When it comes to nutrition. Lifestyle choices, habits, environment, genes, and individual preferences are crucial to our overall well-being. Today we discuss food and water.
Our attitudes and eating habits develop through interactions with others. Social circles, family traditions, work, play, and church can influence our food choices and behaviors.
So, the magic formula for physical well-being is to eat, move, sleep, hydrate, and regulate your emotions. We are fully aware of what is good and bad for us via news stories, articles, and your doctors’ advice; it is not such a big secret. Yet, we choose to ignore most of it. Why? Because it is not easy, it does not fit into our life; it takes time. Until something happens, a heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure, or a sudden realization you are overweight. Something often triggers us to make changes. I want to encourage you to be proactive. The younger you start, the better, but it is never too late. Don’t wait for the bad news to be your catalyst.
Prevention is the best medicine, and you should start now. You can feel better. You can look better. We all want happiness, fulfillment, and to reach our full potential. Your nutritional habits play a significant role in your health. Let’s work on that!
Yes, of course, I am back to setting goals. Changes in your life do not magically happen; you decide to make them happen. You take action. Today, we will look at nutrition, eating habits, and hydration.
Food as Medicine
Food as medicine recognizes that nourishing our bodies with the right foods contributes significantly to our overall health and well-being. This approach views nutrition as a powerful tool for preventing and managing chronic diseases.
Experts believe a body can survive without food and water for about one week. Without food, a person can survive for around 1 to 2 months solely relying on water. Food and water are essential for our existence.
Benefits of Nutrition
So, what’s in it for me? Nutritional eating has several benefits.
A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats is essential to overall well-being. Proper nutrition provides necessary vitamins and minerals that promote healthy skin, strong teeth, and good vision. It ensures you get enough protein and nutrients to maintain muscle health and function.
Proper nutrition helps maintain your brain function and the strength of your bones and aids in digestion and nutrient absorption. It boosts your immune system. It can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart health and diabetes.
Awareness
You are seeking awareness of what affects your habits regarding food and hydration. Many components are in play regarding our eating habits. Some being age, community, culture, DNA, family, and economic status.
AGE affects us as we go through life. In our youth, we need more calories as grow and are typically active. Older adults need fewer calories because of reduced physical activity and changes in metabolism.
COMMUNITY or social engagement also has an environmental influence on our eating habits. Studies show we eat more when dining with others. Work, school, and church are other places that we eat. We go to concerts, festivals, block parties, and birthday parties and celebrate successes. Often taking on the eating habits of those around us.
Our genes influence how efficiently we metabolize nutrients and appetite regulation. DNA can influence your habits by genetic variations that affect how you perceive taste, metabolize nutrients, and respond to different foods.
Our FAMILY and CULTURE play a significant role in shaping our eating and nutritional habits. As children, we eat what our family eats. Even though I grew up in the north, my family was from the south. Lots of fried food. My parents did not place value on how food affected our health. Please take a good look at how you grew up and how it affects your food choices today. Our family’s eating habits have become our norm. Family traditions and cultural practices also shape our food choices. We may inherit recipes and cooking methods from our families. Many families’ social gatherings are around food, celebrations, and holidays.
Our ECONOMIC STATUS plays a central role in our food habits by shaping the foods we have access to, affecting our overall nutritional well-being. Income can drive the amount and quality of food you can buy. Low-income groups tend to consume unbalanced diets with lower amounts of fruit and vegetables. This imbalance can lead to deficiencies. The higher your economic status, the more access you have to healthy foods. In the U.S. we have food deserts, which refer to an impoverished area where residents lack access to healthy foods.
How to start a nutritional plan of action
We want to focus on what we can control.
Ask yourself: Are you living to eat, or are you eating to live?
The answer should be you are eating to live. This is something you have control over. Prioritizing your health and nutrition significantly contributes to your health and happiness.
Let’s look at body mass index, weight, food labels, and calories. You should become aware of these primary areas if you want to change your habits and general well-being. Eating to live is a lifestyle choice.
I aim to provide tools to help you understand and manage your nutritional needs. I am not a doctor or a dietitian, so you should talk with your doctor before making radical changes.
Much of our health is based on numbers, statistics, and ranges. The medical community has dedicated extensive efforts to collect data on the definition of being in good health. Thus, they can tell you what a healthy range of calories should be or what range your blood sugar should register. By using these numbers, we can get an idea of where we are on health scales.
On the National Institute of Health’s website, they have posted the ranges which are:
Body Mass Index (BMI)
BMI Calculator, National Institute of Health
Body mass index (BMI) measures body fat based on height and weight and applies to adult men and women. Try the calculator out.
Being underweight (with a BMI below 18.5) is associated with malnutrition and health conditions that can lower life expectancy.
Weight
There are also weight charts for your gender and age. Again, everyone cannot easily be put into specific categories, so we are looking at an average. I am not referencing any sites for weight. This is something you should discuss with your doctor.
Calories
According to the National Institute of Health, on average, a woman should eat 2000 calories per day to maintain her weight and limit her caloric intake to 1500 or less to lose one pound per week. To maintain his body weight, the average male should eat 2500 calories per day, or 2000 a day, if he wants to lose one pound per week.
This is an average; I eat about 1400-1500 calories a day to maintain an average weight. Don’t drive yourself nuts; each person is different. Look at the averages and then find what works for you.
Calories are not just about the food you eat, but also the beverages. A 12ox can of Coca-Cola has 150 calories. A 12 oz can of Budweiser is 137. If you drink 7 sodas a day, you consume 1,050 calories. If you are aiming for 2000 calories a day, you cannot eat much food. I learned quickly to give up beverages that contained calories. Meaning I could eat more food. Also, if I ate more fruit and vegetables, I could eat more food. Read labels and learn how many calories are in your meals and snacks.
Portion size
Portion size is about the amount of food on your plate. It has always fascinated me to watch people at a buffet. This is a place to watch how others eat. Some people will have small portions of a balanced plate, and others will pile it so high that it looks like a small mountain of food. Then, watch how many times they go back. If you eat in restaurants a lot, many will give you huge portions, you do not have to eat it all at one time. Take some home.
If you watch your calories, you will soon see the problem with sizable food portions. It usually amounts to overeating and consuming too many calories.
Serving Sizes and Portions, by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Food Labels
Food labels provide information about the nutrient content of packaged foods. Reading labels can help you track your calories, fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Learning to use food labels can help you make better choices for balancing your diet. To learn more, check out these websites.
How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label, by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration
Understanding Food Nutrition Labels, by The American Heart Association
How to Read Food and Beverage Labels, by National Institute on Aging
Start Here
A Diet Plan is a temporary restriction on certain foods. It is usually to lose a few pounds. A diet plan is not sustainable. It also may not be nutritionally sound. We are working on a more detailed nutritional plan that should become a permanent change in your eating habits.
Stay hydrated, drink plenty of water, and limit sugary beverages.
At first, focus on adding healthy foods to your diet rather than trying to immediately eliminate unhealthy ones. Add more fruit or vegetables. Replace common unhealthy habits with better alternatives. You can do this slowly.
Eat more slowly, enjoying your food. It may take 20 minutes for your brain to register that you are full. The pace at which you eat influences how much you eat and how likely you are to gain weight.
Portion size: use smaller plates for your meals. You do not have to always clean your plate. Stop when your body tells you that you are full.
Keep a food and beverage diary. Write everything you eat and drink, including sugary drinks and alcohol. Note the time of day you ate or drank each item. You might also add a column for your emotions. Emotional eating is a thing. Do you eat when you are bored, tired, or angry? You want to become aware of emotional triggers that move you to eat.
Identify both good and bad eating habits. Highlight the ones that may lead you to overeat. How? Read the labels, keep a food diary, and count calories at least until you are aware of the calories in the food you eat. Know your numbers. How many calories should you eat during the day compared to what you actually eat?
Pay attention to what you’re putting in your mouth. We often reach for food without thinking about it. For example, at work, someone brings a box of donuts, here have one. You are at home. Moving through the kitchen, a little bored. You grab a bowl of something, not because you’re hungry, but just to have something to do. Oh, and yes, the calories count when you are sampling the dinner you are cooking.
Don’t skip meals: Aim for regular meals and snacks throughout the day. If you eat on a regular schedule, you will not get overly hungry. Once you are hungry, you are likely to eat more.
Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals
- Specific: Define clear and detailed goals. For example, you might aim to reduce sugar in your diet.
- Measurable: Decide how you’ll track progress. Whether it’s tracking calories, your weight, or other indicators.
- Attainable: Set realistic goals that you can achieve within a specific time frame.
- Relevant: Consider how your nutritional goals align with your long-term health plans.
- Time-based: Choose target beginning and end dates for your goals. Set goals for weight loss or reduction of calories.
Plan, create a meal plan for the week, and be specific about your goals.
Bites of Wisdom
Here are some tips. In this journey to develop your nutritional well-being plan, you will need to do some research, read a book or an article, and make sure your sources are reputable. I like sites like Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic, as well as government agencies dedicated to health and nutrition. Self-education should be a part of your well-being plan.
Healthy fats have beneficial functions, including protecting organs, maintaining cell membranes, promoting growth, and absorbing essential vitamins. Learn what this means. What are healthy fats?
Eliminating highly processed carbohydrate foods (like chips, cookies, and white bread) can lead to weight loss, but processed foods contain stuff you do not want in your body. Ultra-processed foods often lack essential nutrients. These foods are calorie-dense, and the excess calories can lead to weight gain.
Use unrefined sugars (like honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar) instead of white table sugar. Sugar contains no essential vitamins or minerals. High-sugar diets are associated with heart disease, tooth decay, and diabetes risk.
Drink water. Slowly remove the sugary drinks from your menu. They even have water in restaurants. This one was hard for me. I did not like water but loved Coke. Your body needs water to exist. It supports significant functions in your body. I only drink water now.
Planning Meals and Snacks, Healthy Weight, Nutrition, and Physical Activity, by CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
MyPlate Plan, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
My Food and Beverage Diary, CDC
Nutrition and healthy eating, by Mayo Clinic
10 small ways to improve your nutrition, by LMHHealth
25 Simple Tips to Make your Diet Healthier, by Healthline
29 nutrition tips for better health and longevity, By MedicalNewsToday
Conclusion
Talk to your doctor before making any significant changes. Your medical support system is a partner in your well-being; work with them and keep them informed of your goals.
Food is medicine for our bodies; it keeps our organs and muscles healthy, boosts our immune system, and gives us the energy we need to complete each day. Food is a powerful tool for preventing and managing chronic diseases.
Set achievable targets. Gradual progress is more sustainable than drastic changes. You are changing habits that are deeply a part of you. It will take time. Start small rather than attempting a complete overhaul of your diet all at once.
Remember, consistency is key! Track your progress; it could be as simple as a piece of paper on the wall or a journal. Keeping a visual tracking method lets you see progress.
Change can be uncomfortable. However, it is essential for personal growth. Answer the following questions:
- What do I want to accomplish?
- Why is this goal important?
- Who is involved?
- Where is it located?
- Which resources or limits are involved?
While it may take some planning and time in the kitchen, eating healthy on a budget is possible. One size does not fit all. You will tailor your plan to yourself.
This is not a diet – it is a lifestyle change. A diet implies you will go back to the way you were eating. This is a permanent change if you want to get healthy.
Share your stories and successes. We learn the most from each other. Life is one big experiment.
Let’s do this together!
Take Responsibility – No Excuses
Recommended Reading
Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes, by Tom Rath
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, by Peter Attia MD and Bill Gifford
Citations
Photo by Jimmy Dean on Unsplash
Photo by Valiant Made on Unsplash
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash