The Facts...
Good nutrition has a positive effect on mental and physical well-being. Healthy eating can help Oklahomans live stronger and healthier lives.  It can also help reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, some cancers, stroke and diabetes.  

Remember, healthy eating begins at birth.  Breast milk is the ideal food for babies and breastfeeding is beneficial to mothers, too.  Improving nutrition means making healthy choices, such as eating foods rich in important nutrients, reducing fat and calories, monitoring salt and sugar intake, and drinking more water.  Other healthy eating tips include:

• Vary your veggies
• Make half your grains whole
• Focus on fruits
• Go lean with protein
• Choose calcium-rich foods

To find healthy recipes that taste great and are easy to make, click on the links below!

Healthy Recipes for adults

Healthy Recipes for kids

The Challenges...

Two reasons Oklahomans give for not increasing fruits and vegetables as part of their diets are high cost and poor access.

• Approximately, 49 percent of Oklahomans who are obese report that eating healthy foods is expensive compared to the 29.5 percent of Oklahomans who are not obese.

Attitudes formed during childhood can be barriers to healthy eating.

• TV advertisements shown during children's programs encourage eating high-fat, high-calorie foods.
• Many experts feel the promotion of junk foods in commercials is contributing to the increase in childhood obesity.
• Constant promotion of high-calorie food is contributing to the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States by encouraging preferences for junk food and contributing to poor eating habits.

Weight gain is caused when we take in more calories than we use.

• During the past 20 years, portion sizes and consumption of sugars and processed starches have increased.
• Oklahomans have become less physically active with the expansion of technology and view more screentime (TV, video games, and computer).
• Limited amount of physical activity has helped increase overweight and obesity.

The Solutions...

Small changes can make a big difference in your health.  Try making changes one step at a time.  Try one of the following tips for one week and add another one the next week.  With time and patience, you can improve your current eating habits or make your good eating habits even better!

• Reduce the amount of foods you eat that are high in fat and sugar.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Drink more water.
• Consume more low-fat dairy products like yogurt, cheese and milk.

Click here for a list of Strategies for Healthy Eating.

Seven Foods To Keep You Young