What Are Healthy Eating Habits?
By Tarja
From the Nutritional Pyramid to eat all of your vegetables, your doctor, school health classes and your mother have stressed healthy eating habits. The concept of eating healthy foods has been promoted ever since we learned that what we eat has a direct effect on our health.

Healthy eating is a habit of selecting the quantity and quality of foods that will either improve or maintain a good level of health. Usually, this means following the guidelines set by those who know the best, including scientific researchers, doctors, and nutritionists.

Health professionals set nutritional recommendations based on the ingredients and contents of food items. How fast and efficiently the body breaks down a food item and uses it for energy influences the way certain eating habits are viewed. For example, eating foods filled with sugar will not do much for maintaining a healthy body. The empty calories that sweets have actually aid in weight gain and increased glucose levels, which affect a variety of health concerns, such as diabetes.

The concept of healthy eating has changed over the years. This can be seen through the shift in the commonly used Nutritional Pyramid. In the past, the Pyramid gave daily recommendations on how many servings from each food group was needed to achieve healthy eating habits. Everyone was expected to follow the same recommendations. Today, these guidelines are now based on the differences that individuals have. The new serving suggestions now take into account factors such as weight, height, level of physical activity, age and gender.

By entering your information on the MyPyramid.gov website, you will receive a personalized plan suggesting the best selections from each food group that will keep you healthy. You will also receive advice on how to couple healthy eating habits with an acceptable amount of physical activity. The goal is to achieve an overall increase in health through a better balance of nutrition, calories and exercise.

Living a healthy life through the foods we eat means taking into account all of the factors that come with various eating habits. This includes the total amount of calorie consumption throughout the day. Healthy eating deals with the balance of important nutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats. For example, there are some carbohydrates considered healthier than others. Knowing how to separate good carbs from bad carbs contributes to nourishing eating habits that last a lifetime.

To improve your health, one should consume more nutritious foods, such as brown rice and green vegetables, while at the same time, decreasing the consumption of candy bars, fried foods and soda. Foods rich in vitamins contribute to healthy eating practices. You should also know that the way you prepare your food also has an influence on your health. For example, fruits and vegetables

How to (not!) get fat in five easy steps
You may think it's strange to find a "How-To" article focusing on five easy steps for adding fat to your body. You might say that we already know how to do that: two thirds of the people in the United States are overweight and one third are considered clinically obese. Obviously we've mastered this topic...
The Cleveland Clinic battles with McDonald's over fast food in hospitals
One of the most ridiculous things about many hospitals and surgical centers is that they host fast food restaurants like McDonald's and Pizza Hut. Now making headlines is the heated debate between the Cleveland Clinic and McDonald's restaurants. Toby Cosgrove, director of the Cleveland Clinic and a cardiovascular...
Former CEO of McDonald's dies of colon cancer at age of 44
Forty-four years of age is too young to die of anything, much less colon cancer. With this story being all over the news, there will no doubt be lots of articles pointing out the irony of it all, given the current awareness of the health risks associated with certain products served at fast food restaurants...
Kudos to Burger King for making fast food low-carb food
It's rare that I have any praise for a fast food chain, but in this case, I applaud Burger King's move to offer bunless hamburgers to their customers. It's being done in response to consumer demand and the accelerating popularity of the Atkins diet, the South Beach Diet, and other low-carb diets...
Fast food environment incompatible with the biological hardware provided by human evolution
As scientists are discovering, our modern food supply -- overloaded with fast food, processed foods and soft drinks -- is simply incompatible with the biological hardware engineered through human evolution. We're designed to burn lots of calories and eat relatively few, yet most people today do exactly...
British Heart Foundation informs children about fast food ingredients
The British Heart Foundation, after conducting surveys that showed one in three children do not know the ingredients or processing that goes into fast food, is kicking off a campaign to promote awareness in children about the health risks of fast food. To learn more on this topic, be sure to also read...
Scientists say a sprinkle of seaweed may make fast food healthier
Sprinkling a seaweed called alginate onto fast food choices such as pies, burgers and cakes, may make the junk food healthier by increasing its fiber content and slowing the digestion process, says a Herald report based on a Newcastle University study. If you enjoy this article, you may also be interested...
Fast food restaurants often located near schools, study shows
According to a study by Harvard's School of Public Health, 80 percent of elementary and high schools studied had fast food restaurants located within walking distance, and researchers believe similar trends likely exist nationwide. To learn more on this topic, be sure to also read the related article...
Article gives fast food options for those not wanting to skip breakfast
Breakfast is well-established as the most important meal of the day, since those who eat it tend to be less overweight and more focused than those who don't, so Times Dispatch columnist Charles Stuart Platkin offers some healthier fast food choices for breakfast on the go. Be sure to read the related...
Study shows decreasing your fast food intake can help you lose weight
A study has shown that people who east regularly at fast food restaurants are heavier and twice as likely to suffer from heart disease as those who eat fast food less than once a week. To learn more on this topic, be sure to also read the related article, The Cleveland Clinic battles with McDonald's...
McDonalds sheds its old image
McDonalds has spent years under controversy for its contributions to the obesity epidemic in the U.S., but now the company is seeking to shed that image. If you enjoy this article, you may also be interested in an article entitled 'Why America is still a great place to live: thirteen things I love about...
Don't be tempted by fast food
It is okay to indulge in fast food occasionally, but more Americans are making it a part of their weekly routine, increases their salt, fat and caloric intake. Be sure to read the related article, The Cleveland Clinic battles with McDonald's over fast food in hospitals.
McDonald's turns to technology to tempt patrons
A McDonalds restaurant is testing a new ATM-style system, called Blaze Net, which allows diners to purchase downloadable MP3s and ringtones, and to print photos or surf the net right in the restaurant -- and it even accepts cash. Located in Chicago, the new flagship restaurant also sells lattes at its...
McDonald's secretly testing fries cooked in low trans fat oil
McDonald's is in the process of testing new and improved French fries cooked in low trans fat oil, and they're not telling customers about it. When McDonald's made an announcement in 2002 that the company would be trying a new cooking oil with less trans fat, customers flooded phone lines with complaints...
Detroit mayor proposes fast-food tax
To overcome vast deficits in city funding, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is proposing a 2 percent fast-food tax. Although the tax wouldn't come close to solving the city's financial burdens, city officials insist every penny counts in Detroit. Restaurant owners say the tax is punishing those who have...
Food industry stands against nutritional disclosure bill
A new law requiring restaurants to make nutritional information about their menus readily available to consumers is awaiting passage in Massachusetts. Lawmakers say the bill will allow families to make more informed choices when ordering fast food, but industry representatives say the bill would be too...
Obesity, as well as fast food, on the rise in Spain
The Spanish Health Ministry has released a study showing that the number of overweight and obese people in Spain has doubled over the course of the last 18 years. The Ministry began a study in 2003 in which, of a random sample, 13.6 percent of people were obese and 38.6 percent of people were overweight...
Dieticians teaching kids about the pitfalls of a fast food lifestyle
Teams of dieticians in San Diego, California are taking an important to message to the city's school kids: watch what you eat when you go for fast food. In particular, the experts are working with kids ages 9-11 to make sure they know, for example, that a typical portion of food at a fast food restaurant...
Super Size Me filmmaker says McDonald's exports Americans' love of instant gratification
The filmmaker holds McDonald's responsible for the downfall of America's eating habits. After his month long experiment eating only fast food, he experienced a myriad of health complications. He feels strongly that other countries emulate what they see Americans doing, and that their love of fast food...
Dismissed obesity case against McDonald's set to go to trial after all; appeals court reverses earlier federal ruling
Two teens who claim McDonalds did not properly warn them that a diet of Chicken McNuggets could lead to obesity will get their day in court after all. The U.S. 2nd Court of Appeals overruled a New York federal court's earlier dismissal of the case. The plaintiffs say they consumed three to five servings...
New study shows fast food is indeed linked to obesity
A study published in the journal Lancet confirms what some health experts have been saying all along: fast food is fat food. As fast food consumption has grown, so has obesity in America. In the late 80s and early 90s, only about 23 percent of the population was obese--now the figure approaches 30...
Fast food diet can lead to directly to diabetes, new study indicates
Critics of the U.S. fast food industry say a Boston Children's Hospital study might finally be their smoking gun. The study appears to be the first solid scientific evidence that a steady diet of fast food can lead to obesity and diabetes. Study participants who consumed fast food more than twice a week...
Fast food diet could be linked to diabetes, study warns
A new study by Boston Children's Hospital suggests that eating fast food more than twice per week can lead to more than just weight gain. It may also bring on diabetes. The study is a bit inconclusive though. It's authors are careful to note that it's not clear if the increase in diabetes is related...
Hospitals are no place for fast food franchises, some doctors say
Disturbed by the irony of greasy pizza being readily available right out side, say, a heart surgeon's office, some Cleveland, Ohio doctors have started a campaign to keep fast food franchises out of hospital food courts. "We hope we are setting some kind of trend," one of the doctors said. To learn more...
Diabetes and obesity linked to fast food, new study shows
A new British study gives scientific credibility to something many would say is common sense: eating fast food is bad for you. The study found that people who ate fast food regularly were more likely to gain 10 pounds than those who indulged less often. And it showed that eating fast food several times...
A steady diet of fast food can lead to diabetes, new study shows
People who eat fast food more than twice a week have a greater chance of developing diabetes, a new study by the Children's Hospital of Boston shows. While this seems to be solid evidence that fast food is a health threat, a possibility still lingers that the real culprit is the sedentary lifestyle that...
If you want to gain weight, become a regular fast food customer
Young people who frequent fast food restaurants more than twice a week tend to gain weight and develop insulin interference, according to an article in the January issue of the journal Lancet. The research shows that, after 15 years, those who ate frequently at fast food restaurants gained ten extra...
McDonald's CEOs display pattern of chronic disease
Embattled McDonald's has lost its second CEO in the past year after Charlie Bell resigned today to continue his battle with cancer. The previous CEO, Jim Cantalupo died of a heart attack. Jim Skinner, the former vice chairman has been elected to replace Bell. Since being diagnosed with cancer earlier...
McDonald's ice cream found to contain excessive bacterial count - Hong Kong

McDonald's Restaurants Provide False Nutritional Information to Customers, Says CSPI

KFC chicken supplier violently abused live chickens; employees caught on video
It's an appalling case of animal rights violations by a supplier to one of the country's best known fast food restaurants: KFC. A disturbing video segment released to the media shows employees stomping on chickens, smashing them against walls, and performing other violent acts. It's yet another case...
Fast food joints: Eat here at your own risk
Fast food chains could see it coming: massive class action lawsuits blaming restaurants for causing obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases. So they lobbied hard to get Congress to pass the "Cheeseburger Bill," making them immune to such lawsuits. It's sort of the way ski...

retain more vitamins and nutrients when eaten raw, rather than boiled, steamed or cooked in the microwave. Avoiding foods with a high concentration of dyes, artificial sweeteners and preservatives is also helpful.

For more information, there are numerous resources that offer a list of healthy foods and advice for healthy eating practices. These references may be found on the Internet, in the local bookstore, at the library and throughout your doctors office. Learning how to eat right will not only boost your overall health, but also lead to securing a longer, more productive life.

Article Source: http://www.article-outlet.com/