Ideally, the best way to get recommended nutrients isto eat them! We have the potential to live long, healthy lives due to advances in technology, discoveries in medicine and improvements in lifestyle. We can reap these rewards if we are mindful of what we eat.

Your food and physical activity choices each day affect your healthhow you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future. These tips and ideas are a starting point.

Use the Nutrition Facts label and choose products with a higher % Daily Value (%DV) for fiber the %DV for fiber is a good clue to the amount of whole grain in the product.

Select fruits and vegetables with more potassium often, such as sweet potatoes, white potatoes, white beans, tomato products (paste, sauce, and juice), beet greens, soybeans, lima beans, winter squash, spinach, lentils, kidney beans, split peas, bananas, prunes and prune juice, dried peaches and apricots, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and orange juice.

If you do not consume milk products try these for your calcium sources: calcium fortified juices, cereals, breads, soy beverages, rice beverages, canned fish (sardines, salmon with bones) soybeans and other soy products (soy-based beverages, soy yogurt, tempeh), some other dried beans, and some leafy greens (collard and turnip greens, kale, bok choy).

Choose fish more often for lunch or dinner. Look for fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, trout, and herring. Processed meats such as hams, sausages, frankfurters, and luncheon or deli meats have added sodium. Check the ingredient and Nutrition Facts label to help limit sodium intake.

In a restaurant, start your meal with a salad packed with veggies, to help control hunger and feel satisfied sooner. On long commutes or shopping trips, pack some fresh fruit, cut-up vegetables, low-fat string cheese sticks, or a handful of unsalted nuts to help you avoid stopping for sweet or fatty snacks.

In addition to eating well, fitting activity into a daily routine is paramount. This can be as easy as taking a brisk walk to and from the parking lot, bus stop, or train station. Whats important is to be active most days of the week and make it part of daily routine.

Copyright Glenda Erceg.

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