Developing Healthy Eating Habits

Lesson 28

Why People Eat

Motivation Factors We need to eat when we’re hungry in order to put

nutrients into our body. We don’t need to eat to manage stress, deal with a bad day, because we’re bored, etc.

To develop healthy eating habits, you must understand why you eat. The food we eat does more than provide physical energy – it helps us think clearly, deal with emotions, have a positive mindset, feel good about things, etc.

Healthful Breakfast & Lunch

Breakfast literally means “break the fast” – your body has been fasting all night, and now it’s time to give your body the energy it needs to begin the day.

Metabolism => The rate at which food is converted into energy in the body’s cells.

The energy you gain from breakfast keeps you going throughout the day. Lunch helps you remain alert and able to focus through the afternoon.

Healthful Breakfast & Lunch

Breakfast and Lunch Dos and Don’ts Fruits & Vegetables High Protein Choices Whole grains and fiber-

rich foods

Healthful Dinner & Snacks

When snacking, keep in mind that snacking does have a very specific purpose! Snacks should be eaten as a way to stop

hunger…not to cure boredom. Snacking should be a deliberate activity – not

something you do mindlessly, and over the course of the entire day.

Select foods that will stop hunger and provide energy – examples?

Which Snack is Best?

Which Snack is Best?

Healthful Dinner & Snacks

Dinner provides the fuel you need to complete your day – gives you your “second wind”

Dinner should not make up more than one third of your caloric intake for the entire day – pace yourself throughout the day!

When selecting foods for dinner, choose those with nutrients you may not have gotten during the day.

Healthful Dinner & Snacks

Timing matters! Try to eat dinner earlier in the evening, as opposed to right before you go to bed.

Eating too late will not give your body the chance it needs to use up the energy provided by the food you ate.