Weight Control

-By National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

If you are overweight, you are not alone. Sixty-six percent of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Achieving a healthy weight can help you control your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. It might also help you prevent weight-related diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and some cancers.

Eating too much or not being physically active enough will make you overweight. To maintain your weight, the calories you eat must equal the energy you burn. To lose weight, you must use more calories than you eat. A weight-control strategy might include

• Choosing low-fat, low-calorie foods


• Eating smaller portions


• Drinking water instead of sugary drinks


• Being physically active

July Nutrition Tips

July Nutrition Tips
Shake the sodium habit! The average American consumes 25% of their sodium intake from using salt while cooking and from the salt they add at the table. A preference for sodium is a learned habit and can be unlearned. Sodium is a nutrient your body needs but only in minimal amounts. Try to break the salt habit by tasting food before using the salt shaker, remove the salt shaker from the table, use other spices like garlic and herbs to cook with instead of salt, reduce or skip the salt in cooking water and read food labels!

Antioxidant vitamins are important to good health! Antioxidant vitamins include vitamin A (as beta-carotene), vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium. Antioxidants counteract the effects of harmful free-radicals. Free-radicals can damage body tissues and DNA which can lead to the onset of health problems. Free-radicals are formed when the body burns oxygen and from certain environmental factors such as burns, cigarette smoke, ultraviolet light and pollution. Antioxidants work together and compliment each other. An excess or deficiency of one may inhibit the benefits of another. Eat lots of whole-grains and eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day to make sure your body gets the antioxidant vitamins it needs.