The Women's Book

Dr. Ngozi Osuagwu

As the Holiday Season approaches, there are ample opportunities to eat and unfortunately most people forget or do not care about having a good balance when it comes to their food intake. A proactive approach to what we consume during this season makes it easier for us to stay healthy and not have to work too hard in January as we make resolutions to get back to a healthy weight. Remember that the colder season makes it a lot easier to accumulate the weight. We can still enjoy the variety of offerings, but we have to adopt a common sense approach with our nutrition.

In 2005, the United States Department of Agriculture launched Mypyramid. MyPyramid is an illustration that shows graphically the number of servings of different food types. It emphasizes a personalized approach to healthy eating and physical activity. Information about this program is available at www.mypyramid.gov and it contains lots of information that can be printed or used interactively.

The pyramid was designed to make it easier for people to select items necessary for a balanced meal. There are six parts to the pyramid.

o Activity: Represented by the person climbing the stairs. It is a reminder that daily activity is important.

o Variety: The 6 color bands representing 5 food groups of the Pyramid and oils. Items from all these groups of food are needed each day for good health.
• Orange: Grains
• Green: Vegetables
• Red: Fruits
• Yellow: Oils
• Blue: Milk
• Purple: Meat and Beans

o Moderation: This narrowing of each food group from bottom to top represents the need for moderation. The wider base stands for the foods that should be selected more often. These are foods that contain little or no solid fats or added sugars. The narrower top areas stand for foods containing more added sugars and solid fats. The more active you are, the more these foods can fit in your diet

o Proportionality: This is shown by the different widths of the food group bands. The width suggests how much food a person should choose from each group. Eat more of some foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free or low fat milk products) and less of others (foods high in saturated or trans fats, added sugars, cholesterol, salt and alcohol)

o Personalization: This is represented by the person on the stairs. One size does not fit all. You can go on the website to design a program for you and your family.

o Gradual improvement: The slogan ‘Steps to a healthier you’ signifies the need for exercising in incremental steps. Everyone can benefit from taking small steps to improve their diet and lifestyle each day

While admittedly life can be a little hectic during the holiday season, we should not use that as an excuse to stop exercising or overindulging when we eat. Fellowship and time spent with family and friends are what make the holidays pleasant, not overeating and stopping to exercise. We can enjoy this season and maintain good health at the same time. Below are a few suggestions to help you get started or help you overcome the temptation to lapse in keeping the focus on a healthy you.

1. Go to http://www.mypyramid.gov to learn more

2. Do not get hung up on the thirty minutes a day of exercise. If all you can manage is five minutes, it is better than nothing. Inclement weather should not be an excuse either. There are many exercises that can be done indoors. Stair stepping can be a wonderful aerobic exercise, and so is jumping rope or using the hula-hoop.

3. Preparing meals: If you are hosting, you have all the control. You can make sure that your menu contains items from the various food groups. I recently had a movie night with some friends. Munchies included cut apples, grapes, sliced oranges and nuts.

4. For potlucks in our place of work, be the one that volunteers to bring the vegetable tray or the fruit tray

Let us make this holiday season a memorable one not for the food we eat, but because we are able to go through it without any weight gain or change in our health status because of what we consumed and lack of exercise. If we stay determined, we will realize the euphoric feeling of well-being that comes from being light on our feet as we start a new year. Have an excellent holiday season and be happy. May the Almighty bless you and those who hold your affection.