Dietary Guidelines
By: McKinsey Safstrom
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans
A health risk is the likelihood of developing health problems, such as disease, diabetes, and some cancers.
A diet is a special course of food to which one restricts oneself, either to lose weight or for medical reasons.
Calories!
Nutrient-Dense Foods are relatively rich in nutrients for the number of calories contained. Examples of these foods are whole grain foods, vegetables, fruits, low-fat and fat-free milk and milk products, lean meats, and lean beans.
How to maintain a healthy weight.
Health problems related to too much body fat are diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, some types of cancer, and arthritis.
Health risks for being underweight are fragile bones, weakened immune system. anemia, hair loss, and fertility issues.
Two suggestions for loosing weight are adding healthy foods to your diet and switch to lower-calorie versions of the foods you crave.
Being Physically Active
A teen should at least 60 minutes of physical activity everyday.
Two guidelines for including physical activity into you daily schedule are to try to work out at home with the materials you already have and balance your food to exercise ratio.
Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, and their Importance!
These foods reduce risks of chronic diseases and certain cancers. They also contain fibers that reduce risk of coronary heart disease.
Three ways to include these foods into your diet are to eat a variety of these foods, replace foods high in fat or sugars with fruits or vegetables, and get plenty of good sources of calcium (milk) to help grow healthy bones!
How to limit fats and cholesterol.
Cardiovascular disease can result from a high fat diet. Cardiovascular disease is when the heart and blood vessels aren't working the way they should.
There are many ways to achieve moderate total fat intake. Some guidelines are to keep saturated fats less than ten percent of your calories, eat as few food containing trans fats as possible, limit cholesterol to less than 300 milligrams per day, and choose mostly foods prepared with little or not fat!
Being choosy about Carbohydrates.
Foods with natural sugar are found in fruits and milk.
Foods containing added sugars are syrups, soft drinks, and candy.
You should limit your sugar intake because it leads to obesity, diabetes, and nutritional deficiency.
Reducing sodium and increasing potassium.
Diseases that are linked to excess sodium are cancers, osteoporosis, and chronic kidney disease.
The function of potassium is to counteract sodium's effects on blood pressure.
Alcohol and Food Safety
Food safety is an important part of the Dietary Guidelines because the correct foods can keep you healthier and help you live longer.