Nutrition is by far the most important aspect of a healthy lifestyle. Too many of us are unaware of what we eat and the number of calories we consume each day. An article done by CBS News and USA Today called “Where America Stands” reported that in the last thirty years, women increased their daily calorie consumption from 1,542 calories per day to 1,877 calories. The calorie intake for men increased from 2,450 calories per day to 2,618 calories.
The issue is that we have no idea what we are eating and the number of calories we take in on any given day. Here is a sample of an average American’s food intake in one day:
Breakfast:
Coffee – Sugar and cream
Bagel – Cream cheese
Total Calories: 900 calories
Lunch:
Chicken Sandwich and Fries
Tall Lemonade
Total Calories – 1320 Calories
Mid day Snack:
Iced Coffee beverage (Grande)
Total Calories – 400
Dinner:
Chicken Alfredo Pasta (full plate)
Salad
Soft Drink
Total Calories – 1020 Calories
Total Calories for the Day: 3640 Calories
Before we focus on the caloric intake let’s first point out the lack of fresh foods in this person’s food consumption. We all should be consuming at least four to five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. This individual had one serving.
We should also note that there was no water consumption demonstrated in this day’s worth of eating. Water is God’s healing beverage. It is absolutely imperative that you drink water on a daily basis. It actually helps the nutrients travel through your body.
The average person needs about 2000 calories per day. When you eat more calories than your body needs, those excess calories lead to weight gain. Eating 3640 calories a day is a sure way to pack on an excessive amount of weight.
The first thing you should do if you are trying to manage or lose weight is to get an understanding of what you are eating. You can do this by simply writing down what you eat. There are even phone apps now that help you keep track of what you eat, making it easy and convenient.
The food diary should notate what you ate, how much you ate and why you ate (were you bored, sad, or lonely or was it lunch time?)
Here is a sample food diary:
Breakfast:
2 slices of toast with peach preserves
1 cup of OJ
1 scrambled egg cooked in low fat butter
Mood – hungry
Snack:
Peanut M&M’s
Bottle of Coke
Mood – lonely (upset with my boos)
You would continue this, documenting everything that you ate each day. Keeping this food diary will not only help you understand what you are eating but it will also help you see that you don’t always eat when you are hungry. Sometimes you eat for emotional gratification. Once you recognize that correlation you can begin redirecting those negative emotions into other things.
After you’ve kept track of your eating habits for at least a week, you should notice some areas where you aren’t eating as healthy as you should. Here are a few ways to maximize your daily calories:
Eat the biggest meal for breakfast – Always eat breakfast. People who are able to maintain a healthy weight are people who understand that breakfast sets the tone for the rest of your day.
Include a fruit or veggie and protein in every meal.
Eat whole grain breads.
Keep healthy snacks with you so you aren’t tempted to buy junk food.
Make water your number one beverage choice.
Limit eating out to once a week.
These are just a few recommendations to get you started but you’ll definitely want to read up on nutrition. You have to know how to take care of your body. Food is enjoyable and many of us associate food with happiness and comfort, but remember that food was created to sustain us. Unfortunately, the way in which we are using food, is destroying us and we are dying every day from heart disease.
Sure, you can go to the gym and try to lose weight but keep in mind that starting a fitness program without first having a change of heart in the area of nutrition can often times be a waste. If you don’t change what you eat, what you do in the gym will not keep you healthy. The definitive goal is health!
Source:
“How Americans Eat Today.” CBS News.
