Eating Right

A Message from Dr. Stephen Kindred – Assistant Vice President, Corporate Medical

Most of my patients know what healthy food choices are, but many claim they do not have the time to make them. Often, it’s just more convenient to grab fast-food meals and pre-packaged snacks.
Taking the time to make healthier choices certainly paid off for Rya, a Public Affairs Specialist in the DuPont Operations Center. When Rya started her wellness journey, her goal was simple. “I just wanted to get down to a healthy body mass index (BMI) weight,” she said.
BMI is a formula which uses weight and height to estimate body fat. Although BMI has weaknesses, such as not accounting for all individual factors like bone or muscle mass, it does provide a reasonable estimate of body fat for most people.  Do you know your BMI? Use the BMI Calculator to determine a healthy BMI for your body build.

Rya attributes her success to a few different factors such as buying nutritious and healthy foods (including organic and natural foods) and being mindful of food portions.

After losing more than forty pounds, Rya says she is about 2/3 of the way to her goal. “The support of my friends and family, keep me motivated,” she said.  “I am feeling healthier than I have in a long time, and I stay motivated by imagining all of the other things I’ll be able to do when I reach my goal.”

Make Heart-Healthy Food Choices
Take a moment to ask yourself, “How healthy are the foods on my plate?” According to the American Heart Association (AHA), you should be adding a variety of heart-healthy foods from all of the major food groups to your diet, including:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Whole grains
• Lean meats, poultry, and fish
• Fat-free or low-fat dairy products

Be sure you know your fats too! Choose fat sources from fish, nuts, and vegetable oils while limiting solid fats such as butter, stick margarine, and shortening.

While it is important to establish a balanced diet, we must also remember to include physical activity in our daily routine in order to use all of those calories we take in.

Marcia, a Nurse Reviewer in the Greeley Operations Center, used a combination of healthier eating habits and increased physical activity to address her health issues.

Like many of us, Marcia used eating out to save time on meal planning and preparation. Unfortunately, as Marcia discovered during a routine screening, eating out also has negative impacts. Marcia quickly realized she needed to make some changes. “Now when I go out, I ask for a ‘to go’ box with my meal. I put half of it in the box before eating,” she said.; “Or I may go to dinner with a friend and split a meal.”

Marcia also found creative ways to incorporate fitness into her lifestyle as well. For example, she participates in more active hobbies with her children, including mountain climbing. Over the course of her journey, Marcia has lost 64 pounds! In addition to making great strides while climbing toward her health goals, last summer Marcia was able to ascend to the top of a 14,000-foot mountain!

Making healthier food choices has proven to help reduce at least three of the major risk factors for heart attack: high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and excess body weight. As a result, choosing healthier foods may also reduce your risk of stroke.

I encourage you to take time to assess your daily eating routine and explore opportunities to include more heart-healthy foods in your diet. Make improvements now and realize the benefits it can have for you in the future. Eating right is a vital piece of empowering you to Live Well, Be Well.

Eat Right with Live Well, Be Well
If you haven’t already done so, sign up for The 50 Million Pound Challenge. Also, learn more about The 4 Day Diet developed by the creator of The 50 Million Pound Challenge, Dr. Ian Smith.

Additional Resources
If you are “on the go,” you may want to consider some of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) tips for eating out.
Visit the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to learn how the MyPyramid program can help you:

• Make smart choices from every food group.
• Find your balance between food and physical activity.
• Get the most nutrition out of your calories.
• Stay within your daily calorie needs.