Good nutrition is a key to good health. Remember Daniel and his friends who chose to take vegetables and water rather than eating from the king’s table? We could learn from their example.
The American Dietetic Association would agree. The March observance of National Nutrition Month began in 1973 with a presidential proclamation and has continued to be a focus of the ADA each year. This year, the emphasis is on “100 Percent Fad Free.”
Most would agree that fad dieting is not the best way to approach weight loss. We can benefit by developing wise eating and exercise habits. Making informed food choices is essential to eating well.
The emphasis on healthy eating coincides with the inauguration of another offering of the health ministry at Wilshire. We will have food analysis information available for Wednesday meals served at church, thanks to Kirsten Granberry volunteering to input recipies into the computer.
Printouts containing nutrition facts will be displayed by each item. Serving size, calories, calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, protein and other information will be listed by grams and by percent of recommended daily values.
Many of us are concerned about our diets and need to know this information to make wise choices. Labels will look like those found on the food you purchase at the grocery store.
Look first for serving size. Often we look at a food and think “That’s not so bad” and do not realize that the can or bottle contains 2.5 servings instead of one serving. The same may be true of food information printed for you here. Just how much is a 6-ounce serving of soup? A small styrofoam cup. Or a single serving of meat? About the size of your palm or a deck of cards.
There are some excellent web sites that provide reliable information about nutrition. One is the ADA web site,
www.eatright.org Another one everyone should visit is
www.mypryamid.gov. This website contains a good description of the new food pyramid which emphasizes exercise as well as diet.
Food groups are depicted vertically according to the amounts needed. From left to right, the food groups are grains, vegetables, fruits, oils, milk, and meat and beans. This website allows you to personalize your diet pyramid. By entering your age, height, weight and exercise level, you can get your own personalized pyramid that will specify your daily dietary requirements and additional information about each of the food groups.
Other information is available in the parish nurse office, including pamphlets on heart healthy diets and recipes.
(214) 452-3100