Keep Your Body Healthy—At Any Age
We all know that we need to exercise and eat a proper, balanced diet. But what does that really mean? Read ahead to find out what your age group needs (and has been lacking) to maintain a healthy body.
Children aged 2-6
Children (and parents) in this age group have a great guide ready to lead them to healthy bodies. USDA's new Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children is an adaptation of the original Food Guide Pyramid released in 1992 and is targeted to children aged 2 to 6. The new graphic uses child-friendly images that kids will recognize.
The bottom line? VARIETY: choose foods of all types—grains, vegetables, fruits, meat, and dairy. Of course, use moderation as well. Too much of a good thing might not be so good!
Portions: Roughly one tablespoon of each food type per year of age. For example, 2 years old = 2 tablespoons of each food; 3 years old = 3 tablespoons of each food. Children also require exercise. Schedule playtime (inside or outside) every day with your child.
For more information:
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A 16-page booklet,
"Tips for Using the Food Guide Pyramid for Young Children 2 to 6 Years
Old," is available to the public on USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy
and Promotion Internet home page at
http://www.usda.gov/cnpp or through the Government Printing Office by calling (202) 512-1800 and asking
for stock number 001-00004665-9. The booklet includes:
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Websites:
www.eatright.org American Dietetic Association www.aap.org American Academy of Pediatrics www.medem.com Medem™ - Founded by the American Medical Association and the nation's leading medical specialty societies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, this site was designed to provide the most credible, comprehensive healthcare information available on the Internet. |
Before we talk about healthful eating and living, following are results
from a recent survey. The news may surprise you!
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29.3% of students had eaten five more servings of fruit and vegetables during the day preceding the survey. |
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Male students (32.1%) were significantly more likely than female students (25.7%) to have reported eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables. |
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During the day preceding the survey, 62.3% of students had eaten two or fewer servings of foods typically high in fat content such as hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, potato chips, and cookies. |
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27.3% of students thought that they were overweight and 39.7% were trying to lose weight during the 30 days preceding the survey. |
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Female students (45.7%) were significantly more likely than male students (17.6%) to have reported dieting to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight. |
| *Data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance-United States, 1997. MMWR 1998; 47 (SS-3) |
Adolescents are ready to follow the general nutritional guidelines provided in the Food Pyramid (see
below). But pay special attention to calcium, vegetables, and whole grains.
Don't forget to exercise! To build bone mass, encourage your child to participate
in weight-bearing exercise. Always check with your child's pediatrician
before radically changing his/ her exercise routines.
See our recipe page for healthy snacks
and on-the-go meals that are suitable for this active and growing population.
For more information:
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American
Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your Child's Nutrition By William H. Dietz and Loraine Stern. American Academy of Pediatrics, 1999. ISBN: 0-375-50187-8 The authors, both pediatricians, wrote this state-of-the-art reference book for parents who need strategies to care for their children's dietary requirements from birth through adolescence. Special insights are provided for introducing solid foods, basics for toddlers, school-age children, and adolescents, how to deal with outside influences, and more.* |
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Brown Bag Success: Making Healthy Lunches Your Kids Won't Trade
By Sandra Nissenberg and Barbara Pearl. Wiley, 1997. ISBN: 0-471-34664-0 This book is written by registered dietitians who answer common questions and provide many tips for preparing children's meals and snacks eaten away from home. Gives menu ideas and over 100 recipes.* |
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Food
Fight: A Guide to Eating Disorders for Preteens and Their Parents By Janet Bode. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1997. ISBN: 0-689-80272-2 The author summarizes many interviews that reveal various aspects of eating disorders. The first section is directed toward young readers, the second section toward adults, and the third section lists other helpful resources.* |
| * Taken from the American Dietetic Association website, eatright.org |
Oh, we all know what to do, right? Maybe or maybe not. Whatever your case,
read on to find out "the rules" for healthy living.
In 1995 the USDA and the Department of Health
and Human Services updated the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Stressing
variety and moderation in food choices and an active lifestyle, including
exercise, the guidelines highlight that no single diet regime works for
everyone. Utilize our "For more information" section or call a physician
or dietician for specific information on your particular needs.
Following are excerpts from the guidelines:
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Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, and grain products. About 60% of total calories should come from carbohydrates. For most people this means eating more whole-grain breads, pasta, rice, and other grains, as well as extra fruits and vegetables. Eating a variety of these foods also supplies the body with vitamins C, B6, and folic acid; carotenoids and other antioxidant nutrients; potassium; calcium; and magnesium. |
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Eat a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. High blood cholesterol is one of several factors related to an increased risk of heart disease. Cholesterol should be limited to 300 milligrams a day. And most dietitians recommend that no more, and preferably less, than 30% of calories come from fat. This guideline for dietary fat should be adopted by most children after the age of 2. |
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Eat a variety of foods. The best way to get all the nutrients your body needs is to choose foods across the different food groups shown in the Food Guide Pyramid. And while supplements are important for people with special needs, it is best to get your nutrients from a variety of foods. |
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Slow down on sugar. While sugar is the body's main source of energy, it is too easy to eat too much. Almost all foods have either added or naturally occurring sugar. A diet high in sweets is linked to tooth decay and weight gain. Like other foods, sugar should be eaten in moderation, mainly in the form of fruits (and not in such items as baked goods or desserts). |
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Hold the salt and sodium. Nutrition experts recommend about 2,400 milligrams a day, about the amount in 1 teaspoon of salt. The typical American diet provides much more—3,000 to 4,000 milligrams a day. Most of this salt comes from processed, preserved, and prepared foods. |
In general, inactive women
and older adults need about 1,600 calories a day; children, teenage girls,
active women, and inactive men need about 2,200; and teenage boys, active
men, and very active women need about 2,800. Teenagers, young adults through
about age 24, and pregnant or breast-feeding women all have special requirements
for calcium and need at least 3 servings of dairy products each day. The
table below shows the recommended number of servings for these different
calorie requirements:
| Recommended Servings of Food Groups | |||
| Food Group | 1,600 calories | 2,200 calories | 2,800 calories |
| Bread | 6 | 9 | 11 |
| Vegetables | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Fruit | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Milk | 2-3 | 2-3 | 2-3 |
| Meat | 2 | 2 | 2 |
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Yes, exercise is not an option anymore. But there are some ways to sneak in extra activity into your daily routines. Following are excerpts from The American Dietetic Association's Complete Food & Nutrition Guide. If they're done with moderate intensity, these activities can count towards your daily "requirement." |
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Get up 30 minutes earlier in the morning, and take a brisk walk to start your day. Need someone to get you going? Schedule your walk with a neighbor. |
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Forget the drive-through carwash. Wash the car yourself. Bonus: You'll save money at the same time. |
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Take stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Walking up stairs is a great heart exerciser and calorie burner! |
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Park at the far end of the parking lot for a longer walk to the mall, office, or grocery store. Get off the bus a stop ahead and then walk the rest of the way to your destination. |
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Are you a computer user—on and off the job? Give yourself at least five minutes of exercise for every hour of computer time. |
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Use the restroom or pay phone that's at the other end of the building so you have more chance to walk. |
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Plan an active family vacation or weekend outing. Rather than sitting on a beach, go canoeing, hiking, or snow skiing. |
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"Walk your talk!" If you like to chat on the phone, buy a portable one so you don't need to sit still. |
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Rent an exercise video, rather than a movie. And work out with the video as a leisure-time activity. |
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Walk around your building—outside or inside—during your lunch hour or coffee break. You'll burn energy rather than being tempted to nibble on a snack. |
What about weight? Every body frame is different, but following is a guide:
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Healthy weight ranges for men and women
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Height without shoes
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Weight without clothes
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| 5'0" | 97-128 |
| 5'1" | 101-132 |
| 5'2" | 104-137 |
| 5'3" | 107-141 |
| 5'4" | 111-146 |
| 5'5" | 114-150 |
| 5'6" | 118-155 |
| 5'7" | 121-160 |
| 5'9" | 125-164 |
| 5'10" | 132-174 |
| 5'11" | 136-179 |
| 6'0" | 140-184 |
| 6'1" | 144-189 |
| 6'2" | 148-195 |
| 6'3" | 152-200 |
| 6'4" | 156-205 |
| 6'5" | 160-211 |
| 6'6" | 164-216 |
Note: The higher weights
generally apply to men, who tend to have more muscle and bone; the lower
weights more often apply to women, who have less muscle and bone.
Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans (U.S. Government Printing
Office, 1995).
For more information:
| Websites: | www.eatright.org
American Dietetic Association www.usda.gov United States Department of Agriculture Food Pyramid http://www.dietitian.com www.ama-assn.org/insight/gen_hlth/nutrinfo from the American Medical Association |
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The
American Dietetic Association Guide to Women's Nutrition for Healthy
Living by Susan Calvert Finn. Perigee/Berkley, 1997, ISBN: 0-399-52342-1 |
We all require different amounts of nutrients and exercise, and seniors
are no exception. The Journal of the American Dietetic Association
published a study that found adults aged 55 and older can benefit their
bones by consuming three servings of fat-free or lowfat milk everyday. What
else can help us out?
For more information check out these websites.
| Websites: | www.healthandage.com
from the Novartis Foundation for Gerontological Research http://www.americanheart.org
http://www.shapeup.org/bodylab/frmst.htm
http://weboflife.ksc.nasa.gov/exerciseandaging/home.html
http://www.navigator.tufts.edu
http://www.mayohealth.org
http://www.50plus.org
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