Morton Hospital and Medical Center: Nutrition.

Basics of a Balanced Diet
These days, it can be confusing to plan a balanced diet. For instance, how much protein should a person eat at each meal to stay healthy?

The most sensible way for people to approach a healthy diet is to know how much of their daily calories should come from fats, protein, and complex carbohydrates, and to follow a few simple eating guidelines.

Every day, a person takes in a certain amount of calories from a variety of foods. For a healthy diet, most of these calories--say 60-70%--should come from complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, breads, pastas, fruits and vegetables..

Protein, in the form of lean meats, poultry, fish and peas and beans, should make up 10-20% of calories.

And calories from fats should be limited. The American Heart Association recommends that less than 30% of calories should come from fat, and some professionals recommend as low as 20%.

These proportions help provide all the energy a person needs during the day, while keeping fat, sugar and protein intake within recommended guidelines.

The next step in creating a balanced diet is to plan each meal with the following basic health tips in mind:

Eat a variety of different foods, including breads, fruits, vegetables, dairy products and a range of protein sources.

Limit servings of meat, poultry and fish to three ounces after cooking.

Avoid highly processed or refined foods whenever possible.

Limit the intake of fats, cholesterol, salt and sugars.

When drinking alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.

The extra attention required to maintain a balanced diet may seem a little difficult at first, but the effort will soon pay off in higher energy, lower stress and greater resistance to disease.

Kicking the Junk Food Habit

Most people are tempted by junk food because they believe it's such as easy alternative to preparing meals from scratch. But junk food is rarely a good eating option because it's very low in nutritional value and contains large amounts of calories, fat, sodium and/or sugar.

The best way to kick the junk food habit is to develop a taste for better foods. Once a person starts to focus on eating healthy foods, junk food will automatically appear less attractive.

The following techniques can help train the body and taste buds to prefer a healthy diet:

Make sure to eat high-nutrition meals at regular times during the day.

Take the time to enjoy each meal thoroughly.

When hunger strikes between meals, reach for a low-fat, low-salt snack instead of junk food.

Learn to prepare homemade snacks such as frozen pops made from fruit juice or soda prepared from fruit juice and carbonated water.

If it seems too difficult to cut out junk food altogether, there are a number of easy ways to substantially reduce the intake of these low-nutrition foods. The following tips offer advice on how to cut down on junk food:

Avoid having candy or other sweets around the house. When candy is available, save it for special occasions.

Order smaller pizzas and ask for vegetable toppings instead of high-fat meats.

Avoid deep-fat fried foods.

Order the small hamburger instead of the "super double burger with cheese and bacon."

The switch from junk food to healthy eating takes a little time, so be patient. Eventually, the taste buds will become accustomed to healthy food and may even begin to dislike the junk food they formerly craved.

For more information about nutrition, you may visit the following websites:

American Dietetic Association
www.nutrition.gov
www.cookinglight.com
www.familyfoodzone.com
www.foodsafety.gov
www.nationaldairycouncli.org
www.nutritionforkids.com
www.mypyramid.gov
www.americanheart.org
National Digestive Diseases information clearinghouse
The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network
American Gastroenterology Association
Recipes from the Food Network
American Obesity Association