 In the United States, a changing environment has broadened food options and eating habits. Grocery stores and convenience stores stock their shelves with a greater selection of products. Pre-packaged foods, fast food restaurants, and sugar laden soft drinks are also more accessible. While such foods are fast and convenient they also tend to be high in fat, sugar, and calories.
Selecting many foods from these areas may contribute to an excessive calorie intake. Some foods are marketed as healthy, low fat, or fat-free, but may contain more calories than the fat containing food they are designed to replace. It is important to read food labels for nutritional information and to eat in moderation. Remember this important fact, despite the type of calorie ingested; basically all caloric excesses are converted into fat.
Not only are the choices of food changing for the worse, portion size has also increased. People may be eating more during a meal or snack because of larger portion sizes. This results in increased calorie consumption. If the body does not burn off the extra calories consumed from larger portions, fast food, or soft drinks, weight gain can occur.
How do portions today compare to portions sizes 20 years ago? The National Institutes of Health have developed a Web site with an interactive quiz to inform people on the increasing portion sizes. Choosing a variety of healthy foods in the correct portion sizes is helpful for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is a good resource to help people guide their dietary habits.
http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/DietGd.pdf* (PDF–589K)
or
http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2000/document/frontcover.htm (html version)
Calories Used
Our bodies need calories (energy) for daily functions such as breathing, digestion, and daily activities. Weight gain occurs when calories consumed exceed this need. Physical activity plays a major role in energy balance because it uses up calories that were consumed or that had been stored.
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Physical activity is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in an expenditure of energy with a range of activities such as
Occupational work
Carpentry, construction work, waiting tables, farming
Household chores
Washing floors or windows, gardening or yard work
Leisure time activities
Walking, skating, biking, swimming, playing Frisbee, dancing Structured sports or exercise Softball, tennis, football, aerobics
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Regular physical activity is good for a person's overall physical and mental health. Physical activity decreases the risk of many health problems. For example, the risk of colon cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure are affected by regular exercise. It also helps to control weight, contributes to healthy bones, muscles, and joints; reduces falls among the elderly; and will help to relieve the pain of arthritis.
The belief that physical activity is limited to exercise or sports, may keep people from being active. Another myth is that physical activity must be vigorous to achieve health benefits. Physical activity does not have to be strenuous to be beneficial. Physical activity is any bodily movement that results in an expenditure of energy. Moderate-intensity physical activity such as household chores, gardening, and walking can also provide health benefits. Other activities, such as 30 minutes of brisk walking five or more times a week, also have health benefits.
Despite all the benefits of being physically active, most Americans are sedentary. Technology has created many time and labor saving products. Some examples include cars, elevators, computers, dishwashers, and televisions. Cars are used to run short distance errands instead of people walking or riding a bicycle. As a result, these recent lifestyle changes have reduced the overall amount of energy expended in our daily lives. According to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, in 2000 more than 26% of adults reported no leisure time physical activity.
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