Healthy Measures

Do you think a healthy lifestyle is a one-size-fits-all stuff for enjoying good health and live life to your fullness?

The answer is a resounding: NO. What this means is that each of us will need to discover what are those healthy measures that are right for us, and to incorporate them into our everyday practices in the quest for wellness and happiness.

Don’t be intimidated by the idea that it is not possible. In actual fact, we all have the ability to assess where we are at now and where we want to be. Therefore, whether we desire for a weight loss, aim for more energy, a lower cholesterol or a healthier digestive system, it is just a matter to learn how to get there.

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To start with your own health discovery, you could start from what to eat in order to stay healthy.

You may want to know that “The US Department of Agriculture (USDA)” and the “U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)” have created a Dietary Guidelines for Americans (www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/), which I find is very useful for people like YOU and me aiming to stay fit and wanted to build a healthy base through healthy eating and healthy lifestyle. The published guidelines are comprehensive enough with most up-to-date and sound nutritional information, advice about choosing and preparing foods as well as how to live an active lifestyle that can promote health and prevent diseases.

The following are the key recommendations that I strongly advise you to take note:

• Foods variety – We should choose a variety of foods from the basic food groups that are nutrient dense.
• Limit the extras – We should limit saturated fats and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, sodium and alcohol consumption. Try not to eat saturated fats that will exceed 10 percent of our daily calories. As for trans fats, we should limit it as much as possible.

1. We should make sure that the fats come from polyunsaturated and monounsaturated sources such as fish, nuts and vegetable oils.
2. We should only consume a small amount of added sugars or other sweeteners.
3. We should consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day.

• The Caloric – We should balance caloric intake, and let calories expended through physical activ­ity in order to achieve a healthy weight. It is advisable to keep calories from fat to between 20 and 35 percent of our daily calories consumption.
• Physical Activity – We should aim to do 30 minutes of moderate-intensity daily physical activity. Don’t take physical activity lightly as it is a definite way to promote better physical health, to achieve optimal body weight and for mental health.
• Fruits and Vegetables – We should consume a variety of say, 2 cups of fruit and 2¹/2 cups of vegetables daily. Same as whole grains, fruits and vegetables are considered high-fiber foods.
• Grain foodstuff – We should consume 3 ounces or more whole grains per day.
• Protein – We should consume about 3 cups low-fat or nonfat dairy products as a protein source. Lean proteins from beans, nuts, seeds, dairy products, fish, eggs, poultry, pork, and red meat should be in our priority list.
• Cholesterol – We should make sure that our cholesterol intake is less than 300 milligrams per day.
• Alcoholic – We should limit alcoholic beverages to one drink or less per day for women and two drinks or less per day for men. However, those with specific medical condi­tion, pregnant or lactat­ing women, and children should at all avoid alcohol consumption.

To sum up, the ‘Dietary Guidelines’ is guiding us to focus on eating a healthy and plant-based diet, and encourage us to develop a positive relationship with food, be a cautious and mindful eater as well.

I hope the above will serve as a handy reference for you to live a healthy and happy life — Forever!

Best,

Tan Kok Hui

Nutrition Made Simple, Life Made Rich