Your Health

Taking Charge Of Your Own Health

Posted: 1/21/2011

Whole wheat pasta with mushrooms, white beans and arugula is a delicious dish packed with nutrients and deep earthy flavors.

(NAPSI) - Making small changes in the way you eat can make a big difference in your overall health and well-being.

As more Americans reach an unhealthy weight, the need for change becomes more important. Over the last two decades, obesity rates have doubled in adults and tripled in children and adolescents, with higher rates of obesity leading to a rise in such disabling diseases as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Having a reliable resource can help you take charge of your own health.

Whole Foods Market’s Health Starts Here program provides a commonsense approach to eating that can be modified for every lifestyle. It’s not a diet, but a sustainable approach to wellness based on four core principles:

1. Whole Food

• Choose foods that are whole, fresh, natural and organic. Avoid refined, highly processed foods, artificial ingredients and hydrogenated fats. For example, choose whole grains and whole wheat pastas rather than refined varieties-like brown rice instead of white rice.

2. Plant Strong

• Reconfigure your plate: Eat mostly fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Choose a colorful variety no matter what diet you follow.

• If your diet contains animal products, reduce your consumption by using meats, dairy and eggs as small sides or subingredients, not the main item on your plate. Simply put, up your fruits and veggies.

3. Nutrient Dense

• Build your meals around foods that have a higher proportion of micronutrients compared to their total caloric content to make every bite count. For example, when selecting greens, choose darker greens over iceberg lettuce, which has fewer nutrients.

4. Healthy Fats

• Get your healthy fats directly from whole food plant sources such as avocados, nuts and seeds.

Even small changes, such as eating a big salad with a healthy light dressing or a favorite vinegar for one meal each day, can make a difference in improving health.

Through in-store materials, online resources, cooking demos, recipes and Health Starts Here ready-made dishes, Whole Foods Market can be a trusted resource and partner for healthy eating education.

For more information, visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com.

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