Healthy Eating tip

Ok...so you're trying to eat healthier and eat foods with less fat and sodium. when in the grocery store, one easier way to do "healthier" grocery shopping is to spend more time in the outer aisles of the store where fresh foods are kept. Spend less time in the middle aisles where packaged foods, snacks, and soft drinks are stocked. when you read your labels, look at the portion size in the container. If you eat double the serving size listed, you need to double the calories, fat, sodium and nutrients. Be aware that most canned foods have more than 1 serving per can, for example......canned soup. Most people eat the entire can and 1 serving can put you over your daily sodium need. Your better off making your own soup! Watch for both natural and added sodium in foods. Ordinary table salt is sodium chloride....40 percent sodium by weight. Healthy adults should take in less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. That's equal to about 1 tsp of salt. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, peas and beans are good sources of dietary fiber and can help reduce the risk of heart disease. For your total carbohydrates, emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole-grain breads and cereals. Remember where there's animal protein, there's also fat and cholesterol.....Eat small portions! Keep track of your calories consumed in a day, you'd be surprised how much you are actually consuming! Watch your total fat intake. Most people need to cut back on calories and fat! Too much fat may contribute to heart disease and cancer. Watch your labels....the label gives you the number of fat grams per serving and the number of calories from fat. If you are overweight or trying to lose weight, your goal is an overall intake of no more than 25 to 35 percent of your total calories from fat, with less than 7 percent as saturated fat and less than 1 percent of trans fat. You should keep track of the amount of calories you consume and the amount of calories you burn. Watch the cholesterol. Too much in your diet may lead to too much of it in your blood. Too much cholesterol in your blood can lead to heart disease and stroke. It's best to eat less than 300 mg each day. People with heart disease should eat less than 200 mg per day. I go for much, much less that the recommended amount! Eat healthy and exercise.......choose to live!