Poor lifestyle choices and nutrition resulted in the United Nations ranking the US 38th in life expectancy behind Malta, Cuba, and Chile. Even more alarming is a recent study’s findings that for the first time in two centuries, the current generation of children in America may have shorter life expectancies than their parents. Becoming healthy doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some tips towards lifelong wellness. You can help change these statistics.
For You and Your Family
Did you know that just 10 minutes of brisk exercise has a positive effect on your body? Ten minutes of exercise that gets your heart rate up helps your body produce metabolites that breakdown fat and control blood sugar for an hour after exercising. And the more fit you become the greater health benefits you get in that hour.
Knowing the right foods to buy at the grocery store can be confusing. It’s a place of mysterious symbols, flashy packaging and false promises. Food manufacturers are in the business to make money and not for your health. You need the tools to be a conscientious consumer. As a rule, the more processed food is, the unhealthier it becomes. Even foods like wheat bread, yogurt and cereal seem healthy but taking a closer look may reveal added sugar, salt or fat. For a slideshow on 10 healthy foods that have gone bad click here. For more information about demystifying the grocery store, read What to Eat: An Aisle-by-Aisle Guide to Savvy Food Choices and Good Eating by Marion Nestle.
Let’s face it, our lives are busy. There are days when you don’t feel like cooking. However eating out at a restaurant can be perilous to your waistline and health. Unlike grocery stores, nutritional information often is not readily available. You might think that getting the chicken caesar salad is a healthy option. But after the dressing, croutons, and cheese, a dinner size portion will set you back 700 calories and 60 g of fat. A 9 oz. sirloin steak, on the other hand, comes in at only 350 calories and 20 g of fat. The Eat This, Not That book series by David Zinczenko are good resources for learning what to avoid at restaurants, fast food joints, and coffee shops. More tips from the author can be found here. For Your Children
Are your children picky eaters? Would you like them to eat more vegetables and fruits? Try making eating them fun. Jazz up the appearance or give it a creative name. Kids eat twice as much fruit when presented in a visually appealing way than fruit laid out on a white platter, even when they knew it would taste the same. Children also ate twice as many vegetables when a vegetable was named “x-ray vision carrots” rather than “carrots”. The effect persists the next day too. Giving fun names to food is a good way to reintroduce a food that kids didn’t like. It is the same food, but different expectations and different experiences. People who serve themselves at the kitchen counter rather than the dining table eat 20-30 percent fewer calories. It’s the “out of sight, out of mind” effect. The reverse would be true if you want your children to eat more healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. Leave them in plain sight.
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