Eat right
Make healthy choices. A healthy eating plan includes a wide variety of foods.
Choose brightly colored vegetables (dark greens, yellows and reds), an assortment of fruits, beans, nuts and whole-grain breads and cereals. Don’t forget about fat-free and low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry and lean meats.
Aim for at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each day.
Choose healthy fats. Examples include vegetable oils (such as olive, peanut, soybean and canola), avocados, trans fat-free, soft, low-fat margarine and nuts. You may include them in moderate amounts.
Limit saturated fats, found mostly in products derived from animals, such as butter, full-fat dairy products, meat, poultry and some tropical oils, such as palm and coconut oil.
Watch your serving size.
Many portions – in both restaurant and home cooked meals – are too large.
Beware of portion distortion! Use these visuals to help you judge what a usual portion size looks like:
A ½ cup of vegetables or fruit is about the size of your fist.
A medium apple is the size of a baseball.
A three ounce portion of meat, fish or poultry is about the size of a deck of cards.
A single-serving bagel is the size of a hockey puck.
1½ ounces of low-fat or fat-free cheese is the size of a pair of dice.
One tablespoon of peanut butter is about the size of the tip of your thumb.
When eating out, eat half your entrée and save the rest for lunch the next day. If you have dessert, split it with a friend. Think about having an appetizer and soup or salad as your meal.
At home, serve appropriate portion sizes, and store the rest for leftovers. Avoid eating directly out of a bag or carton; think about buying foods packaged in individual serving sizes to help you control portions
Spice it up.
To enjoy some interesting new flavors, try a variety of herbs and spices to enhance food’s natural flavors. Limit your use of salt when preparing foods and at the table. When using commercially prepared foods alone or in recipes, check the label for sodium content.
Make eating an activity in itself.
Don’t pair it with other activities like watching TV or reading. That can lead to overeating.
Be a list-maker.
Create a grocery-shopping list, and stick to it. Planning ahead can help keep you on track. Sticking to a list can also reduce the temptation to buy items that may defeat your healthy eating plan.
Be a label-reader.
Use the “Nutrition Facts” panel to get important information about the foods you purchase. To begin, compare and choose foods with less saturated fat and sodium and more fiber and healthy fats.
Don’t smoke
No ifs, ands or butts – just quit. If you smoke, quit. There are many tools available to help you kick the habit, such as smoking cessation programs, medications available through your doctor and do-it-yourself willpower. Find a program that appeals to you and stick to it.
Get active
Take baby steps, but lots of them. Start slow. Go for a walk on your lunch hour or after dinner. Try walking along the sidelines during your child’s sports practice or take a stroll during his or her music or dance class. Measure your walking with a pedometer, or time yourself and add several hundred more steps, another block or more minutes each week. Work up to at least 30 minutes a day on five or more days a week.
Tone up with tunes.
Motivate yourself with music while you are walking. Jog or march in place for at least 15 minutes a day while you’re watching television.
Do anything.
Being active doesn’t mean you have to pump steel or run a marathon. Any moderate-pace activity counts. Try walking, swimming, gardening, dancing, biking, hiking, skipping rope or paddling a canoe. Add new activities to keep from getting bored.
See your doctor
Make a date (and keep it). Each year, on your birthday, schedule a checkup with your doctor. Ask your doctor for advice on reaching or maintaining a healthy weight and how often you need the following tests:
Men & Women
Blood pressure measurement: Starting at age 20, each regular healthcare visit, at least every two years
Body Mass Index (BMI) measurement: Starting at age 20, each regular healthcare visit
Blood cholesterol test: Starting at age 20, at least every five years
Blood glucose (sugar) test: Starting at age 45, every three years
Colorectal screening: Starting at age 50, every 1-10 years depending on the test the doctor uses
Women
Clinical breast exam (CBE): Starting at age 20, every three years; yearly after age 40
Mammography: Starting at age 40, yearly
Pap test: Starting at age 20, yearly. After age 30, every one to three years, depending on the test the doctor uses and past results
Men
Prostate Specific Antigen test and digital rectal exam:
Starting at age 50, ask your doctor about the pros and cons of testing
Be an informed loser.
Ask your doctor for help losing weight. Excess weight increases your risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. To achieve steady weight loss, eat 200-300 calories less each day, and strive for at least 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week or more.
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