Choosing Your Six-pack: Abdominal Muscles and Pot Bellies

Choosing Your Six-pack: Abdominal Muscles and Pot Bellies

You’ve probably seen the advertisements high over Times Square or staring back at you from magazines: the male model casually displaying his rippling abdominal muscles. What you may not have seen is the effort that goes into getting an abdominal “six-pack”, the hours of exercise, and often a careful diet.

If your own six-pack is more of the alcoholic variety, or if you have noticed a spread to your abdomen over time, you may be tempted to begin “crunches”, those partial sit-ups that make your abdomen burn with pain. Before you order that abdominal exerciser from the television commercial or apply for a modeling job, there is something you should know; something your personal trainer, health club, and mail-order fitness videos probably have not mentioned. While exercise is generally a good thing, for most of us, the abdominal six-pack probably won’t happen.

The Myth of 'Focused Exercise'

It is only logical that if you want to strengthen your arms, exercise your arms; if you want to strengthen your abdominal muscles, do sit-ups. But while exercise directed at one part of the body can certainly strengthen that area and increase the size of those muscles, that does not mean you can shrink an area that you feel is too large (that is, has more fat than you would like) simply by exercising it. The focused exercises for the buttocks, thighs or abdomen commonly recommended to reduce their size will not necessarily lead to those areas getting smaller; in fact, they may get bigger as the muscles enlarge.

Basic Accounting and Biology

Two principles loom large when trying to “sculpt” one’s body:

Calorie accounting: To lose fat, one must reduce calorie intake and/or increase energy expenditure so that stored fat is utilized as fuel for the body.
Biology is destiny: fat cells, whether increased in size, number or both, cannot turn into muscle cells.

Reducing the fat accumulation in one area of the body is not easy. The usual measures to lose weight (including reducing calorie intake, increasing exercise or both) may lead to weight loss but not necessarily in a single area. In fact, short of having cosmetic surgery (such as liposuction), you cannot easily choose the area from which the fat will be lost. This is the reason that some women notice that their breasts (which are largely composed of fat) get smaller when they diet.

And weight loss is more than just reducing “calories in” compared with “calories out.” The difficulty many people have in losing weight probably relates to a well-established phenomenon that seems terribly unfair: As you take in fewer calories, the body’s metabolism changes, so that fewer calories are burned with normal body function. In studies of persons losing 10 percent to 20 percent of their body weight, “calories out” diminished, despite similar activity levels, which slowed further loss of weight.

Given this grim reality, you cannot readily transform an abdomen with excess fat into the physique of your dreams simply by doing lots of sit-ups. You’ll lose the fat by diet and/or exercise, and you’ll increase muscle mass by exercising those muscles. Of course, there may be other reasons to do sit-ups; for example, strong abdominal muscles reduce the chances of back problems; but shrinking your abdomen is not one of them.

Could It Happen to You?

Still want that abdominal six-pack? If you are starting out with a pot belly, it would likely take hours of exercise each day to lose weight and to strengthen the muscles underneath. It could happen, but there’s a reason most of those models are so young: They never had that “middle-age spread” in the first place. In short, it’s easier to get the abdominal 6-pack if you skip the beer.

Build the Body You Want

Here's a sign of the times: You can actually hire people to come to your house and organize your closets. They'll also do your garage, your attic, and the shed in your backyard. These people are tough on pack rats. They ask questions like "Why do you have this box of dog leashes, but no dog?"

My job isn't all that different. As a trainer, if I see something in a client's workout-or my own-that doesn't belong there, I get rid of it. If I see a redundant exercise, it's gone. Disorganized workout? I organize it. And if I see a client doing a program he got out of some old bodybuilding magazine, I throw the whole thing out and start over.

I can't come to your gym and fix your workout (or organize your closets). But I can tell you what you need to know to organize your own regimen, based on your goals, your available time, and your experience. I'll even throw in six sample workouts for beginner through advanced lifters. Now, about those closets . . .


Goals

I assume the closet lady would start by asking, "What do you need this closet to do for you?" Me, I'd ask the same question, substituting the word "workout" for "closet." Usually, these goals fall 3 categories.

into three categories:

Lose weight: If you're a beginner, start with a circuit routine in which you do 10 to 12 exercises one after the other, 10 to 15 repetitions per set, with little or no rest in between. Do two or three circuits.

If you're more advanced, try supersets. In these, you do two exercises back-to-back, rest 60 seconds, and then repeat once or twice. There are many ways to do supersets, but for fat loss, I'd like to see you use as much muscle as possible. One way is to pair exercises that work completely different muscles, such as squats and seated rows.


Build muscle: For most men, I recommend exercises that allow you to do eight to 12 repetitions per set. You can do them as straight sets-complete a set, rest about 60 seconds, do the next set of the same thing, and keep going that way until you've finished all your sets and are ready to move on to the next exercise.
If you have more experience, try supersets, but not the way you did them for fat loss. Pair synergistic exercises-two moves that work the same muscles. Usually, the first is a compound move to work a lot of muscles, the second a single-joint exercise to focus on one large muscle. So barbell bench presses might be followed by dumbbell flies. Shoulder presses could lead in to lateral raises.


Gain strength: There's no secret here-heavy weights, low repetitions (usually three to five per set for the most important moves, such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses), and longer rest (up to 4 minutes) between sets. You don't have to do every exercise this way, of course. Start with low reps on your main moves, then do more repetitions with lighter weights and shorter rest periods on less important ones.


Available Time

This is akin to the closet lady saying, "What's your budget?" Before I design a program, I need to know how much time you're going to put in. I'm going to assume everyone is willing to work out 40 to 60 minutes per session.

To me, that's a finite window, just as your closet is a finite size. If you want to do longer workouts, great, but I usually don't go in that direction. If I can't give you a system that gets it done in an hour or less, there's something wrong with my program. To me, the big variable here is how many days a week you're able and willing to work out.

Two days a week: No matter your level or goals, do total-body workouts. You want to hit your major muscles twice a week; otherwise, they'll be completely rested between workouts and will have no reason to grow.

If you're a beginner, stick to circuits, as I recommended above for fat loss. But if you're more interested in building muscle than in losing fat, I suggest doing sets of eight to 12 reps, with perhaps a little more rest in between exercises.

Another option for saving time is to do antagonistic supersets. These pair up movements that involve opposite muscle actions, such as situps and back extensions.

Three days a week: If you're not a beginner, you can adopt a split routine. The easiest to remember is the upper-body/ lower-body split. You alternate between them, so if you're training three times a week, you'll do upper-lower-upper 1 week, then lower-upper-lower the next.

If you're working out four times a week, you'll do upper on Monday and Thursday, and lower on Tuesday and Friday.
What you do during those split routines depends on your goals (explained above) and your experience (explained below).


My Experience

Beginners make gains with just about any type of program, so it's best to keep it simple and safe-fairly high repetitions, basic exercises, total-body workouts. The more experience you have, the more you'll benefit from heavier weights and lower repetitions, more advanced exercises and techniques, and split routines.

Another issue is recovery. A beginner can recover in 48 hours and do fine with three total-body workouts a week. A more advanced lifter needs to give his muscles more time to recover, since he's hitting them harder.

Also, the more experienced you are, the less time you should spend on a program before moving on. A beginner can do the same program for 6 to 10 weeks without hitting a plateau. Grizzled iron vets may need to move on every 2 or 3 weeks. You probably fall somewhere in between.

Very Low-Fat Diets for Weight Loss

Overview

The low-fat eating concept limits eating fats that can lead to weight gain, high cholesterol levels, and heart disease.

You do need some fat in your diet for energy and to help absorb vitamins. Popular low-fat programs such as the Life Choice Diet (Ornish) and Pritikin suggest only 10% of your daily calories come from fat.

The Life Choice Diet

Author Dean Ornish, MD, suggests people make lifetime changes that include very low-fat eating habits, exercise, and stress management.

Basic concept

Ornish promotes low-fat vegetarian eating to reverse or prevent heart disease. Exercising and managing stress are equally important in this lifestyle program.


How it works

There are two versions of the Life Choice Diet. The "reversal diet" is for people who have diagnosed heart disease or high cholesterol levels. Because you are trying to reverse damage to your body, you must follow strict guidelines. The "prevention diet" is less structured. You still eat a diet very low in fat, but you have more flexibility in what you can eat.

Guidelines for both versions of Ornish's diet include eating a vegetarian diet high in complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in their natural forms). About 10% of your calories come from fat in the reversal diet. You may have more fat in the prevention diet as long as your weight or your cholesterol levels don't begin to rise. Oils are limited to 3 grams a day. Mostly, you eat foods that have less than 3 grams of fat per serving, and stay away from saturated fat and sugar.

On the menu

High-fiber grains, legumes (beans and peas)
Vegetables
Nonfat dairy products
Egg whites
Small amounts of alcohol

Off the menu

Meat and all animal products
Caffeine
Nuts, seeds, olives
Chocolate, coconut
Avocado
Oils, except for small amounts of canola oil for cooking

Pritikin

Nathan Pritikin, PhD, developed the Pritikin diet in the 1970s. It’s similar to the Ornish program, with no more than 10% of calories coming from fat. Pritikin does allow some lean meat and seafood that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Basic concept
Pritikin encourages eating natural, nutrient-rich, high-fiber foods. Daily exercise is part of the program.

How it works

The theory is that when you limit fat to 10% of your daily calories, there’s no need to count calories. Eat often to keep from feeling hungry—six or seven meals a day. You can eat as much as you want of whole grains, vegetables, and fruit. Exercise every day; for example, take a 45-minute walk.

On the menu

Whole grains
Unprocessed vegetables
Unprocessed fruits
Lean meats
Omega-3 fatty acids (fat like that found in fish) in very small amounts

Off the menu

Pasta
White bread
Eggs
Caffeine
Processed foods
Most fats.

Flatten Your Belly Fast

Most of us men work harder at our jobs than on our bodies—Men's Health editors included. Which is why, despite our image, not a single one of us walks around the office with his shirt unbuttoned while a wind machine exposes his abs. (Well, there was that one guy, but we got rid of him.)

We stay reasonably fit with weekly basketball games, some lunchtime runs or bike rides, and lifting in the company gym when we can. But we're regular guys who just as often get home too late to even think about hitting the gym. And though our cafeteria serves healthy food, we've also been known to polish off the kids' shakes and fries, because it's easier than cleaning them off the car upholstery.

Which is how we arrived at this story. We asked some of the men on staff how they reconcile work and working out. Turns out everyone had an excuse, including long work hours, longer commutes, family commitments, and 467 irresistible cable channels. Then we grilled exercise, nutrition, and weight-loss experts for their fat-melting tips. None of that hide-the-remote-so-you're-forced-to-get-up-to-change-the-channel stuff. The result: fast and easy solutions to the real-world weight-loss problems most men battle.


NO TIME FOR EXERCISE

The 10-minute fix: Develop a backup workout. When your gym time is unexpectedly cut to about 10 minutes, try 100s—rack up 100 repetitions of each of three exercises by doing one move after another without rest. "Just get through each with good form," says Scott Rankin, C.S.C.S. Rankin suggests doing as many repetitions on the lat-pulldown machine as you can (using about 70 percent of your maximum), then doing pushups until your form breaks. Next, do as many crunches as you can. Repeat the trio until you've completed 100 reps of each exercise.

The 10-minute fix: Develop a backup workout. When your gym time is unexpectedly cut to about 10 minutes, try 100s—rack up 100 repetitions of each of three exercises by doing one move after another without rest. "Just get through each with good form," says Scott Rankin, C.S.C.S. Rankin suggests doing as many repetitions on the lat-pulldown machine as you can (using about 70 percent of your maximum), then doing pushups until your form breaks. Next, do as many crunches as you can. Repeat the trio until you've completed 100 reps of each exercise.

The 15-minute fix: Invest in TiVo. Skipping commercials will save the average TV viewer enough time to squeeze in 15 minutes of strength training three times a week.

The 20-minute fix: Go hands-free. You know the rails on elliptical machines and treadmills? Ignore them. "Leaning on the rails removes a percentage of your weight from the workout, causing you to burn up to 30 percent fewer calories," says fitness researcher Wayne Westcott, Ph.D. What's more, propping yourself up means the smaller stabilizing muscles don't need to do their job of maintaining balance, which burns additional calories.

The 25-minute fix: Mix cardio with weights. "If you have under 30 minutes, the key is to keep moving," says Adam Ernster, C.S.C.S., a Beverly Hillsâ€Ã‚“based personal trainer. Try doing two resistance exercises back-to-back, followed immediately by 60 seconds of intense cardio, such as running on a treadmill that's set at a high incline, hitting a heavy bag, or jumping rope. Rest no more than 30 seconds, then do another set of resistance exercises and cardio, Ernster says. And don't forget proper form throughout the set. Here's a sample routine.

Dumbbell squat-press (12 to 15 repetitions)Swiss-ball crunch (15 to 20 repetitions)VersaClimber (60 seconds)Rest 15 to 30 seconds.Pullup (10 to 15 repetitions)Pushup (10 to 15 repetitions)Jump rope (60 seconds)Repeat each exercise set three times.

The 30-minute fix: Take a stroller. Buy a jogging stroller and put a kid in it. Congratulations—you now have an exercise device that helps burn more calories than running. Texas A&M University researchers studied a group of people running at the same intensity for 30 minutes with and without a stroller. When the group ran while pushing a stroller (which held a 25-pound weight plate), their heart rates were 10 beats per minute higher than when they ran stroller-free. "The father can remain (or become) active and at the same time spend time with his child," says John Smith, Ph.D., lead author of the study. Bonus: You'll score points with your wife by taking the toddler out of her hair. She'll thank you later. Go tojoggingstroller.com.


NO TIME FOR BREAKFAST

Fix #1: Redecorate. "Move the fruit bowl to a handy place so you can grab a piece or two on your way out the door," says Donald Hensrud, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic Executive Health Program and editor-in-chief of Mayo Clinic's Healthy Weight for Everybody. Grab an apple, pear, banana, or some other fruit you can eat while driving. Shove an orange in your briefcase; it's your antidote to the afternoon slump.

Fix #2: Relocate. No time to make a bowl of filling, high-fiber oatmeal at home? That's okay. Have your breakfast at work instead. Quaker Express oatmeal comes in its own cup and takes only a shot of water and 30 seconds in the microwave to be ready to eat—and there's no cleanup.

Fix #3: Pop a multivitamin. Open bottle, swallow pill. It takes 5 seconds, and the benefits will go a long way toward making sure your weight loss sticks. A low-calorie diet may not provide enough B vitamins, which are necessary to draw energy from food, says Tim Ziegenfuss, Ph.D., an exercise scientist at Pinnacle Institute of Health and Human Performance. Popping a multivitamin every day will help keep your energy levels up, ensuring that eating less doesn't sabotage your efforts to exercise more.

TOO MUCH COFFEE, COLA, JUICE . . . The fix: solve your drinking problem. Liquid calories sneak up on most dieters. Buy a 32-ounce Nalgene bottle, keep it full of water, and drink it down at least twice a day. If you feed your caffeine habit with regular infusions of 20-ounce colas, making the water switch will save you upwards of 400 calories a day—that's 42 pounds in a year. What's more, fluid balance is crucial when you're exercising on a calorie-restricted diet, says Robert McMurray, Ph.D., a professor of sports nutrition at the University of North Carolina. You're burning protein along with fat, which increases your body's need for water.



FALLING BACK ON FAST FOOD


Fix #1: Cook less, eat more often. You think choosing the drive-thru saves time, but with minimal planning (and some Tupperware), you can get much better food, much faster. "Put in the effort up front," Dr. Hensrud says. "It will save you time later." On Sunday, plan your meals for the week, go grocery shopping, and start cooking. Cook a week's worth of brown rice, then divide it into individual servings. Dish out the servings into five containers and grab one a day to eat with lunch. Other easy cook-ahead items:

Salmon fillets. Cook three extra, wrap them in plastic wrap, and store them in the fridge. Eat them cold or make salmon salad (one chopped fillet minus skin, a scant tablespoon of low-fat mayo or Dijonnaise,a tablespoon or two of sliced green onions, and a handful of halved grapes).

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cook three extra. Chop one and add it to a salad, or slice it into strips and wrap it in a whole-wheat tortilla with lettuce, tomato, onion, two slices of turkey bacon, and a smear of guacamole.

Turkey bacon. Cook 10 to 12 extra strips and add them to sandwiches or salads for extra protein, or just grab a couple of strips for a snack.

Fix #2: buy a rotisserie chicken. Pick one up in the grocery store's deli section instead of a burger and fries from your local grease merchant. Once you peel off the skin, the chicken is a terrific low-fat source of lean protein. It can feed one man for 3 or 4 meals or a family of four for a single meal. And dismembering it will help you practice your bird-carving skills, should you be called up for duty on Thanksgiving.

Fix #3: Turn to page 74 ("Short-Order Cook," in Malegrams). You could throw together that Beef and Blue Cheese Salad for dinner in only 15 minutes.


THAT IRRESISTIBLE RESTAURANT MENU


Fix #1: Start with a salad. No exceptions. Skip the bacon bits and croutons (but you knew that), and ask for oil and vinegar or the house vinaigrette. You don't need to completely eliminate taste, either. "To me, a small amount of healthy fat and calories is worth it," Dr. Hensrud says. Eating nutritious, low-calorie vegetables, even if they're sprinkled with a little cheese, beats filling up on the free bread.

Fix #2: Eat the fish. Lean protein helps you feel full. Fish is an excellent source, and it may go a step further in helping you fight fat. Earlier this year, preliminary research at the University of Navarra, Spain, found that the eicosapentaenoic acid (you don't have to pronounce it, just eat it) found in fish like wild salmon, mackerel, and cod can stimulate the release of leptin, a hormone that's been linked to appetite control and the regulation of fat storage.

Fix #3: Go vegetarian, sort of. Every time you order pasta, automatically ask for a side of the vegetable of the day and dump it into the pasta dish. "Vegetables are free food, dietwise," Dr. Hensrud says, "and by eating more vegetables and less pasta, you shift the calorie count around in your favor." Add some wilted spinach or other greens to spaghetti or lasagna; drop steamed squash or broccoli into that fettuccine Alfredo you couldn't resist ordering. You really should resist cream-based sauces, though. Opt for the tomato sauce for all its cancer-fighting lycopene.

AN OVERDOSE OF TELEVISION

The fix: Floor it. Just lie or sit on the floor instead of the sofa. Same time, same channel, more calories burned. "When you fall into that couch, you're just gone, but when you're sitting on the floor, you keep moving a little bit," says Charles Staley, C.S.C.S., a Phoenix-based strength coach. "You start in one position, then shift to another, then another." That kind of mini motion counts toward your total daily calorie burn, and it adds up: Earlier this year, Mayo Clinic researchers found that fidgety people burn up to 300 extra calories per day. And when you're on the floor, you're more likely to do a few crunches or pushups.

Healthy Weight

What is a healthy weight?

A healthy weight is the natural weight you can reach through good eating, regular physical activity, managing stress, and not smoking. Reaching a specific weight is not as important as the lifestyle changes you make to become healthy.


Why is a healthy weight important?

Weight is only one component of health. Even if you carry some extra weight, by eating right and getting plenty of physical activity, you'll feel better, have more energy, and reduce your risk of weight-related diseases, such as coronary artery disease, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke. In fact, you may be healthier than a thin person who eats poorly and isn't physically active.


Why is losing weight so hard?

While a diet may help you lose a few pounds quickly, following a restrictive diet long-term is unrealistic and requires extraordinary commitment. Once you stop dieting and exercising, the weight comes back. Some people fall into an unhealthy cycle of losing and gaining weight, which may be harder on the body than just being overweight.

It's also difficult to overcome the roadblocks to weight loss: lack of time for exercise, family and work commitments, huge portions at restaurants, holidays centered around food, and illness or injury.

Research shows that people who are most successful in improving their health have made the broader and more significant shift to a healthier lifestyle rather than targeting weight loss. A lifestyle of healthy eating and regular physical activity will improve your health and quality of life, no matter what you weigh.


How do I change my lifestyle?

First you'll need to learn the skills to make lifelong changes and find the support you need to create a healthy lifestyle that's right for you. Look for balanced, realistic, and enjoyable ways to fit healthful changes into your life.

Making small changes, such as being aware of your portion sizes, eating more fruits and vegetables, and adding a few more steps to your daily routine, can add up to significant improvements in your health.

Walking is an activity that most people can do safely and routinely with family members, friends, coworkers, or pets. Keep track of your steps with a step counter or pedometer, which you can buy at a sporting goods store. If you have a desk job, you'll see how little you actually move in a typical day. Wearing the step counter will motivate you to accumulate more steps during the day.

To be successful in making lifestyle changes:

Don't diet. Abandon the idea that you'll go on a diet and quickly lose a certain amount of weight. This approach almost always fails. Instead, create a plan to eat healthier that works for you.

Think about your relationship with food. Do you overeat? If so, what prompts you to overeat? Are you bored, stressed, or sad? Do you rely on fast foods or convenience foods because you don't know how or don't like to cook? Do you use food as a reward?

Slowly change your eating habits. Rather than following a particular diet, develop a plan for a healthful eating that includes lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein such as chicken and fish. Some nutritionists suggest a method of filling your plate with one-half vegetables, one-fourth lean protein, and one-fourth whole grains. Or you could set a goal of eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. If you make small, reasonable changes, rather than depriving yourself of everything you love, you will be more successful.

Establish goals you can reach. Set small goals. Your goals should be specific, within your reach, and flexible enough to break once in a while. A goal to simply work out more and eat better is too general. Instead, make a plan to be active 3 to 4 times a week. For example, start with a goal to walk for 15 minutes three times a week, and then slowly increase it to 20 minutes 4 times a week. When you reach this goal and it has become routine, set a new one. But realize you may have setbacks now and then; it doesn't mean you've failed.

Make daily activity a part of your routine. Identify what keeps you from being active or exercising. Are you juggling a demanding job with raising kids? Maybe you can start a walking group at work during lunchtime. Ask your spouse to pick up the kids from day care or soccer practice one day a week so you can make time for physical activity.


How can I fit physical activity into my busy day?

Try to make physical activity a regular and essential part of your day, just like brushing your teeth or going to work. Start slowly and be sure to consult your doctor first if you aren't active at all. Consider scheduling your activity in the morning if you tend to talk yourself out of it later in the day.

Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park far away and walk to your office or the grocery store. Make a plan to ride your bike to work once a week. Instead of e-mailing a coworker, get up and walk to his or her desk. If you don't have time to take one 30-minute walk, break it up into three 10-minute walks.

If you want a more structured way to get exercise, consider joining a health club or community center that offers fitness activities. Find an activity that you love and feel you can stick with, and then vary it with other activities so you don't get bored. For example, 3 days a week, take a brisk, 30-minute walk with a friend and then lift some weights together. On other days, take a water aerobics class, ride a bike, or take the dog for a hike. Join a softball, volleyball, or basketball league. The more you can find activities you like, the greater your chances for success. Use this interactive tool to find out how many calories are burned during various activities.

? ABOUT HEALTHY EATING

How can I start eating a healthier diet?

A healthy diet includes eating a variety of foods from the basic food groups: protein, such as meat, eggs, and legumes; dairy; fruits and vegetables; grains, such as breads and pasta; and fats and sweets. As simple as this sounds, it’s not always easy to get the nutrition you need. You may eat more of your favorite foods from only one food group, and as a result, avoid others. Or perhaps you opt for convenience over quality when you are hungry.
A healthy diet requires some planning and purpose and an effort to include a variety of foods in your meals. If you look closely at how you eat, you might find you aren't getting enough nutrients because you don't get the recommended number of servings from each food group.

So, not only is it important to pay attention to what you eat but also to what you are missing from your diet. To accomplish this, keep a food diary of everything you eat and drink for 1 week. Pay attention to serving sizes, and check to see if you are eating a variety of foods from each of the food groups. You don't need to meet the minimum number every day, but try to get the recommended intake on average over a week. You might find that making a few small changes will ensure that you're eating a healthy, balanced diet. Or, you may find that you are missing many important nutrients.


Do I have to make dramatic changes in how I eat?

Once you are aware of nutrients that you may be missing in your diet or other ways that your eating is out of balance, you can begin to make a few small changes toward a more healthful diet. For example, simply adding a yogurt as a snack might be enough to meet your milk servings. Adding a sliced banana to your cereal will take care of a fruit serving.

Paying attention to serving sizes is also important. You may not know that a serving size of cereal is only 1 ounce (28 grams), which is 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup for most cereals. That means a typical bowl full of cereal is usually far more than a serving. So instead of a big bowl of cereal and milk for breakfast, have one serving (1 ounce) of cereal, and add a sliced banana and a small glass (1/2 cup) of juice. Use skim or soy milk instead of whole milk to reduce the amount of fat you take in.

If you find that you rarely eat fresh fruits or vegetables, make it a goal to include a serving or two at each meal. Only 1/2 cup of a cooked vegetable or 1 cup of salad greens counts as one serving. Drinking a small can of tomato juice, adding lettuce or bean sprouts to your sandwich, putting tomato sauce on your pasta—these are small ways to boost your vegetable servings. The new dietary guidelines recommend 2 cups of fruit and 2 and 1/2 cups of vegetables per day.

As you make changes, continue with your food diary. Set a weekly goal as you add or change what you are eating. For example, this week make it your goal to order a salad instead of french fries, add vegetables to your pizza, or bring a yogurt to work every day.

Just remember, food is one of life's greatest pleasures. All foods, if eaten in moderation, can be a part of a healthy diet. If your favorite foods are high in fat, salt, sugar, and calories, limit how often you eat them, eat smaller servings, or look for healthy substitutes. Your key to a healthy, balanced diet is moderation. Eat a wide variety of foods, especially those high in nutrients, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, fish, lean meats, and poultry.


Can eating healthier protect me from diseases?

A healthy diet can actually help you lower your risk for disease.

To avoid disease, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nonfat dairy products. The guidelines also emphasize watching calories to prevent weight gain, limiting alcohol, and cutting back on foods high in salt, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and added sugar. Activity is also an important part of the picture. The guidelines suggest 30 to 90 minutes of activity per day.

Specifically, a healthy diet may help in the following ways:

Eating a low-fat diet that includes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products can lower your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes. It may also prevent certain types of cancer.

Limiting saturated fats, which are found in animal products such as fatty meats, cheese, cream, and butter, can reduce your cholesterol levels and lower your risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.

Replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated fats, such as olive and canola oils, can help you lower "bad" (LDL) cholesterol.

Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids found in polyunsaturated fats (in foods such as fish, nuts, soybeans, and flaxseeds) may have a protective effect against heart disease.

Eliminating or reducing trans-fatty acids found in hydrogenated oils (for example, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil) may help you lower cholesterol.

Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables provides antioxidants (such as beta-carotene and vitamins E and C), which protect the body from damage caused by oxygen free radicals and lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure.

Should I be eating a low-salt, low-carbohydrate, or low-fat diet?

Everyone can benefit from eating healthy foods, but not everyone has the same nutritional needs. Pregnant women, growing children, and older adults will have different needs for certain nutrients. People who have high blood pressure need to watch how much salt they eat. Those who have high cholesterol may be on a cholesterol-lowering diet that restricts saturated and trans fats and cholesterol. And people who have diabetes will need to spread the carbohydrate that they eat throughout the day.

If you are generally healthy and don't have health issues that require a special diet, it's still wise to watch how much salt, fat, and added sugar you eat in order to prevent diseases such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Limit salt in your diet by eating as many fresh foods as possible. Prepared foods, such as soups, snack foods, and canned foods, are extremely high in salt (sodium). Also watch the amount of fat you eat. Replace saturated and trans fats with monounsaturated fats such as olive and canola oils. Include healthy omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, walnuts, flaxseed and canola oils, and soybeans.

Low-carbohydrate diets may help some people lose weight initially, but they may not be healthy over a long period of time. Low-carb diets are high in total fat and saturated fat and are low in fiber. They also restrict grains, fruits, and vegetables, which protect against disease and provide important nutrients.

If you're concerned about carbohydrate, choose complex carbohydrate such as that found in whole grains, vegetables, and beans, because these provide a large variety of nutrients and fiber. Simple carbohydrate, such as in sweets and soda, is high in calories and provides few nutrients and no fiber.


Does eating healthier mean I have to go on a diet?

No, eating healthy is not about dieting; it is a way to improve your health. Consistently eating a balanced diet that is low in saturated fats and trans fats and includes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and good fats (such as olive oil) will lower your risk for disease.

Being physically active along with eating a healthy diet will improve your health even further. Regular physical activity significantly reduces the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, anxiety, depression, and cancers of the breast, colon, and female reproductive system.

HOW TO TURN SNACKS INTO HEALTHY DIET

Your stomach is growling, but lunch is hours away. You're eyeing the cookies on the counter, but know that you'll feel guilty if you indulge. If you think your best option is to avoid a snack altogether and wait for lunch, think again.
A wide variety of snacks can fit into a healthy diet, so you don't need to avoid snacks. Rather, plan them with variety, moderation and balance in mind.

The benefits of snacks

You may feel guilty about snacking, but snacks aren't necessarily bad. In fact, mini meals several times a day can be beneficial. Here's how:
Binge control. If eating several low-fat whole-grain crackers, a few pretzels, a piece of fruit or some raw vegetables keeps you from taking second or third helpings at your next meal, you may actually consume fewer total calories for the day.
Extra energy and nutrients. Traditional, made-at-home meals often lose out to busy schedules. A grab-and-go snack can be the difference between some nourishment and none at all.
Satisfaction for small appetites. Young children's tiny stomachs can hold only small portions of food at one time. Older adults who are less active and who burn fewer calories also may feel more comfortable eating smaller meals more frequently.

Choose healthy snacks

Select foods that can satisfy your hunger, supply your body with energy and provide important nutrients. Choose a wide variety of these foods to ensure that you get all the necessary nutrients and to make your snacks more interesting. Here are some of your best snack picks:
Whole grains. Whole-grain snacks are rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates, which give you energy that has some staying power. Look for items such as low-fat whole-grain crackers, whole-grain pretzels and whole-grain crispbreads.
Fruits and vegetables. Eating fruits and vegetables provides a feeling of fullness with no fat and only a small number of calories. They also provide vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients.
Nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds provide protein, which helps keep you feeling fuller longer. Nuts and seeds contain mostly monounsaturated fat, a healthy kind of fat. Nuts and seeds are high in calories, however, so don't eat them in large quantities.
Low-fat dairy products. Cheese, yogurt and other dairy products are good sources of calcium and protein, plus a variety of other vitamins and minerals. Dairy products can be high in fat, so choose the low-fat versions. Some yogurts have a lot of added sugar, so consider "light" yogurt if you want to limit your calorie intake.
Though snacks can contribute to a healthy diet, they can also be a source of excess calories if not eaten in moderation. For example, a single serving of almonds (about 23 kernels or a handful) contains 164 calories. But if you eat handful after handful until it totals a cup of almonds, the calorie count jumps to 800-plus calories.

So what are your best choices? Here are several suggestions:

Approximate number of calories

Healthy snack options

10 calories
1 large stalk of celery

25-30 calories
1 cup raw vegetables6 medium baby carrots

60 calories
2 cups air-popped or light popcorn1 cup of cantaloupe or grapes1 small can of vegetable juice

100 calories
1 cup sliced bananas and fresh raspberries2 domino-sized slices low-fat Colby or cheddar cheese1 fat-free chocolate pudding cup

150 calories
1/2 cup frozen, low-fat yogurt topped with 1/2 cup blueberries1 cup sliced apples with 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter4 slices whole-grain crispbread (a wafer-thin cracker)

200 calories
1/4 cup dry roasted soy nuts (calories vary by brand)1/3 cup granola 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese topped with 1/2 cup sliced fresh peaches

Quick, easy-to-prepare snacks

You're more apt to opt for good-for-you snacks if you stock your refrigerator and shelves with foods that are fast — not fussy. These ideas for healthy snacks minimize fat and calories and maximize whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Toast one-half of a whole-wheat English muffin. Top with one slice Canadian bacon, a tomato slice and one slice low-fat American cheese. Microwave until the cheese melts.
Mash half a banana into 2 teaspoons peanut butter and spread onto a whole-grain bagel. Large bagels contain up to 400 calories, so choose a smaller 2-ounce bagel.
Mix 1/4 cup cold leftover chicken or convenience-type chunk chicken with sliced seedless grapes, 1/2 tablespoon sunflower seeds, 1 tablespoon plain yogurt or fat-free mayonnaise, and a dash of curry powder. Stuff into a hollowed-out green pepper or half of a whole-wheat pita pocket.
Spread 1 tablespoon part-skim ricotta cheese over one-half of a small cinnamon-raisin bagel. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired and top with a thinly sliced apple.
Layer a soft mini corn or flour tortilla with 2 tablespoons shredded low-fat cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese. Microwave until the cheese melts. Slice into bite-sized pie shapes. Dip into some salsa if desired.
Spread 1 ounce ricotta cheese over a brown rice cake. Layer with fresh strawberries or a tablespoon of sugar-free spreadable fruit. Or try using a spread of herbed goat cheese and sliced olives.
Top a small baked potato with 2 tablespoons fat-free plain yogurt and sprinkle with Cajun seasoning.
Spread 1 tablespoon fruit-flavored low-fat yogurt or 100 percent fruit jam over a slice of whole-grain crispbread.
Heed your hunger pangs, but forget the guilt. With planning and a little preparation, you can have healthy foods on hand, so you're ready when temptation strikes.