A. Breakfast replenishes your body and brain with energy. Fasting over night significantly reduces energy stores. A morning meal perks you up which can, according to some studies, increase your productivity, your mental sharpness and your ability to handle stress. Breakfast eaters tend to have more strength and endurance, a greater capacity to concentrate and better ability to solve problems. Research has also shown that breakfast eaters often have healthier diets – they get more vitamins and minerals in and they tend to eat less fat.
Q. I think I need to eat better. I cannot seem to eat foods from every food group at every meal. Should I be?
A. You don’t have to eat one food from each of the foods groups at every meal. What’s more important is what you choose over the entire day. Your goal is to eat the recommended servings of foods from all the food groups each day. Use the Food Guide Pyramid as your blueprint. It gives you a snapshot of how to balance your diet. Grains such as cereals, bread,pasta and rice are the foundation – next are fruits and vegetables followed by dairy foods, meats and legumes.
Balance is the key. If one day or one meal favors meat then have your future meals feature grains, fruits and vegetables.
Q. Why is it that in summertime I feel like I can get by with eating less or eating lighter foods?
A. It’s been documented that appetite and food intake can change along with the seasons. Both tend to go up during the colder months and go down during the summer months. Summer’s heat can zap energy and appetite making heavier foods such as stews, casseroles and creamy desserts less appealing. The influx of light, colorful, naturally low in fat seasonal fruits and vegetables are also a welcome change of pace to winter’s filling fare. Their juicy, crisp sweet taste is a refreshing, cooling treat.
Summertime activities and the season’s more carefree schedule can make mealtimes less structured and less of a focus in one’s day. Chances are you are probably drinking more fluids as well. Fluids can “water down” your appetite making you less apt to overeat.
Q. Are there certain foods that will help my skin look better, or give my hair a healthier glow?
A. One of the most important tools for healthy skin and hair is an overall healthful diet. Though certain vitamins such as B, C and E are associated with cell growth and repair (which parlays into healthier skin and hair) they need to be packaged with a well-balanced diet in order to be effective.
Other tips:
- Choose at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. They contain antioxidants which may protect against premature aging.
- Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids. They may help produce hormone-like substances in your body that rejuvenate the skin. (Albacore tuna, salmon, lake trout, soybeans and canola or flaxseed oil are good sources.)
- Drink at least six to eight glasses of water or other non-alcoholic, decaffeinated beverages a day (ideally ones that have nutritional merit). Water is necessary for every function in your body including keeping every cell in your body healthy. Too little liquid may make your skin less resilient.
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