Health Tips
Fall is here! Not only does this mean leaves changing, sweaters and football—it's also the perfect time to celebrate apple season. Apple picking, apple pies, caramel apples, apple cider… the possibilities are as endless as the different kinds of apples you can get.
Despite this common misconception, there are actually many fun activities you can do without paying for a monthly gym membership. Here are just a few to get you started:
- Cleaning your house
- Mowing the lawn or raking the leaves
- Riding a bike
- Playing tennis, basketball or volleyball at a local park
- Renting exercise DVDs from your local library
- Downloading free or low-cost exercise videos from the Internet
- Walking or jogging
- Using ankle weights throughout your day
- Playing outside with your neighbors, kids or pets
Aim for Fitness...
- Aim for a healthy weight.
- Be physically active each day.
Build a Healthy Base...
- Let the Pyramid guide your food choices.
- Choose a variety of grains daily, especially whole grains.
- Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables daily.
- Keep food safe to eat.
Choose Sensibility...
- Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderae in total fat.
- Choose beverages and foods to moderate your intake of sugars.
- Choose and prepare foods with less salt.
For kids and teens, a morning meal is especially important. Breakfast prepares children to meet the challenges of learning. Breakfast eaters have higher school attendance, less tardiness and fewer hunger-induced stomach aches in the morning. They concentrate better, solve problems more easily and have better muscle coordination. Kids who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight, too.
If kids use the excuse of not being hungry, start them out with a light bite — perhaps toast with peanut butter and a glass of milk. Send with them a nutritious mid-morning snack like yogurt, cheese or a bagel with a piece of fruit.
Make breakfast fun by planning it with your child. If your child doesn't like traditional breakfast foods, don't worry; breakfast can be any food they like, even a slice of pizza.
Produced by the ADA's public relations team.
- Use clean scissors or a knife to open bags of produce.
- Wash all fresh fruits and vegetables with cool tap water before cutting. This rule applies to fruits with a peel, too. Peels can carry bacteria that can contaminate fruit when cutting or peeling.
- Scrub firm produce such as melons and cucumbers with a clean produce brush.
- Remove and discard outer leaves of lettuce.
- Remember to clean just before using.
Green Veggies Improve Immune Defenses
We all need an incentive to eat more vegetables. Green vegetables, like broccoli and bok choy provide health benefits, and people who eat more fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet are less likely to develop chronic diseases. USDA's My Plate recommends that half of your plate be filled with fruits and vegetables, so why not eat more green vegetables to keep yourself healthy?
Try some of these green vegetables:
~ Broccoli
~ Bok choy
~ Spinach
~ Swiss chard
~ Kale
Get Fit Tennessee is a statewide awareness initiative created to encourage Tennesseans to think about making healthier choices and address the rising epidemic of Type 2 diabetes and risk factors that lead to diabetes, such as obesity. The initiative is aimed at educating both adults and children that Type 2 diabetes can be delayed, or even prevented with modest lifestyle changes like increasing physical activity and eating healthier. If a friend forwarded this tip to you, you can sign up for daily tips by clicking here. If you would like to be removed from our mailing list, click here. For more information on Get Fit Tennessee, including free fitness and nutrition tools, visit: GetFitTN.com