Download Proper Diet

Introduction
 Proper diet refers to eating
healthy.
 It is only one part of a
healthy lifestyle however
and is only effective when
combined with exercise,
regular visits with health
care professionals (doctors
and dentists), and the
absence of smoking and
drug use.
1) Learn the Four Basic Food Groups
 It is recommended that 20% of your diet come from meat,
dairy and egg products, while the other 80% come from
fruits, vegetables and grains (all these have fiber).
 Over half of young people’s calories should come from
carbohydrates, followed by fats/lipids and then protein.
2) Eat Three Meals a Day
 Don’t skip on breakfast!
 It is important to starting
your metabolism and can
compromise performance at
school if missed.
 All meals should include
fruits/vegetables and grains.
 At least 2 of the meals should
include meat and/or dairy
products.
 Healthy snacking is
encouraged, however not
close to meal time.
3) Decrease the amount of Fat in
your diet
 Tips on reducing fat:
a) One serving of meat per day is enough for proper growth
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
and development.
Replace red meats with fish or poultry which have lower
cholesterol levels.
Trim fat off meats.
Do not serve fatty meats (bacon, sausages, lunch meats,
hot dogs…).
Limit the number of eggs per week (1 egg has just as
much cholesterol as 0.4 kg of red meat)!
Use skim or 1% milk.
Drink water instead of milk to satisfy thirst.
Use margarine instead of butter.
4) Increase the amount of Fruits,
Vegetables and Grains in your diet
 Since fruits and vegetables
are interchangeable, do not
force someone to eat
fruits/vegetables they don’t
like.
 Try to start each day with a
glass of juice and/or cereal.
 Fruit makes a nice dessert.
 Use whole grain breads to
make sandwiches or toast.
5) Don’t forget the Iron
 Iron should be included in your diet to avoid anemia.
 Best sources of iron are red meat, fish and poultry.
 Alternative sources are beans, peanut butter, raisins,
spinach and prune juice.
6) Avoid Excessive Salt




Too much salt can lead to high blood pressure.
Avoid over indulging in salty foods.
Use other spices and herbs to season food.
Don’t even bring the salt out to the dinner table.
7) Avoid Empty Calorie Sugars
 A high amount of sugar in
the diet has been
correlated to coronary
artery disease and cancer.
 Avoid eating pure sugar
snacks to help prevent
tooth decay.
 When having “sweets”, try
to have ones with grains or
fruit to ensure some
nutritional value.
8) Know what to eat before
exercising
 Complex carbohydrates
like those found in pasta,
potatoes and rice are the
best things to consume 3-4
hours before exercise (to
ensure they are out of the
stomach at game time).
 Water is important before
and every 20-30 minutes
during an athletic activity.
Things that a proper diet can
prevent:
1) Anemia not enough iron in the diet leading to fatigue
2) Obesity/Type II Diabetes  many other problems
3)
4)
5)
6)
besides diabetes stem from being obese
Tooth Decay  important to stop, especially in kids
Gastrointestinal problems  appendicitis, ulcers, colitis,
gallstones, colon cancer are all a result of poor diet.
Coronary Artery Disease  leading cause of heart
attacks, main result of high fat/high cholesterol diets.
Vegans and vegetarians rarely have this!
High Blood Pressure  Usually as a result of too much
salt in the diet… can lead to worse problems.
Using the Canada Food Guide
 All this info is straight
off the Health Canada
website:
www.hc-sc.gc.ca
Food Guide Servings
 A food guide serving is a
reference amount of how
much food is required in
one serving from a food
group.
 Sometimes it is exactly
what you eat and
sometimes it is a
measured amount.
Homework
1) From the website, find out how many calories you
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
need per day.
For each food group, state what conditions or
illnesses they help prevent and write down one tip
the Canada Food Guide suggests.
Prepare a healthy meal guide for one school day for
yourself.
Compare what you created in number 3, with
yesterday, how well do they match? Are you over or
under your recommended caloric intake?
What are three ways you could decrease your fat
intake?
What are three harmful conditions a healthy diet
could prevent?