Nutrition: Living Happy & Healthy
By John Brasher, Miles Tabarez, Billy Thomas, Megan Troutman, and Mike Pirnick
Why should we eat healthier? What should I buy at the grocery store? This page has information on ways to have a happy and healthy lifestyle. Families can work together to have a nutritious diet and maintain a healthy weight.
Measures of Obesity
-BMI: To calculate your BMI, multiply your height in inches times your height in inches. Then, divide your weight by that number. Finally, multiply that result by 705.
-Heart Rate: To check your Heart Rate, place two fingers between the bone and the tendon over your radial artery — which is located on the thumb side of your wrist. When you feel your pulse, count the number of beats in 15 seconds. Multiply this number by 4 to calculate your beats a minute.
How To Read Nutrition Label
- Reading food labels will make it much easier for you to compare foods and find the foods that have the nutritional value your child needs.
- Food labels can help you limit the amount of fat, sugar and cholesterol in your diet by making it easy for you to compare one food item with another and choose the one with lower amounts.
- You can use food labels to find food items higher in vitamins, fiber and protein
Benefits of Healthy Eating
Healthy eating consists of nutrient rich foods including: fruits, vegetables, dairy, protein, and fiber.
Benefits:
- Controls Weight/ 150 minutes of moderate activity per week
- Improves Mood/ A more desired appearance can lead to a boost in self-confidence
- Combats Diseases/ Diabetes, depression, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, certain types of cancer, and arthritis
- Boosts Energy/ Body receives the proper fuel to work efficiently
- Improves Longevity/ Boosts your chances of a longer life
Free Phone Apps To Guide Nutrition
- Calorie counter & diet tracker by My fitnessPal- The fastest and easiest to use.
- Instant Heart Rate- Use this app to find out your heart rate in less than 10 seconds.
- Argus Calorie Counter and Activity Log- Argus offers advanced sleep tracker, heart rate monitor, 24/7 pedometer, gps tracker, calorie counter, workout videos, and weight loss plans.
Smart grocery store and fast food choices
- Grocery store choices should consist mainly of fruits, vegetables, dairy products, protein products, and fiber products.
- Most fast food menus have a “lighter” menu or a “below 500 calories” menu that one could be sure to use when trying to be healthy like the following: Subway, Jersey Mikes, Chipotle, El Pollo Loco, Chick Fil A, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and Panera Bread.
