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25-04-2006, 07:00 PM
Good afternoon' I find this article in the sit "Staying [align=left]
Healthy"
I hop you enjoy it.
The Food Guide Pyramid
The Food Guide Pyramid is one way for people to understand how to eat healthy. A rainbow of colored, vertical stripes represents the five food groups plus fats and oils. Here's what the colors stand for:
• orange - grains
• green - vegetables
• red - fruits
• yellow - fats and oils
• blue - milk and dairy products
• purple - meat, beans, fish, and nuts
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) changed the pyramid in spring 2005 because they wanted to do a better job of telling Americans how to be healthy. The agency later released a special version for kids. Notice the girl climbing the staircase up the side of the pyramid? That's a way of showing kids how important it is to exercise and be active every day. In other words, play a lot! The steps are also a way of saying that you can make changes little by little to be healthier. One step at a time, get it?
The Pyramid Speaks
Let's look at some of the other messages this new symbol is trying to send:
Eat a variety of foods. A balanced diet is one that includes all the food groups. In other words, have foods from every color, every day.
Eat less of some foods, and more of others. You can see that the bands for meat and protein (purple) and oils (yellow) are skinnier than the others. That's because you need less of those kinds of foods than you do of fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy foods.
You also can see the bands start out wider and get thinner as they approach the top. That's designed to show you that not all foods are created equal, even within a healthy food group like fruit. For instance, apple pie might be in that thin part of the fruit band because it has a lot of added sugar and fat. A whole apple - crunch! - would be down in the wide part because you can eat more of those within a healthy diet.
Make it personal. Through the USDA's My Pyramid website, people can get personalized recommendations about the mix of foods they need to eat and how much they should be eating. There is a kids' version of the website available too.
How Much Do I Need to Eat?
Everyone wants to know how much they should eat to stay healthy. It's a tricky question, though. It depends on your age, whether you're a girl or a boy, and how active you are. Kids who are more active burn more calories, so they need more calories. But we can give you some estimates for how much you need of each food group.
Grains
Grains are measured out in ounce equivalents. What the heck are they? Ounce equivalents are just another way of showing a serving size.
Here are ounce equivalents for common grain foods. An ounce equivalent equals:
• 1 piece of bread
• 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, like oatmeal
• 1/2 cup of rice or pasta
• 1 cup of cold cereal
* 4- to 8-year-olds need 4-5 ounce equivalents each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 5 ounce equivalents each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 6 ounce equivalents each day.
And one last thing about grains: Try to eat a lot of whole grains, such as 100% wheat bread, brown rice, and oatmeal.
Vegetables
Of course, you need your vegetables, especially those dark green and orange ones. But how much is enough? Vegetable servings are measured in cups.
* 4- to 8-year-olds need 1 1/2 cups of veggies each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 2 cups of veggies each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 2 1/2 cups of veggies each day.
Fruits
Sweet, juicy fruit is definitely part of a healthy diet. Here's how much you need:
* 4- to 8-year-olds need 1-1 1/2 cups of fruit each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 1 1/2 cups of fruit each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 1 1/2 cups of fruit each day.
Milk and Other Calcium-Rich Foods
Calcium builds strong bones to last a lifetime, so you need these foods in your diet.
* 4- to 8-year-olds need 1-2 cups of milk (or another calcium-rich food) each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 3 cups of milk (or another calcium-rich food) each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 3 cups of milk (or another calcium-rich food) each day.
If you want something other than milk, you can substitute yogurt, cheese, or calcium-fortified orange juice - just to name a few.
Meats, Beans, Fish, and Nuts
These foods contain iron and lots of other important nutrients. Like grains, these foods are measured in ounce equivalents.
An ounce equivalent of this group would be:
• 1 ounce of meat, poultry, or fish
• 1/4 cup cooked dry beans
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
• a small handful of nuts or seeds
* 4- to 8-year-olds need 3-4 ounce equivalents each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 5 ounce equivalents each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 5 ounce equivalents each day.
Whoa! That's a lot to swallow. The good news is that your mom, dad, and the other grown-ups in your life will help you eat what you need to stay healthy. There's more good news - you don't have to become a perfect eater overnight. Just remember those stairs climbing up the side of the new pyramid and take it one step at a time.
How to make your kids fit
There's a lot of discussion these days about fit kids. People who care (parents, doctors, teachers, and others) want to know how to help kids be more fit. Being fit is a way of saying a person eats well, gets a lot of physical activity (exercise), and has a healthy weight. If you're fit, your body works well, feels good, and can do all the things you want to do, like run around with your friends.
Some steps only parents can take - such as serving healthy meals or deciding to take the family on a nature hike. But kids can take charge, too, when it comes to health. Here are five rules to live by, if you're a kid who wants to be fit. The trick is to follow these rules most of the time, knowing that some days (like your birthday) might call for cake and ice cream.
1. Eat a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables. You may have a favorite food, but the best choice is to eat a variety. If you eat different foods, you're more likely to get the nutrients your body needs. Taste new foods and old ones you haven't tried for a while. Some foods, such as green veggies, are more pleasing the older you get. Shoot for five servings of fruits and vegetables a day - two fruits and three vegetables. Here's one combination that might work for you:
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) strawberries on breakfast cereal
• 10 baby carrots
• 2 broccoli spears
• 3/4 cup (170 grams) fruit juice
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) salsa with chips
2. Drink water and milk most often. When you're really thirsty, cold water is the No. 1 thirst-quencher. And there's a reason your school cafeteria offers cartons of milk. Kids need calcium to grow strong bones, and milk is a great source of this mineral. How much do kids need? About 800 milligrams each day if you're 6 to 8 and 1,300 milligrams if you're 9 or older. To give you an idea, here's a list of foods and drinks that would add up to the 1,300-milligram daily goal:
• 2 cups (about half a liter) of milk (600 milligrams of calcium)
• 2 ounces (57 grams) of cheese (300 milligrams of calcium)
• 1 cup (227 grams) of yogurt (315 milligrams of calcium)
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) cooked white beans (120 milligrams of calcium)
You probably will want something other than milk or water once in a while, so it's OK to have 100% juice, too. But try to limit sugary drinks, like sodas, juice cocktails, and fruit punches. They contain a lot of added sugar. Sugar just adds calories, not important nutrients.
3. Listen to your body. What does it feel like to be full? When you're eating, notice how your body feels and when your stomach feels comfortably full. Sometimes, people eat too much because they don't notice when they need to stop eating. Eating too much can make you feel uncomfortable, and over a period of time, it can lead to unhealthy weight gain.
4. Limit screen time. What's screen time? It's the amount of time you spend watching TV, DVDs, and videos, playing handheld computer games, and using the computer. The more time you spend on these sitting-down activities, the less time available for active stuff, like basketball, bike riding, and swimming. Try to spend no more than 2 hours a day on screen time, not counting computer use related to school work.
5. Be active. One job you have as a kid - and it's a fun one - is that you get to figure out which activities you like best. Not everyone loves baseball or soccer. Maybe your passion is karate, or kickball, or dancing. Ask your parents to help you do your favorite activities regularly. Find ways to be active every day. You might even write down a list of fun stuff to do, so you can refer to it when your mom or dad says it's time to stop watching TV or playing computer games!
Speaking of parents, they can be a big help if you want to be a fit kid. For instance, they can stock the house with healthy foods and plan physical activities for the family. Tell your parents about these five steps you want to take and maybe you can teach them a thing or two. If you're a fit kid, why shouldn't you have a fit mom and a fit dad?[/center]
Healthy"
I hop you enjoy it.
The Food Guide Pyramid
The Food Guide Pyramid is one way for people to understand how to eat healthy. A rainbow of colored, vertical stripes represents the five food groups plus fats and oils. Here's what the colors stand for:
• orange - grains
• green - vegetables
• red - fruits
• yellow - fats and oils
• blue - milk and dairy products
• purple - meat, beans, fish, and nuts
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) changed the pyramid in spring 2005 because they wanted to do a better job of telling Americans how to be healthy. The agency later released a special version for kids. Notice the girl climbing the staircase up the side of the pyramid? That's a way of showing kids how important it is to exercise and be active every day. In other words, play a lot! The steps are also a way of saying that you can make changes little by little to be healthier. One step at a time, get it?
The Pyramid Speaks
Let's look at some of the other messages this new symbol is trying to send:
Eat a variety of foods. A balanced diet is one that includes all the food groups. In other words, have foods from every color, every day.
Eat less of some foods, and more of others. You can see that the bands for meat and protein (purple) and oils (yellow) are skinnier than the others. That's because you need less of those kinds of foods than you do of fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy foods.
You also can see the bands start out wider and get thinner as they approach the top. That's designed to show you that not all foods are created equal, even within a healthy food group like fruit. For instance, apple pie might be in that thin part of the fruit band because it has a lot of added sugar and fat. A whole apple - crunch! - would be down in the wide part because you can eat more of those within a healthy diet.
Make it personal. Through the USDA's My Pyramid website, people can get personalized recommendations about the mix of foods they need to eat and how much they should be eating. There is a kids' version of the website available too.
How Much Do I Need to Eat?
Everyone wants to know how much they should eat to stay healthy. It's a tricky question, though. It depends on your age, whether you're a girl or a boy, and how active you are. Kids who are more active burn more calories, so they need more calories. But we can give you some estimates for how much you need of each food group.
Grains
Grains are measured out in ounce equivalents. What the heck are they? Ounce equivalents are just another way of showing a serving size.
Here are ounce equivalents for common grain foods. An ounce equivalent equals:
• 1 piece of bread
• 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, like oatmeal
• 1/2 cup of rice or pasta
• 1 cup of cold cereal
* 4- to 8-year-olds need 4-5 ounce equivalents each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 5 ounce equivalents each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 6 ounce equivalents each day.
And one last thing about grains: Try to eat a lot of whole grains, such as 100% wheat bread, brown rice, and oatmeal.
Vegetables
Of course, you need your vegetables, especially those dark green and orange ones. But how much is enough? Vegetable servings are measured in cups.
* 4- to 8-year-olds need 1 1/2 cups of veggies each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 2 cups of veggies each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 2 1/2 cups of veggies each day.
Fruits
Sweet, juicy fruit is definitely part of a healthy diet. Here's how much you need:
* 4- to 8-year-olds need 1-1 1/2 cups of fruit each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 1 1/2 cups of fruit each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 1 1/2 cups of fruit each day.
Milk and Other Calcium-Rich Foods
Calcium builds strong bones to last a lifetime, so you need these foods in your diet.
* 4- to 8-year-olds need 1-2 cups of milk (or another calcium-rich food) each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 3 cups of milk (or another calcium-rich food) each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 3 cups of milk (or another calcium-rich food) each day.
If you want something other than milk, you can substitute yogurt, cheese, or calcium-fortified orange juice - just to name a few.
Meats, Beans, Fish, and Nuts
These foods contain iron and lots of other important nutrients. Like grains, these foods are measured in ounce equivalents.
An ounce equivalent of this group would be:
• 1 ounce of meat, poultry, or fish
• 1/4 cup cooked dry beans
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
• a small handful of nuts or seeds
* 4- to 8-year-olds need 3-4 ounce equivalents each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old girls need 5 ounce equivalents each day.
* 9- to 13-year-old boys need 5 ounce equivalents each day.
Whoa! That's a lot to swallow. The good news is that your mom, dad, and the other grown-ups in your life will help you eat what you need to stay healthy. There's more good news - you don't have to become a perfect eater overnight. Just remember those stairs climbing up the side of the new pyramid and take it one step at a time.
How to make your kids fit
There's a lot of discussion these days about fit kids. People who care (parents, doctors, teachers, and others) want to know how to help kids be more fit. Being fit is a way of saying a person eats well, gets a lot of physical activity (exercise), and has a healthy weight. If you're fit, your body works well, feels good, and can do all the things you want to do, like run around with your friends.
Some steps only parents can take - such as serving healthy meals or deciding to take the family on a nature hike. But kids can take charge, too, when it comes to health. Here are five rules to live by, if you're a kid who wants to be fit. The trick is to follow these rules most of the time, knowing that some days (like your birthday) might call for cake and ice cream.
1. Eat a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables. You may have a favorite food, but the best choice is to eat a variety. If you eat different foods, you're more likely to get the nutrients your body needs. Taste new foods and old ones you haven't tried for a while. Some foods, such as green veggies, are more pleasing the older you get. Shoot for five servings of fruits and vegetables a day - two fruits and three vegetables. Here's one combination that might work for you:
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) strawberries on breakfast cereal
• 10 baby carrots
• 2 broccoli spears
• 3/4 cup (170 grams) fruit juice
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) salsa with chips
2. Drink water and milk most often. When you're really thirsty, cold water is the No. 1 thirst-quencher. And there's a reason your school cafeteria offers cartons of milk. Kids need calcium to grow strong bones, and milk is a great source of this mineral. How much do kids need? About 800 milligrams each day if you're 6 to 8 and 1,300 milligrams if you're 9 or older. To give you an idea, here's a list of foods and drinks that would add up to the 1,300-milligram daily goal:
• 2 cups (about half a liter) of milk (600 milligrams of calcium)
• 2 ounces (57 grams) of cheese (300 milligrams of calcium)
• 1 cup (227 grams) of yogurt (315 milligrams of calcium)
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) cooked white beans (120 milligrams of calcium)
You probably will want something other than milk or water once in a while, so it's OK to have 100% juice, too. But try to limit sugary drinks, like sodas, juice cocktails, and fruit punches. They contain a lot of added sugar. Sugar just adds calories, not important nutrients.
3. Listen to your body. What does it feel like to be full? When you're eating, notice how your body feels and when your stomach feels comfortably full. Sometimes, people eat too much because they don't notice when they need to stop eating. Eating too much can make you feel uncomfortable, and over a period of time, it can lead to unhealthy weight gain.
4. Limit screen time. What's screen time? It's the amount of time you spend watching TV, DVDs, and videos, playing handheld computer games, and using the computer. The more time you spend on these sitting-down activities, the less time available for active stuff, like basketball, bike riding, and swimming. Try to spend no more than 2 hours a day on screen time, not counting computer use related to school work.
5. Be active. One job you have as a kid - and it's a fun one - is that you get to figure out which activities you like best. Not everyone loves baseball or soccer. Maybe your passion is karate, or kickball, or dancing. Ask your parents to help you do your favorite activities regularly. Find ways to be active every day. You might even write down a list of fun stuff to do, so you can refer to it when your mom or dad says it's time to stop watching TV or playing computer games!
Speaking of parents, they can be a big help if you want to be a fit kid. For instance, they can stock the house with healthy foods and plan physical activities for the family. Tell your parents about these five steps you want to take and maybe you can teach them a thing or two. If you're a fit kid, why shouldn't you have a fit mom and a fit dad?[/center]