Physical Health

LIVE IT! ASSESS YOURSELF An interactive version of this assessment is available online in Mastering Health.

How Mindful and Healthy Are Your Eating Habits?

Why do I eat? What is driving my eating?

When do I feel like eating? When do I think about eating? When do I decide to eat?

What do I eat? Keep a food diary for 5 days, writing down everything you eat and drink. Be sure to include the approximate amount or portion size. Add up the number of servings from each of the major food groups on each day, and enter them into the chart below.

Number of Servings:

Fruits

Vegetables

Grains

Protein foods

Dairy

Fats and oils

Sweets

How do I eat? How, specifically, do I get the food I've chosen into my body?

Evaluate Your Mindful Eating and Your Food Intake

First, take notes on your mindful eating patterns. Do you get up early enough to eat a nutritious breakfast? Do you eat in the car, in front of the television, or while reading your tablet? Do you eat slowly and savor your foods?

Now compare your consumption patterns to the MyPlate recommendations. Look at Table 10.1 (page 27 4) and Figure 10.5 (page 285) and visit www.choosemyplate.gov to evaluate your daily caloric needs and the recommended consumption rates for the different food groups. How does your diet match up?

296 I PART FOUR I Building Healthy Lifestyles

1 • How does your daily fruit consumption compare to the recommendation for you?

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2. How does your daily Q vegetable consumption compare to the recommendation for you?

3. How does your daily grain consumption compare to the recommendation for you?

4. How does your daily protein food consumption compare to the recommendation for you?

5. How does your daily dairy food consumption compare to the recommendation for you?

6. How does your daily calorie consumption compare to the recommendation for your age and activity level?

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If you found that your food intake is consistent with the MyPlate recommendations, congratulations! If you are falling short in a major food group or are overdoing it in certain categories, con- sider taking steps to adopt healthier eating habits.

Source: J.S. Blake, K.D. Munoz, and S. Volpe, Nutrition: From Science to You, 3rd ed.,© 2016. Reprinted and electronically reproduced by permission of Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

YOUR PLAN FOR The ASSESS YOURSELF activity gave you the chance to evaluate your current mindful eating and nutritional habits. Once you have considered these results, you can decide whether you need to make changes in your daily eating for long-term health.

TODAY, YOU CAN:

D Notice when you're hungry and when you're full.

D Start keeping a more detailed food log. The easy-to-use SuperTracker at www.s1,.1pertracker.usda.gov can help you keep track of your food intake and analyze what you eat. Take note of the nutritional content of the vari- ous foods you eat, and write down particulars about the number of cal- ories, grams of saturated fat, grams of sugar, milligrams of sodium, and other elements of each food. Try to find specific weak spots: Are you consuming too many calories or too much salt or sugar? Do you eat too little calcium or iron? Use the SuperTracker to plan a healthier food intake to overcome these weak spots.

D Take a field trip to the grocery store. Forgo your fast-food dinner, and instead spend time in the produce section of the supermarket. Pur- chase your favorite fruits and veg- etables, and try something new to e_xpand your tastes.

WITHIN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, YOU CAN:

D Practice to be more present when you eat and slow down your eating. Savor the flavor of food, and enjoy every bite to allow the brain time to receive signals that you are becom- ing full.

D Plan at least three meals that you can make at home or in your dorm room, and purchase the ingredi- ents you'll need ahead of time. Something as simple as a chicken sandwich on whole-grain bread will be more nutritious and probably cheaper than heading out for a fast- food meal.

D Start reading labels. Be aware of the amount of calories, sodium, sugars, and saturated fats in prepared foods; aim to buy and consume those that are lower in all of these and are higher in micronutrients and fiber.

BY THE END OF THE SEMESTER, YOU CAN:

D Eat at the table without distractions from my computer, phone, or televi- sion for most meals of the week. Enjoy discussing events with my friends while you eat.

D Get in the habit of eating a healthy breakfast every morning. Combine whole grains, proteins, and fruit in your breakfast; for example, eat a bowl of cereal with soy milk and bananas or a cup of low-fat yogurt with granola and berries. Eating a healthy breakfast will jump-start your metabolism, prevent drops in blood glucose levels, and keep your brain and body performing at their best through your morning classes.

D Commit to one or two healthful changes to your eating patterns for the rest of the semester. You might resolve to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day, to switch to low-fat or nonfat dairy products, to stop drinking soft drinks, or to use only olive oil in your cooking. Use your food diary to help you spot places where you can make healthier choices on a daily basis.

CHAPTER 1 O I Nutrition: Eating for a Healthier You I 297

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