Healthful Eating

According to Straight (2008), “healthful eating is a very important topic because whether you eat healthy food or not influences the body weight, body shape and health”. In this day and age, many people are more aware of the body’s weight and shape than health. Vanity is the number one downfall of most people. This is as a result of celebrities and their weight loss achievements. Celebrities have the time and support from nutritionist, personal fitness trainer, chef, therapist, publicist, Public Relations Company and personal agent, all of whom they pay from their six- figure financial earnings. However for the average person with limited budget, studies have shown that by maintaining great health, optimum body weight and shape can be achieved for a one’s age and height. Also many families are on the go and because of busy schedules; healthful eating can be a difficult task. To ensure a healthful way of eating, there are a few simple steps that can be followed. Healthful eating can be achieved through balanced meals, portion control, water and supplements.
The first step in healthful eating is consuming balanced meals. The United States Department of Agriculture (2005) features a pyramid that “offers personalized eating plans and interactive tools to help you plan and assess your food choices based on Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” This pyramid is a template outlining the basic food groups: meat, fruit and vegetables, grains, dairy and oils, and habitual physical activity to maintain a healthy lifestyle. According to the pyramid, each group have to be eaten every day; at least three ounces of whole grains, such as bread, cereal, crackers, rice or pasta, a variety of fruits and vegetables such as apples, berries, melons, broccoli, collard greens and carrots, dairy such as milk, cheese or yogurt, low-fat or lean meat such as beef, pork, lamb, chicken or fish and natural oils from nuts or olives. Daily food consumption also has to be balanced with physical... [continues]

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