Dr. Lisa Chaney Lasher - Director of Lourdes Women's Services

Eating well is one of the most important things you can do to stay healthy. Good nutrition increases your energy, improves your mental well-being, and lowers your risk for disease. Good eating habits can help prevent high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer.

A well balanced diet is essential for good health. Every diet should include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. Your body needs a regular intake of these nutrients to grow and provide energy.

DAILY FOOD CHOICE

The Food Guide Pyramid can help you make wise choices about selecting a balanced diet. It shows the number of servings you need daily for each food category. These are the 6 important food groups.

Bread, cereal, rice, and pasta
Fruit
Vegetables
Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts
Milk, yogurt, and cheese
Fats, oils, and sweets

As women get older they discover that they can’t eat as much as they were able to at a younger age, without gaining excess weight

When our body digests food, it breaks the food down into carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. It then converts these into energy. Different types of food have different calories.

One pound is equal to 3,500 calories. In order to lose 1 pound, you must eat less or become more active so you can burn calories.

REDUCING FAT IN YOUR DIET

Broil or bake instead of frying, trim all fat from meats, remove skin from poultry, decrease intake of butter, cream oil and saturated fats