R. Mahesh khanna's Key Ideas from Healthy for Life
by Ray D. Strand

Eat moderate portions. If you keep portion sizes moderate and reasonable, it is easier to eat what you want, and maintain a healthy and balanced diet. What’s a moderate portion? A medium-sized piece of fruit is one serving. A cup of pasta equates 2 servings and a pint of ice cream contains 4 servings.

DO NOT SKIP MEALS. Skipping meals can lead to out-of-control hunger and frequently results in over-indulging. Snacking between regular meals can help if you are pressed for time. Just make sure you have at least two balanced meals.

DO NOT eliminate certain foods. Because our bodies require diverse nutrition, it’s a bad idea to eliminate all salt, fat, and sugar from our diets, unless told to do so by a medical professional. Choosing healthier options such as skim or low-fat dairy will help you maintain a balanced diet. 

Foods are not good or bad. It’s all about portion control!

Stay away from cokes and other sugary sodas, which can pack as much as 17 teaspoons of sugar per 20oz drink! Sugar is a source of empty calories that can use up important vitamins and minerals in your body. Water helps not only to hydrate, but to aid in blood circulation, the removal of toxins from our bodies and in the regulation of our body temperatures.

Avoid too much caffeine. Caffeine is a mildly addictive drug that can affect your ability to sleep and focus while also affecting such bodily functions as muscle function and the cleansing of waste products.

To be active

• Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Get at least 30 minutes of activity every day. If the idea of sweating at the gym for hours on end doesn’t sound appealing to you, then head outside for a game of ultimate Frisbee. Or, try going for a walk or a run. The important thing is that you get moving!

• Keep yourself organized to eliminate unnecessary and preventable stress. 
• Turn off the TV and listen to music.
• Make time everyday, even if it’s just 15 minutes, for relaxation and reflection. 
• Get plenty of sleep.
• Allow at least 30 minutes of quiet relaxing activity before bed at night, e.g. reading.
• Resist the temptation to use sleeping pills, when under the stress of writing papers, studying, etc.
• Sleep is not a waste of time! It’s as important and necessary as nutrition and exercise. 

Get involved and meet people in a positive environment. Often the adjustment to college can be difficult, especially when students are leaving the support system they have known for a lifetime. Whether it’s participating on a sports team or in Rhodes Student Government, joining a religious organization, volunteering at the soup kitchen, or helping in some other form, helping others helps us. The most important thing to remember is to find something you are interested in and enjoy yourself

For good health, we need more than 40 different nutrients, and no single food can supply them all. It is not about a single meal, it is about a balanced food choice over time that will make a difference!

• A high-fat lunch could be followed by a low-fat dinner.
• After a large meat portion at dinner, perhaps fish should be the next day’s choice?

About half the calories in our diet should come from foods rich in carbohydrates, such as cereals, rice, pasta, potatoes, and bread. It is a good idea to include at least one of these at every meal. Wholegrain foods, like wholegrain bread, pasta, and cereals, will increase our fibre intake

Fats are important for good health and proper functioning of the body. However, too much of it can negatively affect our weight and cardiovascular health. Different kinds of fats have different health effects, and some of these tips could help us keep the balance right:We should limit the consumption of total and saturated fats (often coming from foods of animal origin), and completely avoid trans fats; reading the labels helps to identify the sources.

Fruits and vegetables are among the most important foods for giving us enough vitamins, minerals and fibre. We should try to eat at least 5 servings a day. For example, a glass of fresh fruit juice at breakfast, perhaps an apple and a piece of watermelon as snacks, and a good portion of different vegetables at each meal

A high salt intake can result in high blood pressure, and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. There are different ways to reduce salt in the diet:

• When shopping, we could choose products with lower sodium content.
• When cooking, salt can be substituted with spices, increasing the variety of flavours and tastes.
• When eating, it helps not to have salt at the table, or at least not to add salt before tasting.