Eating Healthy

Our traditional Hispanic diet contains a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, beans, eggs, chicken, fish and red meat, tortillas, and chili; all very good for our health. Unfortunately, as we abandon these habits and eat a readily available diet of fast food or junk food, we increase our risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, cancer and obesity.

Healthy nutrition comes from eating a variety of foods to provide the optimal quantity of all the nutrients our body needs in order to maintain health, and a limited amount of the foods that are harmful, such as sugar, saturated fats, cholesterol, salt and preservatives.

A healthy diet should be rich in natural products and foods that are unprocessed. These are especially abundant in plants such as fruit, vegetables, cereals, legumes, nuts and seeds. These foods, in addition to containing important nutrients, supply fiber, which has properties to improve health.

The "Mediterranean Diet," characterized by an abundance of salads, legumes, fresh and dry fruit, olive oil, fish, poultry, dairy products and eggs, small amounts of red meat, pasta and moderate amounts of wine (especially red), is an example of a healthy diet.

The goal would be to learn to eat healthily by following the recommendations of a dietician or certified nutritionist who will help you design an individual nutritional plan customized for your likes, needs, and budget.

To eat in a healthy manner, eat foods from all the food groups.

We offer the following guidelines for each of these food groups and the best way to eat them in order to obtain optimum nutrition.

• Milk and yogurt. Consume one to two cups (8 to 16 ounces or 240 to 480 ml) each day, but it should be non-fat because whole milk contains a lot of fat and cholesterol. Milk and yogurt are excellent sources of calcium.
• Vegetables. Try to eat 3 or 4 servings of vegetables each day, raw or cooked, as they are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and fiber, all of which help your body to function well. If you cook them, try steaming them in order to conserve their vitamins, and if a lack of time is your excuse for not eating them, buy frozen vegetables.
• Fruit. Eat 3 or 4 servings of fruit each day. Fruits contain a great quantity of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, especially if you eat whole fruit. Avoid processed fruit or commercial juices as they contain a lot of sugar and lose many of their nutritious properties.
• Legumes. Beans, lentils, lima beans and garbanzos (chick-peas) are very nutritious and inexpensive. Try to include at least one portion from this group in your meals each day.
• Cereals. This group includes wheat, corn, oats, barley, rice, potatoes, and yams, among others. We recommend that you choose whole grain breads, corn tortillas or corn on the cob, whole oats, and traditional semolina pasta instead of products made with refined flours such as white bread, cakes, cookies or boxed cereals processed using a lot of sugar.
• Meat. This group includes chicken, beef, pork, and fish, as well as eggs and cheese. These are the best source for proteins, but we shouldn't eat more than one serving at each meal; that is one piece of meat the size of the fist of a closed hand, or a piece of steak the size of an open hand, or two eggs.
• Fats. Try to eat vegetable oils such as olive oil or other vegetable oils, avocados, seeds and nuts. Avoid, as much as possible, animal fats such as butter, cream, bacon, and lard. Also, try to broil, bake, or steam food, and avoid frying foods.
• Sugars. As much as possible, avoid excessive sugar in your diet and if you can, stop drinking bottled sodas and eating sweets for desserts, substituting fruit or fruit drinks made without sugar.
• Water. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water each day and limit your consumption of coffee to one or two cups each day.

Finally, keep in mind that it is not necessary to eat boiled chicken and vegetables all the time, rather eat food that is flavorful and low in fat, a lot of fruits and vegetables, and less flour and sugar. Use a variety of different herbs and chile or tomato sauce to add flavor to your dishes.

If you try to eat healthy foods every day, you will feel good and have more energy. It is really worth the effort!