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Healthy Choices
Make Healthy Choices
That Fit Your Lifestyle
So You Can Do The Things
You Want to do
Healthy LifeStyle Tips
- Start a walking group at your job. American Heart Association has a great web site with free exercise and nutrition tracker, monthly e-newsletters and for mapping distance of walking paths. www.americanheart.org or www.mystartonline.org American College of Sports Medicine also has a great web site with physical activity guidelines for all at www.acsm.org. American Heart Association recommends the following for most healthy people; moderate to vigorous intensity aerobic activity for 30 minutes per day, five days per week at 50-85% of your maximum heart rate.
- Become aware of your purchasing power. As a consumer you make a difference in supply and demand of products. Look for foods to purchase that are acquired locally, with no pesticides, no GMO’s, minimum transportation, raised in an environmentally friendly method . Get familiar with Fair Trade Certification, Equal Exchange and other certifications for empowering women and small family businesses. You can find out more about the power of purchasing by checking out these web sites; www.faritradefederation.org or www.ccof.org . Familiarize yourself with ADA Primer on Sustainable Food Systems and emerging roles for Food and Nutrition professionals. This 2 page report is easy reading and can be accessed at the following site, http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/governance_11647_ENU_HTML.htm.
- Take steps to prevent hunger in your community. Have a food drive or volunteer at the San Antonio Food Bank. Get your family, friends or employer involved in organizing volunteer projects for Senior Christian Services, Jefferson Coop, or other nutrition related program. You can even Host an event at the San Antonio Food Bank. They have a great meeting room and catering services provided.
- Know your numbers! This includes your blood sugar, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides and total cholesterol values. IF you are older than 65 years, you should find out your Vitamin D blood level .Diabetes is diagnosed with a fasting blood sugar above 126 and prediabetes above 120. According to National Cholesterol Education Guidelines,HDL should be greater than 50 for women, and greater than 40 for men. LDL should be less than 100mg/dl
- Include a diet of mostly plant based origin. This means consume more vegetables, whole grains, fruits, beans and legumes. The average American consumes a diet high in saturated fats and calories. The American Cancer Society has tons of information
- Take steps to educate yourself on sustainable food systems. As a consumer and professional you have a responsibility to understand where your food comes from and how the food you purchase affects both human and environmental health. Learn more about this topic by reading these suggested books or checking out the following sites:
- Green Guide for Health Care(to learn how to improve your food service operations) http://www.gghc.org/
- Sustainable Food Center in Austin TX http://www.sustainablefoodcenter.org/
- Fair Food Foundation (for Urban community based food solutions http://www.fairfoodfoundation.org/index.php
- Keep up with Nutrition Facts by visiting the American Dietetic Organization web site at www.eatright.org. Join a list serve for your DPG group or check out the ADA web site weekly for current new s, position papers or evidence based library.
- Get back to the Basics by Cooking more! By planning and cooking your meals at home you will save money, increase family time, improve your nutrition. Studies show that families usually eat healthier meals that are lower in fat and calories when prepared at home.
- Enjoy what you eat! Select your foods wisely and enjoy every bite. Slow down while eating and consume meals in a non stressful environment. Every bite you take should taste fabulous. If it does not, you need to change what you are eating. Plan meals around social events and with friends and family, to get connected with others and learn new recipes.
- Take a cooking class at HEB Central Market or Whole Foods and learn how to enjoy preparing foods. There are so many classes offered for culturally diverse foods, paring wine and foods, cooking seafood, party foods, etc. Cooking is not for everyone, but by attending one of these classes you can increase your skills and have some fun. Encourage family members to take these classes together. There may be a young chef in your family just waiting to be discovered.
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