Nutrition and Health

March 17, 2008

经过Drew Correia,R.D.,Health Education Department

Now is the perfect time to make sure you are meeting your nutritional needs for optimum health. Nutrition is actually the relationship between your diet and your health. If your diet is deficient in some nutrients, problems with chronic disease may arise, such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cancer and osteoporosis. Your diet, the foods you eat, should actually contain all the nutrients needed to maintain health. And, the more nutrient rich your food is your chances of better health and reduction of chronic disease will increase. So what nutrients do you need, what do they do, and how do you obtain them?

The best way to make sure that your diet is nutrient rich is to compare it to the Food Guide Pyramid. Every meal should contain a variety of foods from each food group. The food groups include: grains, vegetables, fruit, milk, meat and beans. Each of the food groups provides your body the many vitamins and minerals needed to maintain health. It is also important to point out that your food choices should be nutrient dense foods versus foods that offer calories but no nutrition. Nutrient dense foods- nutrient rich - provide substantial amounts of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients along with them being low in calories. Now let’s turn our attention to what each food group actually provides for your body.

Grain Group:包括任何由小麦，米饭，燕麦，玉米面和大麦制成的食物。谷物群分为全麦，例如全麦面包和富集的精制谷物，例如白面包。您的饮食应大部分从全谷物中提供谷物。谷物组提供B维生素和纤维。全谷物可能会降低心脏病和一些癌症的风险，并有助于体重管理。

蔬菜群：This group includes any vegetable whether fresh, frozen, canned or dried. Also, 100% vegetable juice is included in this group. Vegetables provide potassium, folate, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and fiber. They may help to reduce risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.

Fruit Group:Any fruit, fresh, frozen, canned, dried or 100% fruit juice is found in the fruit group. Fruits provide potassium, folate, vitamin C and fiber which may reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.

Milk Group:Milk, yogurt and cheese are in this group. Also, milk based desserts such as ice cream, frozen yogurt and pudding made with milk are included. Milk, cheese, and yogurt provide calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and protein. These nutrients help build and maintain bone mass which may reduce risk of osteoporosis. Potassium helps regulate the body’s fluid balance and maintains a healthy blood pressure. Make sure these foods are low in fat.

肉类和豆类：Includes meat, poultry, fish, dry beans and peas, eggs, nuts and seeds. This group provides protein, B vitamins, iron and zinc which boost the immune system, build and repair muscle, and help your brain function. The vitamin E and potassium provided helps maintain a healthy heart. When choosing from this group make sure you go for the lean protein.

现在,knowing that the foods you eat provide your body with nutrients to maintain or achieve optimal health, why would you put anything less in your body? So from this day forward think about whether or not your foods are nutrient rich and low calories versus high calorie and low in nutrients. Make every calorie count towards your overall health at every meal with:

•Brightly-colored fruits
•Vibrant-colored vegetables
•整体,强化和富含纤维的谷物食品
•Fat-free and lowfat milk, cheese and yogurt
•Lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, beans and nuts