Nutrition Information

Nutrition Information If you are like most health conscious adults, you notice nutrition information on your favorite foods, and make good choices based on recommended nutritional guidelines. A great site to visit that has reliable nutrition information is www.nutrition.gov, made available to consumers by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Agricultural Library. This site features discussion on all the latest nutrition news, in addition to answers to the most frequently asked questions about the latest dietary guidelines for all age groups. Nutrition information is included for everyone, including men, women, infants, children, adolescents, the elderly, and for women that are pregnant or breastfeeding. The revised Food Guide Pyramid is also discussed, and describes each food group, recommended number of daily servings, and how to get these foods into your diet. Getting proper nutrition through your diet does not have to be complicated. It is important to get nutrition information from reliable sources as discussed above, and to seek additional advice from a nutritionist or health care provider if needed. Multi-vitamins, herbs, and other supplements are not intended to take the place of eating a balanced diet; it is always better to get nutrients from the natural source rather than buy a manufactured version. When looking at food labels note how many servings are in the package, calories, fats, carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and nutrients, as well as the ingredients. Nutrition information is required by federal guidelines to be on every food label, so it is readily available to consumers to use in diet planning. Many of us are not aware of what is in some of our favorite foods; maybe we just don’t want to know! We all need to be health conscious about what we eat, and what we feed our families. There are many additives and food preparation processes that are not necessarily good for the food we are taking into our bodies therefore it isn’t good for us either. The Food Guide pyramid is full of basic nutrition information, and is a good place to start planning your diet and adjust according to your daily calorie requirements and your goal weight. If you want to lose weight then physical activity should be increased and food intake decreased, without jeopardizing nutrition of course. The key to living a long healthy life is to take care of your body, mind, and spirit. Eat right, exercise regularly, reduce your stress level, and make healthy choices. It really is as easy as it sounds. Just remember, you are what you eat!