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BodyWise Handbook
Body
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Chances are you find yourself standing in line or sitting in the
drive-through some days for a quick meal. You are not alone. Every day
about one out of five Americans eats takeout from a fast-food restaurant.
As convenient as this is, most of the time, this food does not give a
woman's body what she needs to be healthy and fit.
Eating healthy does much more than give your body fuel to keep going.
It can help prevent disease and improve your quality of life. The better
your diet, the better your health. A healthy diet has the correct amount
of nutrients (vitamins, minerals) and calories. Too much or too little of
nutrients and calories can affect a woman's health. An easy way to find
out if you are eating healthy is to look at what you are eating. Choose a
diet with a wide variety of foods such as plenty of vegetables, fruits,
and grains. Cut back on the use of sugar and salt. If you drink alcohol,
limit yourself to no more than 1 to 2 drinks a day. If you are a smoker,
you need to take steps to quit. See www.4woman.gov/QuitSmoking
for resources to help you stop smoking.
As a woman, the nutrients and calories your body needs will change
during the different stages, such as pregnancy and menopause, in your
life. Women need more calcium, iron and folic acid, than do men. The risks
of osteoporosis (bone loss) and iron deficiency (anemia) are greater for
women than men. By simply changing your diet, you can reduce your risk for
these conditions. Whether you are 8 or 80, it is never too late to start.
Any changes you make in your diet today will help to improve your overall
health. The National Women's Health Information Center has provided the
following resources to help women eat healthy and achieve or maintain a
good diet and proper nutrition.
Publications
-
Action
Guide For Healthy Eating
This booklet delivers NCI's overall nutrition and cancer prevention
message to the general public; it is designed to get readers to act by
asking them to check off steps they are willing to take to lower fat
and increase intake of fibers, fruits and vegetables.
-
'Daily
Values' Encourage Healthy Diet
This pamphlet contains information on the Daily Value, a new dietary
value reference to help consumers use food label information to plan a
healthy overall diet.
-
Food Guide Pyramid,
The
This pamphlet introduces you to the Food Guide Pyramid. The Pyramid
illustrates the research-based food guidance system developed by the
USDA and supported by DHHS. It goes beyond the 'basic four food
groups' to help you put the dietary guidelines into action.
-
Healthy Eating
Tips
This publication contains some tips for healthy eating at home, work,
and elsewhere to help you get started.
-
NHLBI
Obesity Education Initiative: Aim For A Healthy Weight!
These guidelines from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
present a new approach for the assessment of overweight and obesity
and establish principles of safe and effective weight loss. Calculate
your obesity risk online. If you need to lose weight or need help to
maintain your current weight, there are items to help you get started,
including recipes, shopping tips, and advice on choosing an exercise
program.
-
Nutrition and Your
Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans
The Dietary Guidelines provide easily understood, science-based
information on how Americans can choose diets that promote good
health.
-
Recipes
and Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals
This colorful book provides information to assist families in
purchasing and preparing healthy, thrifty meals that meet the
Recommended Dietary Allowances, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and
the Food Guide Pyramid. The book contains two sample meal plans
(consisting of two weekly menus, 40 recipes, and two food lists), tips
for shopping, cooking healthfully and keeping food safe.
-
Very
Low Calorie Diets
This fact sheet presents information on very low-calorie diets,
formulas of 800 calories or less that replace all usual food intake
and are used to promote short-term weight loss in moderately to
severely obese patients.
-
A
Nutritious New Year: Resolutions From A to Z (Copyright © The
Physician and Sportsmedicine)
This on-line publication contains information on healthful eating tips
that can help you feel great, perform well, and invest in your
well-being for many new years to come.
Organizations
-
Center for Nutrition Policy and
Promotion, FCS, FNCS, USDA
-
Food and Nutrition Information
Center, NAL, USDA
-
Food and Nutrition Service,
USDA
-
Weight
Control Information Network, NIDDK, NIH, HHS
-
Food
and Nutrition Board
= Federal
government resources
Text on this page last updated:
September 2001
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