Day 7

Good morning!

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to start my Health and Nutrition class at college, and I had to read the first chapter before my next class on Tuesday. I learned so much about the diet, it's not even funny. Most of the tips for a good diet are really great for everyday health, weight loss oriented or not. The five things to remember about diet are:

1. Variety: To ensure that our bodies are receiving the correct amount of nutrients, and also to weed out any sources of bad food, our diet should be varied. That means don't have the same exact meals every single day. It's best to have the same meal two weeks apart. It is difficult to plan meals for this, but once a routine is set, it's relatively easy to stick to
2. Moderation: If you want a slice of cake, eat a slice, not the entire cake. Enough said.
3. Calorie Control: 2,000 calories a day is the average person's ideal calorie intake. However, due to stature, pregnancy, body weight, the total amount of calories could be higher or lower. 2,000 is by no means set in stone.
4. Balance: If you have fruit, have veggies, too. Do not solely eat fruit. All food groups work together to keep us healthy and energized. The most balanced and varied the diet, the happier and healthier the person.
5. Adequacy: Everyone must keep water, vitamins, minerals, protein, fat, and sugars in their bodies. Your food must consist of good sources of iron, calcium, potassium, and other vitamins and minerals. Vitamin supplements are okay for an on-the-go lifestyle, but nothing compares to the vitamins and minerals in raw fruits, veggies and nuts.

This was my first class of Health and Nutrition. I'm sure I'll be quoting it much more in the future as well!

So today I decided to have one of the grapefruits I bought at Wal Mart with a slice of toast and two scrambled eggs. Then I wondered why so many diets were based around grapefruits. I mean, if a little banana has 400 calories in its entirety, how many would a grapefruit have?

Well, come to find out, grapefruits are surprisingly low in calories! Only a measly 74 for one cup of the fruit itself and the juice that comes with it. Amazing! They truly are the diet fruit! Except not for those Atkins people out there. It also has a whopping 18g of Carbs, and 16g of Sugar. Ouch. But on the up side, very good Vitamin C, good amounts of Vitamin A, and a tiny little bit of iron. Great stuff!

So the count goes on today. So far, my breakfast of two eggs, slice of toast and grapefruit leaves me at 314 calories, all with a total of 15g of protein. I think I'll have a cup of 1% milk between now and lunch, but that breakfast really filled me up. I love my eggs!

Thank you so much for listening, as you do every day!
Figgy Newton