All of us at some stage have sat down and thought, " I really need to have a think about what I am doing in my life." 
Eating healthy is a lot easier than you might think. 

Eating Healthy

With just a bit of planning and organisation, you can have a nutritious tasty meal or snack in no time. 
Healthy eating means managing the food you eat to consume the right amount to provide the energy you need to keep your body functioning and fuel your daily activity.
If you are trying to lose weight, modify your food intake and increase your level of physical activity.  Avoid high fat/sugar and processed foods. 

Smart Eating Quiz

1. Eating a healthy breakfast each morning is important because: 

•  It makes you less likely to snack on unhealthy foods during the day

•  It helps with concentration

•  It assists with weight control

•  It is a good opportunity to get the fibre, vitamins and minerals that your body needs

•  All of the above

Breakfast, as the name suggests, helps 'break the fast' between dinner and lunch. It is a great opportunity to assist the body in getting the daily nutrients it needs for good health, kickstarts your metabolism and also helps to control your appetite throughout the day.

2. Fruit is good for you because it contains: 

•   Fibre

•  Carbohydrates

•  Vitamins

•  Antioxidants

•  All of the above

Fruits make a great snack or dessert as they are jam-packed full of vitamins, minerals, fibre, carbohydrates and antioxidants

3. How much physical activity should you be doing each day for good health? 

•  20 minutes low-intensity exercise

•  30 minutes moderate-intensity exercise

•  10 minutes high-intensity exercise

By getting a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise everyday you will keep your body fit and healthy. You will feel great too! Remember that your 30 minutes can be made up of several short activities.

4. The best way to increase my intake of antioxidants is to: 

•   Eat more dark chocolate

•  Drink more red wine

•  Eat plenty of wholegrain breads and cereals, fruits and vegetables

Whilst dark chocolate and red wine contain antioxidants they are still classified as 'occassional' foods. The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend a diet high in wholegrain breads and cereals, fruits and vegetables to ensure you are getting the right amount of nutrients your body needs. You can still enjoy some dark chocolate and red wine in moderation and enjoy their antioxidant benefits as part of a healthy diet.

5. True or false?
Using canola oil instead of butter when cooking can help to prevent or reduce high cholesterol. 

• True

•  False

Foods high in saturated fat increase your LDL or 'bad' cholesterol. Butter is high in saturated fat and can therefore raise your LDL cholesterol. On the other hand, polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats such as canola or olive oil help increase your good 'HDL' cholesterol and can be healthier substitutes for butter.

Healthy Eating Self-Assessment-What Did You Eat Today?

The Healthy Eating Self-Assessment is suitable for children over 4 years of age and adults.

Vegetables 


Try to eat between 4 and 7 serves of vegetables each day. Eating a variety of different vegetables helps to provide the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre and carbohydrate that help to keep you healthy.
Example of a serve of vegetables might be 1/2 cup cooked, 1 cup raw, 1 medium potato or 1/2 cup legumes.

Fruit
 
Eating a variety of different fruit helps to provide the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre and carbohydrate that help keep you healthy. Try to eat 2 or 3 serves of fruit each day.
Example of a serve of fruit is 1 medium piece, 2 small pieces, 1 cup diced or canned, 1/2 cup juice, 1.5 tablespoons dried (eg sultanas) or 4dried halves (eg apricots).

Bread Grain & Cereal 

 High fibre bread and cereal foods helps to provide the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrate and fibre that help to keep you healthy. But CAUTION is needed as they can also add weight easily. If you want to loose weight it is best to avoid breads as much as possible. Choose high fibre grain breads, brown rice, oats and avoid those highly processed cereals high in fats and sugar  
Examples of a serving of bread or cereal are 2 slices of bread, 1 bread roll, 1 cup cooked brown rice or pasta, 1 cup cooked porridge, 1/2 cup muesli, 1&1/3 cup breakfast cereal.

Dairy and Dairy Alternatives:


 Dairy food is a nutritious and essential part of a healthy diet. Try to eat and drink 2 or 3 serves of low fat, high calcium dairy food on most days. Eating or drinking a lot more than this may not leave room for other healthy foods.
Examples of a serving may be 1 cup (250ml) low fat milk, 1 tub (200g) tub low or no fat yoghurt. 

Meats and Meat Alternatives:  


 eating a serve of meat or meat alternative each day provides your body with the iron, protein and zinc you need to help keep you healthy. Try to eat 1 or 1.5 serves of these foods on most days.
Examples of a serve are 65-100g lean red meat or skinless chicken, 80-120g cooked/canned fish or 2 small eggs.

Extras: 


 Choose these foods sometimes and in small amounts as these foods may be higher in fat, salt and sugar than other foods. Eating more than between 0 and 2.5 serves of these foods on most days may not leave room for a variety of healthy foods.
Examples are doughnut, 4 biscuits, 1/2 chocolate bar, 1 tablespoon butter, margarine or oil, 1 can soft drink, 2 scoops ice-cream, 12 hot chips.

Alcohol: 


 If you choose to drink alcohol limit your intake. Men should aim to drink no more than two standard drinks per day and women should aim for no more than one per day. Alcohol provides little nutrition and adds extra kilojoules (energy) to the diet.
Examples 1 standard drink, 1 can/stubby beer, 30ml spirits, 100ml wine, 1 can pre-mix spirits.

Information supported by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Feb 2011

http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/-/watch/1347c611-7612-391b-82b8-527abdbd78ca/female-bodybuilding-regime-and-diet/