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Learning the Nutritional
Values of Food
Part of healthy living is
learning how to compare not only junk foods to healthy foods, but taking a
step further to compare items within the healthy group.
Common sense and countless
studies have proven that natural foods comprise the healthiest diet. Getting
away from the processed, refined foods and those with chemicals and
additives will always help you to live a healthier lifestyle.
With that in mind, there are
things to be aware of even when you choose to eat these natural items. For
example, eating pineapple cannot be considered the same as eating
blackberries. Pineapple is very high in sugar while blackberries are very
low. Therefore, it would be better to set a goal of how much "sugar from
fruit" you wish to intake per day, rather than how many "servings of fruit"
per day. See the below comparison:
|
Healthy Eater #1 |
|
|
CALORIES |
SUGAR (g) |
| Banana, one medium |
105 |
14.4 |
| Pear, one medium |
96 |
16.3 |
|
Apple, one medium |
72 |
14.3 |
|
Grapes, 20 pieces |
68 |
15.2 |
|
Totals
|
341 |
60.2 |
|
|
Healthy Eater #2 |
|
|
CALORIES |
SUGAR (g) |
| Cantaloupe,
1/8 of a medium melon |
23 |
5.4 |
| Strawberries,
1c. whole |
46 |
6.7 |
|
Grapefruit,
small 3 1/2" diam. (5oz) |
32 |
7.0 |
|
Blackberries,
1c. (5.1oz) |
62 |
7.0 |
|
Totals |
163 |
26.1 |
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As you see, both
healthy eaters are consuming four servings of fruit in the day.
However, eater #1 is consuming more than double the calories and
sugar than eater #2. You've surely heard people say, "But it's
GOOD sugar", but ALL sugar not burned turns into fat in the
body. Your intake of sugar should be carefully
monitored.
Fats are another
concern and should be eaten in moderation. The body needs some fat,
therefore it is not healthy to eat a completely fat free diet.
Animal fats are the least desirable fats, health wise. But in
moderation can surely be part of a healthy lifestyle. Chicken is a
much healthier alternative to beef, for example. With minimal fat,
it is packed with protein. So, if you choose to eat some sort of
meat every day, you would be wise to keep the red meats to a minimum
and eat mostly white meats and fish. Good fats can come from nuts
and olive oil, supplying the body with essential fats -- for those
who don't care to eat meat.
In the following
charts, we compare nutrition information for common healthy foods in
several catagories: cheeses; meats/fish; fresh fruits & nuts. They
are sorted by the nutritional component that is the "danger zone" of
that type of food. For example, the concern when eating cheese is
not getting too much protein but rather getting too much fat. With
fruit, sugar is what we should watch out for. Except for the
meat/fish page, there are two charts. One is sorted by a typical
serving size and the other is sorted per ounce for comparison.
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