Nutrition
Current U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) dietary guidelines, which provide practical advice on eating a healthy, balanced diet, recommend that kids eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise each day.
The Food Guide Pyramid, also called My Pyramid or MyPlate, has been updated to help parents and kids understand these guidelines. The USDA's MyPyramid website offers personalized recommendations about the variety of foods a person should eat and how much. The new pyramid also is a reminder to be active every day, with its stairs representing easy ways to improve your family's health.
The Food Guide Pyramid or Plate is one way for people to understand how to eat healthy. A rainbow of colors represents the five food groups. Here's what the colors stand for:
• orange — Grains
• green — Vegetables
• red — Fruits
• blue — Dairy
• purple — Protein
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) changed the Pyramid in 2005 and again in 2010 to MyPlate because they wanted to do a better job of telling Americans how to be healthy. For more information, please see the following website: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
The Food Guide Pyramid, also called My Pyramid or MyPlate, has been updated to help parents and kids understand these guidelines. The USDA's MyPyramid website offers personalized recommendations about the variety of foods a person should eat and how much. The new pyramid also is a reminder to be active every day, with its stairs representing easy ways to improve your family's health.
The Food Guide Pyramid or Plate is one way for people to understand how to eat healthy. A rainbow of colors represents the five food groups. Here's what the colors stand for:
• orange — Grains
• green — Vegetables
• red — Fruits
• blue — Dairy
• purple — Protein
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) changed the Pyramid in 2005 and again in 2010 to MyPlate because they wanted to do a better job of telling Americans how to be healthy. For more information, please see the following website: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
Calories
What are calories?
When people talk about the calories in food, what do they mean? A calorie is a unit of measurement — but it doesn't measure weight or length. A calorie is a unit of energy. When you hear something contains 100 calories, it's a way of describing how much energy your body could get from eating or drinking it.
Are Calories Bad for You?
Calories aren't necessarily bad for you. Your body needs calories for energy. But eating too many calories — and not burning enough of them off through activity — can lead to weight gain. Most foods and drinks contain calories. Some foods, such as lettuce, contain few calories. (A cup of shredded lettuce has less than 10 calories.) Other foods, like peanuts, contain a lot of calories. (A half of a cup of peanuts has 427 calories.) You can find out how many calories are in a food by looking at the nutrition facts label.
Calories are energy. You need calories to survive – breathe, walk, talk, … If you eat more calories than you use then it turns to extra fat. There are many health problems related to carrying extra fat on your body, including heart problems, diabetes, breathing problems, and some cancers. The energy we need depends on many factors: size, age, activity, gender and stage of growth and development.
What are Empty Calories?
You may have read the term "empty calories," or heard it used by nutritionists or even talk show hosts on TV. But what exactly are empty calories? Why are they so bad for you , and how can you avoid them? "Empty Calories" describes foods high in calories but low in nutritional values (also known as junk food!) Examples of foods containing mostly Empty Calories are french fries, fried chicken, chips and all other deep-fried food. Candy, pop and other sweetened packaged foods, soft drinks and fruit drinks, candy, cookies, donuts, pastries, margarine, butter, cream, bacon.
The best approach to eating is to aim for balance: Eat healthy meals and snacks, be aware of portion sizes, and aim for at least 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
The following website can be used to estimate how many calories you need per day to maintain the weight you are right now:
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/supertracker-tools/supertracker.html
When people talk about the calories in food, what do they mean? A calorie is a unit of measurement — but it doesn't measure weight or length. A calorie is a unit of energy. When you hear something contains 100 calories, it's a way of describing how much energy your body could get from eating or drinking it.
Are Calories Bad for You?
Calories aren't necessarily bad for you. Your body needs calories for energy. But eating too many calories — and not burning enough of them off through activity — can lead to weight gain. Most foods and drinks contain calories. Some foods, such as lettuce, contain few calories. (A cup of shredded lettuce has less than 10 calories.) Other foods, like peanuts, contain a lot of calories. (A half of a cup of peanuts has 427 calories.) You can find out how many calories are in a food by looking at the nutrition facts label.
Calories are energy. You need calories to survive – breathe, walk, talk, … If you eat more calories than you use then it turns to extra fat. There are many health problems related to carrying extra fat on your body, including heart problems, diabetes, breathing problems, and some cancers. The energy we need depends on many factors: size, age, activity, gender and stage of growth and development.
What are Empty Calories?
You may have read the term "empty calories," or heard it used by nutritionists or even talk show hosts on TV. But what exactly are empty calories? Why are they so bad for you , and how can you avoid them? "Empty Calories" describes foods high in calories but low in nutritional values (also known as junk food!) Examples of foods containing mostly Empty Calories are french fries, fried chicken, chips and all other deep-fried food. Candy, pop and other sweetened packaged foods, soft drinks and fruit drinks, candy, cookies, donuts, pastries, margarine, butter, cream, bacon.
The best approach to eating is to aim for balance: Eat healthy meals and snacks, be aware of portion sizes, and aim for at least 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
The following website can be used to estimate how many calories you need per day to maintain the weight you are right now:
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/supertracker-tools/supertracker.html