control of these five food groups are as follows:

Carbohydrates: 6 - 8
Protein: 1 – 2
Fats: 1
Dairy: 2 – 3
Fruit: 2
Vegetables: 5
Water: 6

What constitutes a serving size for these food groups to achieve a healthy diet?

1. Carbohydrates (6-8 serves daily)
One serving should contain about 0.5oz (15g) of carbohydrates. Examples of this include:
Bread 1 slice
Tortilla, roll, or muffin 1
Bagel, English muffin or hamburger bun 1/2
Rice, pasta, cooked cereal, grits 1/2 cup
Ready-to-eat cereal 3/4 cup (flakes or round)
Pancake, waffle 1 (4.5in diameter)

2. Protein (4-6 serves daily)
One serving of protein should contain about 0.5oz (15g) of protein. Examples of this include:
Cooked lean meat, fish or poultry 2oz- 3oz (60g – 90g)
Egg 1
Peanut Butter 2 tablespoons, 1oz (30g)
Cooked dried peas or beans 1/2 cup
Cooked dried beans 1/2cup
Nuts, seeds 1/3 cup

3. Fat (1 serve daily)
One serving of fat should contain about 0.2oz (5g) of fat.  Examples of this include:
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp butter
1 tsp peanut butter
8 ripe olives
1 tbsp salad dressing

4. Dairy (2-3 serves daily)
One serving of dairy should contain about 0.01oz (300mg) of calcium.  Examples of this include:
Milk 1 cup
Yogurt 1 cup
Cheese 1 slice, 1oz (30g) (1.5oz cheese is about equal to 1 cup milk)
Cottage cheese 1/2 cup
Pudding 1/2 cup
Ice cream 1/2 cup

5. Fruit (2 serves daily)
One serving of fruit should contain about 0.5oz (15g) of carbohydrates. Examples of this include:
Chopped, fresh fruit 1/2 cup
Grapefruit 1/2
Cantaloupe 1/4
Canned fruit 1/2 cup
100% fruit juice 3/4 cup
Raisins or dried fruit 1/4 cup

6. Vegetables (5 serves daily)
One serving of vegetables should contain about 0.2oz (5g) of carbohydrates. Examples of this include:
Cooked vegetables 1/2 cup
Chopped, raw vegetables 1/2 cup
Raw, leafy vegetables 1 cup
Vegetable juice 3/4 cup

7. Water (6 serves daily)
Glass of water (10fl oz)

Vitamins and minerals

Many people believe that they can eat what ever they like and can make it up by having vitamin and mineral supplements to make up for this, however this is not the case. Your body absorbes the nutrients in foods are more effectively than in supplements. Furthermore, a majority of supplements on the market are mainly made with fillers you urinate very quickly.

A few things to remember:

1. Try and keep your BMI (Body Mass Index) in a healthy range

2. Try and eat plenty if fibre.

3. Have 8 glasses o water a day. A lack of water is the most common cause of tiredness

4. Limit alcohol and caffeine consumption

5. Reduce sugar intake

Maintain these tips to maintaining a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle and you will be amazed at how good you will feel.

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One of the important things you can do for your overall health is to eat a healthy diet. Your diet affects your weight and increases your risks of health diseases. Deciding a healthy diet is easier to say than to do because it is tempting to eat less healthy foods. Different people decide different healthy diet because you might eat this kind of diet while others just cannot stand the food you eat and find its alternative. That

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It seems that everyone is concerned with healthy living these days. This is a good thing; it is important to be concerned with your health and to look for better strategies to improve your life. On the other hand, it also seems like everyone has a quick solution for healthy living, for a hefty fee of course. It seems at times that you can’t turn on the television or open a magazine without seeing a celebrity or doctor trying to get you to buy their new book detailing the latest miracle diet that will change your life, whether it is fresh ground wheat grass or a daily tin of Brazil nuts. The reality is that these diets are unnecessary. Healthy living is available to everyone, and does not depend on buying the latest diet book or the most expensive vitamins. All that you need to do is to start making healthy decisions.

How to eat healthy

The most important facet of your life that you need to change as you move towards healthy living is to start eating nutritious foods. Do not try to follow a trendy diet, just eat a balanced diet of nutritious foods. When you eat well, you lower your risk of many health problems such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain kinds of cancer and osteoporosis. You will also give yourself more energy, allowing you to enjoy life again.

The most important group of foods, and the one that is most often the cause of poor diets, is fruit and vegetables. There is nothing particularly innovative about this advice; everyone knows that you need to eat your fruit and vegetables. The main problem is that so few people actually consume the seven to ten daily servings of fruits and vegetables they are supposed to have each day. And when they do eat fruit and vegetables, it is in forms that include added sugar, salt or fat.

The food group that we all eat too much of is meat. Try to limit your meat intake, and emphasize meat alternatives for your protein needs. While you definitely need meat or an alternative for the protein, most people eat far too much from this food group. You will be surprised at how little is actually required to get you through the day.

Get active

Once you have started eating well, it is time to go out and get some physical activity! Now, this does not mean that you have to incorporate a rigorous physical workout into your daily routine. Just including small amounts of physical activity in your life will make a difference. So take the stairs instead of the escalator, or walk to the corner store instead of driving four blocks. Start slowly and incorporate more physical activity into your life, and you will be amazed at how quickly the results will add up.

Have fun

The final component of healthy living is to have a healthy mind. Build up a strong peer group who will give you the social support you need to be truly happy. This will reduce your stress, which will only lead to a healthier body.

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Three years ago a hospital in England became the first in Europe to prescribe red wine to its patients. Speaking on BBC radio, Hugh Johnson, a world-renowned wine writer said, “It’s very positive news that a hospital is taking this holistic view.”

MY reaction to the hospital prescribing red wine at dinner was “HURRAY,” however, the medical and consumer press in the US barely covered this step forward in health care. Why? Many doctors in this country as well as the media avoid mentioning the benefits of drinking red wine in moderation because there is a medical and religious conservatism in this country that views alcohol as a “forbidden fruit”-drinking red wine of any amount will trigger alcohol abuse.

I think we should look at all of the facts together, because there are a mounting number of medical studies that can’t be ignored, pointing to the protective benefits of moderate red wine consumption.

We’ve come a LONG way since the health benefits of drinking red wine were first revealed in 1991 by “60 Minutes.” Since then many clinical studies, with tens of thousands of patients who have been followed over these many years, have shown that red wine, enjoyed in moderation, lowers the risk of many diseases.

HEART DISEASE is top of the list because it’s the number one killer in the US. Clinical studies have proven that, in moderation, men can lower the risk of heart disease by 50% by drinking two glasses of red wine a day. And women can reduce their risk by almost 30 percent, by drinking one glass of red wine a day.

What does red wine contain that makes it so heart-healthy? Red grape skins, seeds and stems all contain high concentrations of compounds called polyphenols – more commonly known as antioxidants.

CANCER is next on the list. The same antioxidants have now been found to attack destructive “free-radicals” which are harmful, naturally- occurring products that do cellular damage. Research studies now show, drinking wine in moderation will help prevent certain types of cancer such as prostate, colon and skin cancer.

And the roll-call of health benefits continues.

CATARACTS – In the spring of 2005, researchers in Japan and Iceland contended that moderate red wine consumption reduces the development of retinal cataracts by 50 percent.

KIDNEY PROBLEMS – In May of 2005, Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital announced the results of a 14 year study on 11,000 middle aged male subjects and concluded that “there is an inverse relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and the risk of renal dysfunction.”

FLU – In the fall of 2005, the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy announced that moderate red wine consumption could ward off the flu. This is because one specific antioxidant, resveratrol, “seems to block host-cell functions that are essential for viral replication.”

ARTHRITIS – In March of 2006, the American College of Rheumatology found that the antioxidant resveratrol could reduce the pain of arthritis by thwarting the activation of the gene Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), which is suspected of creating the inflammation that causes arthritis pain.

ALZHEIMER’S – Late-breaking news, in October, 2006, New York’s Mt. Sinai School of Medicine announced that laboratory mice had their drinking water spiked with Cabernet Sauvignon from California for seven months with an equivalent of one glass a day. It slowed down the rate at which something called an amyloid precursor protein hardens into plaque, which is characteristic of a brain suffering from Alzheimer’s.

Bottom Line – I’ve concluded that most healthy people who drink red wine regularly and moderately live longer. Even if wine shouldn’t be viewed as a medicine, there is a HUGE amount of evidence that leads one to conclude wine is an important ingredient to a healthy and happy lifestyle.

Therefore, join me in toasting the many health benefits of red wine and say, “To a healthy pleasure!”

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Until the new millennium obesity was typically an adult problem, now regrettably obesity is widespread amongst children and adolescents throughout the world. Each and every year the numbers of new cases being reported are increasing, giving rise to a new health fear.

The term obesity refers to an excess amount of body fat. However the guidelines for measuring obesity in children are difficult since no real tables exist. On average a child’s bodyweight 20% higher than the average for his height is considered obese.

Obesity in a child can cause serious health problems, both physically and emotionally. Unfortunately modern living is the main culprit here, an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise contributes to this growing obesity epidemic.

The good news however is that we can control this and help reverse the trend. By guiding our children towards a healthier and more nutritious diet plus introducing an enjoyable exercise program.

Once a child’s weight increases above their friends they can become concerned about their appearance and have trouble forming friendships at school. This is when parents must be highly supportive; never criticize your child’s weight. Encouragement and unconditional love is the best rule for parents to follow.

The first steps to take are for parents to accept that their lifestyle may be partly responsible. Children will follow an adult’s example, so before asking of your child to change, you must take the lead. The families eating habits is the best place to start.

Eat all meals at the table; try to stop your children snacking in front of the TV. Introduce new foods one at a time; do not ban all ‘fast food’ restaurants. An occasional outing for ‘junk food’ will do them or you no harm.

Apart from dietary changes, the biggest alteration to their lifestyle will be tearing them away from the TV, computer & video games to a new exercise regime. Now this does not have to be as hard as that sounds. Allow the internet, TV and anything else for a total of one hour a day.

Unfortunately the old-style physical education is hard to find at school these days. This puts the emphasis on the parents to discover, by talking with their child, what kind of sports they would like to participate in. Summer evenings and at weekends is a good time for the whole family to get out and about. Visit the parks or just jog around the neighborhood.

Results will take time; aim to reduce weight by just two pounds a month. Gradually the whole family will benefit from the introduction of a healthier lifestyle.

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