Finding Balance: Healthy Eating as Part of a Balanced Life

By Kate Fischer

Do you find yourself making those infamous New Year’s resolutions as calendars flip to January? Perhaps you find yourself pledging to lose those extra pounds, eat more leafy greens, swear off sweets, or commit to walk your first marathon.

Being “healthy” involves an overall healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity, weight and stress management, healthy eating, and adequate sleep. Achieving a healthy balance is a continually dynamic process and requires a commitment to achieving a healthy lifestyle for life, not simply the month of January. Therefore, challenge yourself this New Year’s to find balance among all these behaviors, and commit to sustainable healthy behaviors for the long term.

Balance Calories In with Energy Out
Healthy eating begins with maintaining balance between calories consumed from food/beverages with calories expended. We are rarely in energy balance; rather, it is the average balance of day-to-day variations that is important.

The type of calories is also important. Think of it simply as making your calories count. It’s easy to consume a majority of daily needs from low-nutrient, high-energy foods, typically deemed “junk food.” Instead, fill up on a variety of nutrient-dense foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, low-fat dairy products or their equivalent, and small portions of nuts, lean meat, and poultry. Save any extra room for “treats.” This strategy, as long as portions are controlled, maximizes nutrients while limiting calories from added fats and added sugars. High-calorie beverages like specialty coffee drinks, alcoholic drinks, and soda also typically contain a large portion of calories, added sugars, and fats.

Balance Portions
Do you find yourself tempted to grab just a few extra portions after starting that new exercise routine or training schedule? Every extra serving of a food beyond your usual intake can offset and even surpass the calories you burned in that new invigorating workout.

Consider this example: A 140-pound person walks 4 mph for 1 hour, burning 320 calories. During the holidays, this person opts for just one extra slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream (315 calories, 14 grams fat), or perhaps a holiday peppermint mocha with whipped cream from their favorite coffee shop (470 calories, 22 grams of fat). In either scenario, just one added portion equaled and surpassed energy used during exercise.

Don’t forget, the greater the portion served, the more apt people are to consume larger amounts of that food. At a restaurant, ask to have a portion of your meal boxed up or share with a friend.

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So how many portions do you need? A registered dietitian can help you determine appropriate daily portions from each food group. In addition, the USDA and Department of Health and Human Services provide recommendations in the new MyPyramid and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 (both can be accessed at www.mypyramid.com).

Balance External Eating Cues
with Internal Eating Cues
Healthy eating is more than just the types of food we eat. It is also balancing external and internal cues to eat; it is easy to forget the impact external cues have on our intake. Recall those billboards looming over you to and from work, adorned with the latest enticing pictures of juicy menu items; or perhaps television commercials marketing fast, convenient tasty foods at each possible moment during your favorite TV show as you rush to put dinner together. This also includes tantalizing snack foods right at eye level as you navigate the grocery store aisles. Counter that with internal cues like hunger, appetite, and stress. Combine external and internal and voila, healthy eating heads out the front door. Quick suggestions: keep a healthy snack in your car for the commute home, munch on an apple while you prepare dinner, and avoid grocery shopping on an empty stomach.

So before you pledge yourself another two months of crash dieting or one month at the gym, try challenging yourself this New Year’s to work toward sustainable balanced changes that you can maintain for the duration. Step by step, perhaps starting with healthy eating, move your way toward sustainable balance for life.

Kate Fischer, RD, graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a degree in dietetics and completed her dietetic internship at Oregon Health and Science University. Kate is currently pursuing her master’s degree in exercise physiology at Oregon State University while also continuing to provide nutritional coaching at Sports Lab Training Center in NE Portland. Kate can be reached at 503-289-4047, ext. 103 or email kate@sportslabtraining.com.