Friday, February 19, 2016

3 Diets to Help You Follow the New Dietary Guidelines

The new 2015-2020 federal dietary guidelines focus on the prevention of diet-related chronic diseases instead of just weight management alone. Here are three suggested diets designed around the guidelines to help make them more user-friendly:

Healthy American Diet: A healthier version of what people in the United States typically consume, it suggests 2.5 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit, 6 ounces of grain, 3 cups of dairy and 5.5 ounces of protein daily.

Mediterranean Diet: Heavy on protein and fruits while light on dairy, this diet suggests 6.5 ounces of protein, 2.5 cups of fruit and 2 cups of dairy daily. Like the American diet, it also suggests 2.5 cups of vegetables and 6 ounces of grain daily.

Vegetarian Diet: This diet only suggests 3.5 ounces of protein daily. To replace meat and seafood, it prescribes 7 ounces of nuts and seeds, as well as 8 ounces of tofu and other soy products. It also recommends 2.5 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit and 6.5 ounces of grain.

*Above examples are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

This information is provided by the E.K. McConkey Live Well, Work Well Newsletter

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

February is American Heart Month!


It's Heart Month - and not just because of Valentines Day.

Your heart is an amazing organ.  It supplies your body with blood that runs through thousands of miles of blood vessels, arteries and capillaries.

That is why it is so important to keep it and all the paths your blood travels through working properly.  Cardiovascular exercise is an important part of heart health and supporting that health with proper nutrition is crucial too.  Keeping fit, maintaining a healthy weight, limiting sugar intake and including more fruits and vegetables can all help keep your heart healthy.  To learn more about how you can make healthy changes, visit the American Heart Association's web page at heart.org.