There are many challenges that come
when choosing the right foods. For me, many of my food choices are driven
by time and energy, both which are lacking in my life. I am a mom of six
kids, work two jobs, and go to school full time. It is easy to admit that
food is at the bottom of my list. I have been known to feed
my family mac and cheese three nights in a row because that was all I had
time or energy for.
I
have self-diagnosed myself as a social eater.
I tend to make my unhealthiest food choices when I am in social settings. When I get around other people, I tend to not
really pay attention to what I am putting in my mouth. I eat what is around me or what sounds
good. All of my normal healthy eating
habits tend to go out the window. This can
be a big problem for me because most social gatherings involve food. Almost every get together with family, church
gatherings, and work meetings seem to have food as a major component to the
gatherings
Emotions
often drive food choices. Some people
eat poorly when sad, overwhelmed, depressed, or stressed. Certain foods have the ability to make people
feel temporarily better. I have been
known to spend some quality time with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s when I am
feeling down or overwhelmed. The other day, I was feeling overwhelmed and
slightly depressed and so I kept grabbing things to eat that I thought would
make me feel better. None of the foods
worked, but my food choices were completely based on what I was feeling, not on
whether it was good for me.
Sizer
& Whitney (2013) states that taste is the number-one factor that drives
food choices, but that price is a close second.
I have a sister that has a very tight budget and has found that it is
hard to be able to stay within her budget and make healthy food choices. Since fast, cheap, and easy is usually not
quality food, the health of those who live in poverty is extremely poor. “Food deserts” are areas where there is an
extreme lack of healthy food options in that area or community. “Food deserts” are a problem to the health of
those living in these areas because when you can’t get the right food you eat
fast food or convenience foods that are most often chronically deficient in essential
nutrients (Elliott, 1997).
The five characteristics of a healthy
diet are adequacy, balance, moderation, calorie control, and variety.
Adequacy
– It is important that a diet includes enough nutrients. Without the right amount of certain
nutrients, the body will not operate at optimal levels and have negative side
effects. For example, when a person is
low in potassium then muscle weakness, aches, cramps, and heart palpitations
may occur. The best way to counteract
the negative symptoms is to add more potassium into the diet.
Dietary
Balance – Balance is important in a diet and achieving that balance can be
challenging. For example, because foods
that are rich in iron are generally low in calcium, but the body needs both
iron and calcium equally. Sizer and
Whitney (2014), state that in order to achieve balance in the diet, one must
consume nutrients equally and adequately.
Moderation
- Moderation in all things is a good rule of thumb to go by and nutrition is no
exception. It is important to not deprive
oneself of some of the “bad” foods.
Indulging in treats every once in a while allows a person to not feel
deprived and helps to maintain a healthy diet.
Often when a person feels deprived, then the temptation to over indulge
becomes very strong. Eating a whole
pizza is not good for anyone, but a slice of pizza is perfectly fine.
Calorie
Control – A calorie is a unit of energy. Many people watch their calories in
order to lose weight. When food is
eaten, the calories in that food are converted to energy. A certain amount of calories is needed to for
the body to function properly and every person needs different amounts based
upon his or her height, weight, and levels of activity. Too many calories consumed by a person can
lead to obesity and too little can cause malnourishment. It is important to watch the amount of
calories consumed in order to achieve optimal healthy living.
Variety
– If a person lives on beans and rice, then it is likely that he or she is not
getting enough vitamins and nutrients in the body. Have a diet filled with variety will give a
person the necessary nutrients it needs to keep the body functioning well.
Every day, I wake up and tell myself that
I will include all the characteristics of healthy eating in my diet. Some of those days I am very successful,
other days I completely fail. I will
continue to make a new effort each day to do better. Because nutrition is so important and our
food choices are impacted by so many different things, knowing and understanding
what makes a healthy diet can go a long way to creating a consistent and
healthy dietary plan.
Here is a link to my favorite website that offers a lot of advice regarding making healthy food choices:
Elliott, V. (1997, Nov 05). 'Food deserts'
threaten health of poor and old. The Times Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/317882349?accountid=32521
Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (13th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Life'd (2015). The 5 Least Healthiest Foods. Image retrieved from http://www.lifed.com/the-5-least-healthy-foods-in-america
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