A healthy diet is not just about eating healthy and staying away from junk food, but it is about eating the healthy foods in a nutritious way. "A nutritious diet is an eating pattern that follows ....Adequacy, Balance, Calorie control, Moderation, and Variety" (Sizer & Whitney, 2013 p.11). Adequacy means that you have to consume enough of the vitamins and minerals for your body to function properly. For example, if you lack vitamin D, the bones can become brittle and increase your chances of osteoporosis but enough vitamin D will ensure that your bones are staying strong. Balance just means that you are not taking in to much Vitamin D and not enough Iron. "Most people should get all the nutrients they need by eating a varied and balanced diet. If you choose to take vitamin and mineral supplements, be aware that taking too many or taking them for too long can cause harmful effects" (2013). Calorie Control means that the foods you pick or not full of calories and the total calorie allowance for the day has to be divided up between breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Eating to many calories will cause weight gain no matter if the food is healthy or not. When an individual has a craving for ice cream or a piece of cake, it is ok to have the item as long as it is not every day and they are not eating the whole carton or the whole cake. This is called moderation and it helps keep individuals focused and not feel deprived when embarking and being on a healthy diet. Variety is one of the most important aspects of a healthy diet. Variety keeps an individual from getting bored of their healthy eating and allows them to try different healthy foods prepared in healthy ways. If an individual just ate grilled chicken all day long every day, they would get bored of the diet and could easily slip back into unhealthy eating habits.
A sample meal plan on the Clean Eating website makes it easy to see the variety of foods one can make for the week that are healthy and lets you know the total daily calories of all the food from Breakfast through Dinner and including snacks. Using this meal plan is a great way to make sure that you are eating a healthy diet and including all the characteristics of adequacy, balance, calorie control, moderation, and variety.
http://media.cleaneating.com.s3.amazonaws.com/MEAL%20PLANNING/meal%20plans/ce20mealplan.pdf
This link provides two weeks of meal plans for the whole day to help you get started on that healthy diet.
When it comes to choosing the right foods there are many obstacles that stand in the way. It can be the cost of foods, the access to foods, personal preference, where the person lives, or social pressures. In some places fruits and vegetables might not be easily accessible and this can also rise the prices of those items. When someone does not have the money to spend on the higher cost of food, they will revert to the foods they can offered which are often packaged or processed foods. When one thinks of the south, they think of BBQ and comfort foods which are high in fats and calories and if the person grew up in the south, these foods can become comfort foods for them and they develop a personal preference of these type of foods and my think that certain healthy foods are bland tasting. Social pressures can also cause issues for a person trying to eat a healthy diet, for example at a super bowl party there will be junk food and alcohol and the person might feel they need to eat that way at the party to not be rude to the host. Emotional factors can also be an obstacle when trying to eat healthy. If someone is stressed out, they might resort to eating chocolate and before they know it, they have eaten more than a serving size and consumed twice or triple the amount of calories.
Many factors drive our food choices which can either be a good thing or a bad thing. If we decide to eat a diet that is healthier then the one we currently have, our food choices will be influenced by that. The person will make a conscious effort to purchase more vegetable and fruits. Limit their fat intake and eat more whole grains. Favorite foods do not need to be given up, but one can find healthier versions or ways to make the food. For example, I really love pumpkin bread and found a recipe that lets me enjoy it in a healthier way.
References
Meal Plans - Clean Eating. (n.d.). Clean Eating. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/meal-planning/meal-plans/
Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (13th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning
Vitamins and minerals . (2013). Vitamins and minerals. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/vitamins-minerals.aspx
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread - Eating Clean Recipes. (2010, October 17). Eating Clean Recipes. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://eatingcleanrecipes.com/2010/10/whole-wheat-pumpkin-bread/
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