Thousands of kids/children your age are being told to eat healthy, every day! Why is that? What does it even mean to be "healthy"? These are some frequently asked questions that I will be answering.
Just about everyone knows what it means to be healthy but for the people who don't fully understand what it means I've gathered some information to help you know. Some people think being healthy means to be beautiful or handsome and for others, it means to loose weight or maybe even live longer. Not necessarily . . . the thing is, being healthy has a HUGE impact on your life. If you don't make a good choice by not eating healthy it can lead to a result of not being the healthiest as can one be.
By eating the right kinds of foods, you are literally filling your body with the right kind of fuel it needs in order to function in a good way. By eating fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and good sources of protein (nuts, eggs, fish, seeds, beans, pulses, and lean meats), you really are giving your body and brain the best chance of looking, feeling and performing well.
Not convincing enough? Well if you ARE healthy you have more energy and don't need to take "5 Hour Energy" every once in a while. You also get a better good night's sleep. You also are enabled to concentrate better, have a lower chance of having depression, and you get more pleasure out of hobbies and other interests.
Did you know that kids that don't have a healthy breakfast have a bigger chance of having depression?
5 tips to healthy eating
- Eat a variety of nutrient-rich foods, your body needs MORE than 40 nutrients to support a body. Not a single food can supply for that.
- Enjoy fruits, vegetables, whole grains and the good stuff at the bottom of the food pyramid. In fact, most American's don't eat these kinds of foods! In order to be healthy you need 6-11 servings of bread, rice, pasta and cereal! It may seem like a lot but it sure is worth it. You also need 2-4 servings of fruits and 3-5 servings of vegetables.
- Keep a healthy weight! The weight that's right for you depends on many factors including your gender, height, age and heredity. Your extra body fat can clog up arteries and can raise chances of many heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and some kinds of cancer and other illnesses.
- Eat moderate portions. If you keep portion sizes reasonable, it's easier to eat the foods you want and stay healthy. The recommended amount of cooked meat is 3 ounces, which if you didn't know is the size of a deck of cards. The recommended amount of pasta is the size of a tennis ball and a pint of ice cream is equal to 4 servings!
- Don't skip a meal! Skipping a meal can cause you out of control hunger and trust me, that's not so pleasant! If you think skipping a meal will make you loose weight it will actually make you GAIN weight! Why is this? Because . . .
Reasons Not to Skip Meals
* Skipping calories gives you an uneven distribution of calories throughout the day.
* When you skip meals you are not giving your body the energy it needs to properly function.
* It is easy to create late-night cravings that foster poor eating habits by skipping meals.
* People tend to overeat when they are extremely hungry. Skipping meals allows you to reach that hunger level where you consume just about anything and forget when to stop.
* Skipping meals is known to cause low blood sugar.
* Skipping meals delays insulin response, which can lead to diabetes.
* Feeling deprived from skipping meals can lead to binge eating and weight gain.
Remember, there are no "good or bad" foods!
Select foods based on your total eating patterns, not whether any individual food is "good" or "bad." Don't feel guilty if you love foods such as apple pie, potato chips, candy bars or ice cream. Eat them in moderation, and choose other foods to provide the balance and variety that are vital to good health.
Eating healthy can give a longer life, that's good because Whyville doesn't want you to go too soon!
Author's Note: Sources: http://www.realtime.net/anr/10eattip.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Its-Important-to-Eat-Healthy-Foods&id=2488301
