Basics of Healthy Eating and Nutrition

Healthy eating is not about strict nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, stabilizing your mood, and keeping yourself as healthy as possible—all of which can be achieved by learning some nutrition basics and using them in a way that works for you. You can expand your range of healthy food choices and learn how to plan ahead to create and maintain a tasty, healthy diet.Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables as an overall healthy diet may... * reduce risk for stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. * reduce risk for type 2 diabetes. * protect against certain cancers, such as mouth, stomach, and colon-rectum cancer. * reduce the risk of coronary artery disease. * help decrease bone loss and reduce the risk of developing kidney stones.

Positive attitude, positive thinking, and optimism are now known to be a root cause of many positive life benefits. Studies show positive people can experience an increased life span, lower rates of depression, lower levels of stress, greater resistance to the common cold, better overall well-being, reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease and better coping skills during times of hardship and stress. In his, A Primer in Positive Psychology, Christopher Petersen, PhD, says, “...optimism has demonstrable benefits, and pessimism has drawbacks.” He goes on to say, “...optimism...has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to perseverance and effective problem solving; to academic, athletic, military, occupational, and political success; to popularity; to good health; and even to long life and freedom from trauma.” It seems people with a positive attitude simply live longer, happier, healthier, more successful lives… and who doesn’t want that!!

What is the Importance of Education?
Given the recent political debate centering on cut-backs and the dissipation of teacher salaries,