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Eat the Food Pyramid

The USDA has published guidelines on how to be healthy saying that “following a diet that complies with the Dietary Guidelines may reduce the risk of chronic disease” and is “associated with a lower risk of mortality”. The recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines are.  To follow a healthy diet which is in accordance with the Food Pyramid and that:-

1. - is rich in fruit, vegetables, whole-grains and fat-free and low-fat dairy products.
2. - includes lean meat and poultry, fish, nuts, eggs and beans.
3. - is low in saturated fats, trans fats, sodium (salt), added sugars and cholesterol.
4. To take regular exercise, including cardiovascular exercise, stretching for flexibility and resistance exercise, most days of the week for 30-60 minutes.  Exercise is also important for all of us because participating in at least 30 minutes of exercise per day can significantly cut our risk of developing chronic diseases and can help us to maintain a healthy weight.

Drinking water is essential too for keeping healthy and for weight loss. Our bodies are made up of about 70% water and, according to the University of Michigan Integrative Medicine, we need to drink at least 8 cups (2 liters) per day (12 cups for men) for body functions such as nutrient digestion and metabolism.

According to a 2003 Science Daily report, water can also act as a natural appetite suppressant and if we replace sugary soft drinks with water, we also reduce our calorie intake.

Obesity and health problems caused by obesity are affecting the whole world. The World Health Organization has predicted that by 2015, there will be 2.3 billion adults in the world who are overweight and more than 700 million of those will be obese – a shocking prediction.

More worrying still are American statistics. The USDA publishes its Dietary Guidelines for Americans every 5 years, with its latest report being 2005. In this report, the USDA state that between 1999 and 2002, 65% of US adults were overweight and 30% of those were obese. A BBC News report from January 2008 reported that 32.2% of the American adult population were obese. Such statistics are worrying when we know that obesity puts people at a higher risk of some types of cancer, stroke, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Combining a healthy diet based on the Food Pyramid with natural supplements for aging and menopause, regular exercise and drinking plenty of water can help us to lose weight, keep healthy, lower our risk of many diseases and live longer.