Here are some tips for promoting health through your diet:

• Eat a plant-based, predominantly vegetarian diet.
• Reduce fat intake to 15-20% of total calories. Choose health-promoting fats (essential fatty acids) and avoid saturated and hydrogenated (trans-) fats.
• Eat adequate protein (0.8 g/kg body weight daily) from lean sources, including wild fish from cold, deep-water, organic poultry and eggs, legumes, low-fat fermented dairy products, nuts and seeds. Emphasize the plant-based protein sources and fish.
• Eat adequate vegetables, fruits and whole grains. These foods contain invaluable micronutrients, phytochemicals, antioxidants and fiber. Minimum daily fiber intake should be 30 grams.
• Eliminate the intake of refined sugar and refined carbohydrates, processed foods, alcohol and caffeine.
• Reduce exposure to pesticides and herbicides. Buy organic whenever possible. Fresh food is always preferable to frozen food and frozen food is always preferable to canned food.
• Eliminate the intake of artificial food additives, colors and preservatives.
• Keep salt intake low and potassium intake high.
• Drink adequate water—generally 64 ounces daily.
• Identify and eliminate food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities – Call us at Vitalia to find out how you can be tested for food allergies and sensitivities.

 Water

Inadequate water intake puts significant stress on the body. Think of water as the solvent that it is—it goes in clean and comes out dirty, carrying toxins out of the body. Each day our body requires an intake of over two quarts of water, in order to function optimally. Part of that water comes from our fruit and vegetable intake. The more produce you eat, the less water you’ll need to consume in addition to diet. Coffee, tea, sodas, fruit juices, etc. actually add to the dehydration problem through their diuretic effects from caffeine and sugars. Fresh fruit juice should be diluted with water (1:1) before consuming it, in order to glean its health benefits while offsetting its diuretic effect. As a general rule, consume 64 ounces of water daily, in addition to diet. Add another 8 ounces of water for each cup of coffee, tea, soda or fruit juice consumed. Add another 8 ounces for each half hour of exercise daily. (Heavier people need more water daily. The rule-of-thumb for water requirements for heavier individuals is one-third of the body weight in ounces, plus 8 ounces for each diuretic beverage and half hour of exercise, as described above.)

Choose filtered water that is free of chlorine, microorganisms, solvents, heavy metals, etc. Mineral water (as compared to distilled water) may prevent the leaching minerals from the body—it’s debatable.

 How Much Is A Serving?

Vegetables: Raw-1 cup, Cooked/Steamed-1/2 cup, Juice-3/4 cup

Fruits: Raw-1 medium fruit or 1 cup, Cooked-1/2 cup, Juice-1/2 cup

Fermented Dairy Products: Yogurt, kefir-1 cup, Cheese-1 oz.

Whole Grains, Starch: Cooked-1/2 cup, Bread-1 slice, Bagel-1/2, Pasta (cooked)-1/2 cup (includes corn, potatoes, winter squash)

Fish/Poultry/Eggs: Fish, poultry-3 oz., Eggs-1 whole or 2 whites or ¼ cup egg substitute Legumes: Beans (cooked)-1/2 cup

Oils/Fats: Oil-1 teaspoon, Nut butter/nuts/seeds-2 Tablespoons or 1 oz.

 Visual Portion Control

Here are some visual clues to help you keep servings to the proper size:

3 oz. of fish, poultry = deck of playing cards or a computer mouse

1 cup yogurt or raw fruits or vegetables = a hand holding a tennis ball or a large ice cream scoop

½ cup cooked grain or vegetables or fruit juice = small fist

1 oz. cheese = thumb

1 oz. nuts = a golf ball

1 medium fruit = baseball

1 Tablespoon nut butter, nuts = a silver dollar, a walnut

1 teaspoon oil = a quarter