With the growth of fast-food chains, most of us have forgotten the importance of fresh, nutritious vegetables and healthy foods.  And the number of diseases keeps rising due to our lack of nutrition.

We lack nutrition because of our bad habit of swinging from one extreme to another.  We have this mentality of "either all or nothing."

I remember the times I ate nothing but healthful foods:  just fruit, veggies and lean meat.  No donuts or creamy chocolate cheesecake, even when my little taste buds were crying out for it.

Well... that lasted for 2 days. My willpower waned and I downed 3 tasty donuts in quick succession!  Not exactly the path to a healthy future, eh? 

Does that sound familiar?

We must break this bad nutrition habit of extremes; otherwise, we are doomed to be nutrient deficient and fast aging.

• Good nutrition promotes health.
• Good nutrition fights aging. 
• Good nutrition reduces the risk of heart disease.
• Good nutrition fights cancer
• Good nutrition fights diabetes
• Good nutrition prevents stroke.

Get the idea of how important good nutrition is?

Remember that a well-balanced nutrition diet contains rich fiber-laden grain products, protein, good fats, vegetables, fruit, and even a little bit of dessert!

Yes dessert!  Make it a donut or a small slice of your favorite pie.  No fat-free goodies, please!  You need a rich treat to curb those cravings and make you stick to your healthful nutrition plan.

And, remember to take  nutritional supplements.

Go to Super Foods

Go to Nutrition

The USDA recently changed its food pyramid suggesting that you eat 3 cups of vegetables, 2 cups of fruit, 6 oz. of meat or bean, 3 cups of dairy product, 7 oz of grains, and on and on to maintain optimum health. 

I don't pay strict attention to this as it contains too much grain and dairy products and little to no dessert.  That's unbearable!!!  I mean, ok maybe I can survive that regimen for a week or so.  We're not looking for a nutrition plan that lasts a week, we want one to last a life time.  Another reason is that everyone's body is different.  I mean if you exercise more, you need more food.

I choose 8 servings of protein (a serving is just 3 oz.) because I exercise.  Protein plays an important part in muscle development.  I find that 2 servings of fruit a day are plenty.  I eat lots of greens.  I take nutritional supplements to get sufficient nutrition every day because older people's digestive systems are less efficient and today's foods may not be as nutritious as in prior years.

To keep from abandoning my  healthy eating plan, I also have a small dessert just about every day.

What works for me might not work for you because of our different body composition:  gender, activity level, and height.

But the health and nutrition concepts are the same:

Eat a well balanced diet.
Eat a little more protein than suggested.
Drink water.
Exercise.
Eat some junk food.
Take nutritional supplements for your nutrition needs.