Meals Matter

Health Feature

Yogurt 

Yogurt is a great source of many vitamins and minerals, including calcium, vitamins A and D, riboflavin and phosphorus. In addition, yogurt contains probiotics - friendly bacteria that can keep you healthy.

Nutrition & Fitness Challenge: Week 1–Fueling Your Life 

Welcome to Week 1 of the Nutrition & Fitness Challenge—get your New Year off to a healthy start with our tips and recommendations for healthier eating!
 
Step 1: Assess your Nutritional Status
 





Lifelong good health begins with good nutrition – get started with the Personal Nutrition Planner to calculate your calorie needs and body mass index (BMI).

The Nutrition Planner will also help you determine which foods can help you live healthier now and prevent disease as you age.
Step 2: Nutrition Information
  
 

Staying healthy has everything to do with sensible eating. Read our featured articles to find out which foods provide the most health benefits.

How Food Keeps You Healthy
Find out how everyday foods that you may already be eating can keep you healthy. Read more…

Good News About Foods You Love
Functional foods contain an amazing variety of substances—in addition to vitamins and minerals—that can help us live longer, healthier lives. Read more…

What is a "healthy" food?
Learn how to make each calorie count by selecting foods with more essential nutrients in fewer calories. Read more…

Probiotics - Friendly Bacteria That Keep You Healthy
Probiotics may reduce the risk for colon, liver and breast cancers. Read more…

Step 3: Learn about functional foods
 
 

Functional foods are foods that may play a role in reducing your risk of disease and improving your health.
Functional Foods  

To learn more about functional foods, their health benefits and how to include them in your meals, see our extensive Functional Foods chart.

You may also want to read:

What You Need to Know About Functional Foods (PDF)

Step 4: Keep a food diary
  
 
The information you record in your food diary will help you assess your current eating habits. Generally, food diaries are meant to be used for a whole week, but keeping track of what you eat for even one day can help you make changes in your diet.
Monitor your food choices this week with your printable Food Diary.


Tips
To improve the accuracy of your food diary:

  • Include snacks or food on the go
  • Count large portion sizes as more than one serving
  • Remember to include beverages
Print your diary and track what you eat this week!

Step 5: Try our meal suggestions
  
 
These delicious meals are examples of how easy it can be to eat tasty and nutritious foods.

  
 
Nutrition Information (per serving of the meal):
Calories: 589
Fat: 20 g
Carbohydrate: 59 g
Sodium: 324 mg
Fiber: 7 g
% Calories from Fat: 30%
Nutrition Information (per serving of the meal):
Calories: 619
Fat: 11 g
Carbohydrate: 85 g
Sodium: 531 mg
Calcium: 109 mg
Fiber: 5 g
% Calories from Fat: 15%
Nutrition Information (per serving of the meal):
Calories: 430
Fat: 10 g
Carbohydrate: 48 g
Sodium: 922 mg
Calcium: 328 mg
Fiber: 8 g
% Calories from Fat: 21%
Nutrition Information (per serving of the meal):
Calories: 655
Fat: 17 g
Carbohydrate: 73 g
Sodium: 207 mg
Calcium: 246 mg Fiber: 8 g
% Calories from Fat: 23%
Nutrition Information (per serving of the meal):
Calories: 646
Fat: 7 g
Carbohydrate: 111 g
Sodium: 771 mg
Calcium: 283 mg
Fiber: 10 g
% Calories from Fat: 10%
  
   
 

Congratulations on completing Week 1 of the Nutrition & Fitness Challenge! You now have a better understanding of how food can prevent disease and lead to better health.
Get Ready for Week 2: Finding a balance
Starting January 14, 2008
  • Assess your activity level with our Fitness Planner
  • Learn which types of activity will help you meet your goals
  • Learn how to balance the food you eat with your activity level
Remember, if you complete all three weeks of the Challenge you will be eligible for a $200 reward.