Women & Nutrition

Summertime is just around the corner and warmer weather often shifts our focus to healthier habits. Fresh summer produce, longer daylight hours and the excitement of the outdoors all make healthy living easier this time of year. Set a new goal for the changing seasons by eating healthy and exercising regularly – all it takes is a little planning!

As you’re deciding on the best plan of action to suit your needs, avoid fad diets and miracle cures. Instead, stick to the tried and true plan of eating a balanced diet and exercising moderately 3–4 times each week. It’s the best and safest way to lose weight, get fit and stay healthy.

To help you get started, learn about serving sizes, read food labels and calculate your personal caloric requirements. The US Department of Agriculture’s website offers some great information on these and other nutrition subjects. Visit them at usda.gov and click on “Food and Nutrition.”

Also available on the USDA website is an excellent guide to healthy eating. The USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 gives you all the basics on how to eat more healthfully. They suggest eating a variety of foods, balancing your diet with physical activity, including plenty of grains, fruits and vegetables in your daily choices and consuming only moderate amounts of sugar, salt, sodium and alcohol. View the full brochure online for other great ways to spice up your diet.