Question

Discuss at least three ways that you can incorporate clean eating/healthy eating habits into your lifestyle.

Answer 1

The food you eat can affect your health and your risk for certain diseases. To eat healthier food, you may need to change some of your daily habits. You also may need to change some things in your environment. Your environment includes everything around you, like your home or the place you work.You don't need to make huge changes to eat healthier. And you don't have to change your habits all at the same time. It's best to set small goals and change your habits a little bit at a time. Over time, small changes can make a big difference in your health.What you eat each day affects your health and how you feel now and in the future. Good nutrition plays a major role in helping you lead a healthy lifestyle. When combined with physical activity, your diet can help you reach and maintain a healthy weight and reduce your risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, and promote overall health and wellbeing.

1. Changing your eating habits and your environment can help you eat healthier foods.
2. Ahealthy diet is good for your overall health. It also can help you reach a healthy weight and stay there.
3. To improve your eating habits, it's best to make small lifestyle changes that you can keep doing over time.
4. Creating and maintaining healthy eating habits doesn’t have to be hard. If you start by incorporating small changes into your daily habits, you can make a big impact on your eating pattern and create lasting, healthy eating habits. Try including at least six of the following eight goals into your diet by adding one new goal each week.

1. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
Choose red, orange, and dark-green vegetables along with other vegetables for your meals. Add fruit to meals as part of main or side dishes or as dessert. The more colorful you make your plate, the more likely you are to get the vitamins, minerals, and fiber your body needs to be healthy.

2. Make half the grains you eat whole grains
Switch from a refined-grain food to a whole-grain food. For example, choose whole-wheat bread instead of white bread. Read the ingredients list and choose products that list a whole-grain ingredients first. Look for things like: “whole wheat,” “brown rice,” “bulgur,” “buckwheat,” “oatmeal,” “rolled oats,” quinoa,” or “wild rice.”

3. Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk
Both have the same amount of calcium and other essential nutrients as whole milk, but fewer calories and less saturated fat.

4. Choose a variety of lean protein foods
Protein foods group includes not only meat, poultry, and seafood, but also dry beans or peas, eggs, nuts, and seeds. Select leaner cuts of ground beef (where the label says 90% lean or higher), turkey breast, or chicken breast.

5. Compare sodium in foods
Use the Nutrition Facts label to choose lower sodium versions of foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals. Select canned foods labeled “low sodium,” “reduced sodium,” or “no salt added.”

6. Drink water instead of sugary drinks
Drink water to cut back on unnecessary calories from sugary drinks. Soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks are a major source of added sugar and calories in American diets. To add flavor to your water, add a slice of lemon, lime, apple or fresh herbs like mint or basil.

7. Eat some seafood
Seafood has protein, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids (heart-healthy fat). Adults should try to eat at least eight ounces a week of a variety of seafood. Children can eat smaller amounts of seafood. Seafood includes fish such as salmon, tuna, and trout and shellfish such as crab, mussels, and oysters.

8. Cut back on solid fats
Eat fewer foods that contain solid fats. The major sources for Americans are cakes, cookies, and other desserts (often made with butter, margarine, or shortening); pizza; processed and fatty meats (e.g., sausages, hot dogs, bacon, ribs); and ice cream.

Maintaining a Healthy eating in your lifestyle

• To maintain your healthy eating habits, try the following tips.
• Add More Fruits & Veggies

Mix veggies into your go-to dishes. Swap meat for peppers and mushrooms in your tacos or try veggie pasta instead of grain pasta like one made out of black beans for more plant-based protein.Use fresh fruits and veggies whenever possible. Watch for sodium in canned veggies and look for canned fruit packed in water instead of syrup.Pack your child’s lunch bag with fruits and veggies: sliced apples, a banana or carrot sticks.

• PrepareHealthySnacks: Teach children the difference between everyday snacks such as fruits and veggies and occasional snacks such as cookies and sweets.Keep cut-up fruits and veggies like carrots, peppers, or orange slices in the refrigerator.
• Prepare your meals for the week by making them ahead on weekends or on a day off.
• Reduce Fat, Salt, and Sugar: When eating out, choose baked or grilled food instead of fried and do the same at home.
• Makewater your go-to drink instead of soda or sweetened beverages.Readlabels on packaged ingredients to find foods lower in sodium.
• Reduce amounts of salt added to food when cooking and use herbs and spices instead to add flavor like paprika, turmeric, black pepper, garlic or onion powder.

Control Portion Sizes

1. When preparing meals at home, use smaller plates.
2. Don’t clean your plate if you’re full, instead save leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.
3. Portionsizes depend on the age, gender, and activity level of the individual.
4. PracticeHealthy Eating in School
5. Bringhealthy snacks into your child’s classroom for birthday parties and holiday celebrations, instead of providing sugary treats.
6. Pack healthy lunches for children including whole grains, fruits and veggies, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products.

Clean eating doesn’t have anything to do with food being clean or dirty.It simply involves choosing minimally processed, real foods that provide maximal nutritional benefits.The idea is to consume foods that are as close to their natural state as possible.Selecting ethical and sustainable foods is also a part of clean eating.