Most traditional foods can be made low fat.  Turkey is very lean without the skin, and gravy can be made without any fat.  Potatoes that are served without butter can be very healthy.  The beloved pumpkin pie is nutritious, although it can be made into a fatty dessert with the adding of whipped cream.

Even though the holidays are in, don’t forget about the exercise.  Keeping weight off during the holiday season is burning off the extra calories.  You should plan a walk after meals, park farther from stores when you shop, and take a few walks around the mall before you begin shopping.

During holiday parties and at family dinners,  feel free to sample foods although you shouldn’t splurge.  Decide on what you plan to eat in advance, then stick to your plan.  Eat plenty of vegetables, fruit, low fat dressings, and slices of lean meats.  Before you go to a party, eat a small snack to help curb your appetite.

If at all possible, avoid alcohol.  Having too many drinks can cripple your will power, and also add excess calories to your diet.  In the place of alcohol, drink water with lemon. Water can help to limit your appetite and keep you from binging.  Also make sure to avoid eggnog, as each glass can have up to 300 calories.

Be flexible with your healthy eating, as one bad meal won’t ruin your diet.  Try to balance your calories over a few days and don’t just look at one meal or day.

There are many factors which hinder an elderly person’s health.  The information below will help you to lead a healthy life – no matter how old you may be.

Water

Water in the body decreases with age, so many older folks will become dehydrated very easily.  Sometimes they won’t feel thirsty, while other times it’s too much work to pour a glass a water.  With this in mind, it’s recommended that they drink at least 1 ounce of water for every 2.2 pounds of weight.

Protein
At this stage in life, protein is very important. Protein is needed to support a healthy immune system and prevent the wasting of muscle.  Since energy needs are less, older folks should eat high quality protein such as eggs, lean meats, poulty, and fish.

Carbs and fiber
Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the entire body.  You can find carbs in bread, cereals, pasta, and other grain products.  A diet that’s high in fiber and water will help to prevent constipation as well.

Fat
Fat intake for the elderly should be limited, not eliminated.  You can limit fat by choosing lean meats, low fat dairy products, and food preperation methods that don’t include frying. 

Iron
For the elderly, iron deficiency can be seen with those who aren’t eating much.  Good sources for iron include lean red meats or breakfast cereals.

Zinc
Zinc intake is normally with the elderly, and to make matters worse, it’s not absorbed very well either.  Meat, poultry, and fish should be a part of your diet to help you meet the requirements for zinc.

Calcium
Calcium is one ingredient that most elderly folks simply aren’t getting enough of.  Most believe
that milk upsets their stomach, and therefore they will avoid it.  They should be getting around 1,500 mg of calcium a day, and nonfat powdered milk can be used in recipes as a substitute for milk.  Other foods such as yogurt, low fat cheese, and broccoli can also help you meet the requirements for calcium.

Vitamin B12
In order to absorb the benefits of B12, the intrinsic facotr must be produced by the stomach.  Most elderly
people suffer from a deficiency in B12 because they have a condition known as atrophic gastritis.  This condition causes inflammation of the stomach, bacterial overgrowth, and the intrinsic factor. Without the intrinsic factor, this vitamin can be absorbed.

Each one of the above nutrients are needed to keep an aged body in good health.  Elderly individuals should try to stay active and strive for a well balanced diet.  Even though the aged body isn’t the same as it used to be, proper care and the right nutrients can help the elderly enjoy a healthy and long life.

To help you fuel your health with fiber, here are 9 facts to help.

1.  Fiber fights diseases. A diet high in fiber can help to prevent colon cancer and heart disease.  High fiber helps the body to eliminate cholesterol by binding it in the digestive tract.  For thousands of years, fiber has been used to stop constipation.

2.  Fiber can actually help with overeating.  All high fiber foods will take longer to chew and digest, making you feel satisfied longer

3.  Most popular foods don’t have enough fiber.  If you like the more popular foods, you probably need to increase your intake of fiber.

4.  Grains offer the most fiber.  Dietary fiber is actually plant matter that we cannot digest.  The best sources are whole grains and concentrated grain products. 

5.  Kids need fiber as well.  Children that are older than 2 years of age should consume a daily intake of fiber.  Kids are most receptive to fiber found in fruits, vegetables, and even fortified breakfast cereals. 

6.  More fiber needs more water.  In order to keep fiber moving through your digestive tract, you’ll need to consume a lot of water.  With your diet of fiber, you’ll need eight or more glasses of water every day.

7.  Fiber cannot be cooked out.  When you cook your fruits and vegetables, don’t worry about cooking
the fiber out, as it stays.  The fiber found in fruits and vegetables aren’t just in the skin or in the peel.

8.  You can get enough fiber.  If you eat more than 50 grams of fiber in a day, you can get diarrhea and bloating, which can interfere with your body’s absorption of other key minerals.

9.  Getting the right amount of fiber in your diet doesn’t have to be hard.  Even though you may think so, getting the amount of fiber you need isn’t very hard to do.  All you have to do is eat the right foods and you’ll be well on your way to a fiber rich lifestyle.

As one of the key ingredients to healthy eating, fiber is something you don’t want to skip.  Fiber can serve many different purposes, which were covered above.  If you aren’t getting enough fiber in your diet – you should do something about now instead of waiting until it is too late.

Even though it isn’t possible to get a child to like all healthy foods, there are some ways to get your child to try and hopefully like at least a few of them.  You can be as creative as you like, as getting  kids to eat healthy foods can be a little harder than you may think.

-  Sneak the healthy food in.  Even though it would be great if your kid understood the importance of fruits and vegetables, this isn’t always possible. If you can’t get them to eat good food willingly, there are ways to sneak them in, such as making muffins out of bananas or apples, or pizza with spinach on it.

-  Call fruits and vegetables by funny names.  You can refer to broccoli as “trees”, making them more fun to eat.  There are many different names you can call fruits and vegetables, even making up your own if you prefer.  Most kids prefer to eat foods that sound fun.

-  Make the foods taste better. Ranch dressing is great for broccoli, while peanut butter is a great topping for celery.  There are several combinations for vegetables that can make them taste much better.  You can let your child pick a topping for a vegetable, even if it’s something you wouldn’t normally like yourself.

-  Dress the vegetables up.  Just as much as calling them names help kids eat healthy foods, making them look funny also helps.  You can do this by making  funny designs on the plate, or setting them up to look like people.  Although some parents don’t like their kids playing with their food, sometimes it helps to get them to eat healthier.

There are several ways to make your kids eat healthier, but to make them enjoy it also has to be fun as well.  This isn’t always an easy task, because kids normally don’t like foods that are good for them.  It can however, be done with a bit
of creativity.  Hopefully, doing this will help your child develop a love of healthy foods for the rest of their lives.

1.  Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach.

2.  Select canned fruits and tuna that are packed in water, not oil or syrup.

3.  Look at the labels for the words “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated”.  The earlier you see them appear on the list, the higher the amount of unhealthy trans fatty acids the food will contain.

4.  Don’t buy turkey with the skin on it, and if  you plan to buy chicken – buy a chicken breast meal.

5.  When you select frozen dinners, select those that are not only low in fat, but low in sodium and cholesterol as well.

6.  If you aren’t consuming enough dairy products, go with calcium fortified orange juice instead.

7.  Go for whole grain breads, cereals, and rolls.

8.  Give cantaloupe a try.  With just 95 calories, half of the melon will provide more than a day’s supply of Vitamin C and beta carotene.

9.  Don’t be tricked into buying yogurt covered by nuts or raisins, as the coating is normally made of sugar and partially hydrogenated oils.

10.  Get some of the low fat treats, such as pretzels, ginger snaps, and angel food cake.

By following the above tips when grocery shopping, you’ll avoid the bad foods and get those that you need.  There are many different healthy foods at the grocery store, all it takes is the will power to go past the bad foods and on to the good ones.

Grains
You should consume 6 ounces of grains per day.  To do this, you can eat 3 ounces of whole grain cereals, breads, rice, crackers, or pasta.  You can get an ounce of grains in a single slice of bread, or 1 cut of cereal.

Vegetables
These should be varied, as you should eat 2 1/2 cups of them each day.  You should start eating more of the dark vegetables, such as broccili and spinach.  Carrots and sweet potatoes are good as well.  You should also eat more dry beans such as peas, pinto beans, and even kidney beans.

Fruits
Fruits are very important.  You should try to eat 2 cups of them each day.  Focus on eating a variety, such as fresh, frozen, canned, or even dried fruit.  You can drink fruit juices as well, although you should use moderation when doing so.

Milk
Milk is your calcium rich friend.  For adults, 3 cups is the ideal goal.  For kids 2 – 8, 2 cups is where you want to be.  When choosing milk products or yogurt, you should go for fat-free or low-fat.  Those of you who don’t like milk or can’t have it, should go for lactose free products or other sources of calcium such as fortified foods and beverages.

Meat and beans
Eating 5 ounces a day is the ideal goal, as you should go lean with your protein.  When eating meat, always bake it, grill it, or broil it, as this will prevent grease from adding to the equation.  You should vary your protein as well, with more fish, beans, peas, and nuts.

When cooking your food, you should also limit solid fats such as butter, margarine, shortening, and lard.  These foods may add flavor to your dishes, although they can also help raise your cholesterol as well.  Therefore, you should try to add these foods and any foods that happen to contain them.

To help keep your saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium low, you can check the nutrition facts label.  This label can be found on the food package and will tell you all the information you need to know about the food item.

By picking your foods wisely and watching what you eat, you’ll help control your lifestyle.  Exercise is great as well, as it goes along perfect with a healthy eating lifestyle.  No matter what your age may be, eating healthy will help you keep your active lifestyle for years and years – even help you and your health in the long run as well.

A majority of people can bring their fat intakes down to a healthy range by making a few adjustments in the way they shop, cook, and prepare the foods they eat.

Now days, it’s getting easier and easier to control the amount of fat you consume.  The fat content of foods are now available through the nutrition label and through brochures distributed by food companies and even fast food restaurants.

You can use this information on nutrition to choose lower fat foods by comparing products and food brands.  Once you have a rough idea of what a healthy intake of fat is, you’ll know what you can and what you can’t have.

From day to day, the amount of fat you eat will vary.  Some meals and some days will be higher in fat than others.  Even high fat meals can be kept in line with healthy eating as long as you balance those days accordingly.  The average fat intake over the course of weeks and months is important, not the fat intake of every meal and food you consume.

Younger adults and high active adults who have higher calorie needs can probably eat a little more fat.  Older adults and those that aren’t very active should aim for a lower fat intake.  This way, you can control your fat intake and avoid the many problems that fat is associated with.

Breakfast is often times a victim of the morning time crunch.  Even though you may be tempted to skip breakfast, you can simplify your morning routine by following these 8 tips:

 1.  Finish homework and pack school bags at night.

 2.  Decide on what your children will wear to school before you go to bed and locate lost shoes for the following day.
 3.  In the morning, get up 15 minutes earlier.
 4.  Give up computer games and morning television.
 5.  Have healthy foods on hand.  You should also shop for breakfast foods with your kids and take into account their personal preferences.
 6.  Set the cereal out the night before. For younger children, fill a zippered plastic bag with her portion, then add the milk in the morning.
 7.  Allow your children to use the microwave often, as most breakfast foods can be prepared in under 5 minutes.
 8.  Allow your kids to eat in the car or on the way to school.

There are several foods that you can eat for breakfast, even leftovers from supper if they are sufficient.  You can eat bagels, pizza with fruit juice, pretzels, or the normal bacon and eggs that breakfast is known for.  Most foods are a snap to prepare, and won’t take you but a few minutes.

The next time you are in a hurry in the morning, remember that you are probably about to skip the most important meal of the day. If you follow the tips above, you’ll find that you have plenty of time for breakfast.

Always eat breakfast
Even though you may think you aren’t hungry,  you need to eat something.  Skipping breakfast  makes it harder to maintain the proper blood and sugar levels during the day, so you should always eat something.

Carry a snack
Keeping some protein rich snacks in your car, office, or pocket book will help you avoid blood sugar level dips, the accompanying mood swings, and the fatigue.  Trail mix, granola bars, and energy bars all have the nutrients you need.

Healthy munchies
If you like to munch when you’re stressed out, you can replace chips or other non healthy foods with carrot sticks, celery sticks, or even sunflower seeds.

Bring your lunch
Although a lot of people prefer to eat fast food for lunch, you can save a lot of money and actually eat healthier if you take a few minutes and pack a lunch at home.  Even if you only do this a few times a week, you’ll see a much better improvement over eating out.

Stock your home
As important as it is to get the bad food out of your house, it’s even more important to get the good food in!  The best way to do this is to plan a menu of healthy meals at snacks at the beginning of the week, list the ingedients you need, then go shop for it.  This way, you’ll know what you want when you need it and you won’t have to stress over what to eat.

Like oranges, potatoes are very high in vitamin C. The fact is, one medium potato contains 45% of the vitamin C that’s recommended for good health.  Potatoes are also high in fiber and carbohydrates and contain more potassium than a banana.

A potato is naturally low in calories and contains no fat, sodium, or cholesterol.  The skins of the potatoes provide a helpful dose of fiber, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, and several B vitamins.

You can prepare potatoes by boiling them, steaming them, or even roasting them.  If at all possible, you should avoid putting potatoes in the refrigerator or freezing them, as cold will turn the potato starch to sugar and cause them to turn dark when they are cooked.

When you store potatoes, keep them in a cool, dark place. Too much light will cause them to turn green. You can store them in the basement if you have one, as the basement is the best place to keep potatoes.

From mashed potatoes to baked potatoes, a potato is something we all know and love.  They serve many different tasty foods, and they provide our bodies with plenty of healthful benefits.  We all eat potatoes, some of us even grow our own.  Whether you grow your on or buy them, the potato is the one vegetable that makes everything just a little bit better.