Eating is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Everyone needs good nutrition however, busy schedules often dictate when and what we choose to eat. The challenge in eating a nutritious diet doesn’t have to be difficult, but it does take some planning and effort toward making healthy food choices. One key to managing your diet is to balance the calories you put into your body with the calories you burn. Another key step is to eat a variety of healthy foods within your caloric needs.

To calculate your average caloric needs click onto mypyramid.gov and provide your age, gender and activity level to obtain a calorie pattern based on the results of your personal input. The pattern consists of a variety of foods from the 5 major food groups (Grains, Vegetables, Fruits, Milk and Meat and Beans) along with Oils and Discretionary Calories. Recommendations for amounts per day are specified based on your results.

With such a variety of foods, there are many ways to build a healthy diet and lifestyle. By utilizing the tools in mypyramid.gov and following the new 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans you can begin a healthful diet and lifestyle that will give your body the nutrients it needs to properly function and reduce your risk for developing chronic diseases.

KSU’s Health Services website is dedicated to helping you attain nutritional health by providing valuable resources and helpful tips on how to obtain or maintain a healthy lifestyle. To further assist you in exploring many nutritional issues, information on campus programs and services along with general nutritional web links are available. Imagine a healthier vision of yourself. You can obtain this vision by setting goals and taking small steps toward a healthier you!

2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the latest 5 year joint project of the Department of Health and Human Services and Agriculture which is based on science based evidence to promote good dietary habits and help Americans live healthier and longer lives. These new guidelines place a stronger emphasis on calorie control and physical activity. Dietary Guidelines http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines/

New 2005 Food Guide Pyramid What’s it all about? The United States Department of Agriculture has created an interactive Website called My Pyramid which provides nutrition and physical activity plans to suit different individual requirements that can help Americans maintain weight and fight the overweight/obesity challenge face by the U. S. It has detailed guidelines on the benefits of caloric intake and calories burned with tips for increasing physical activity. For an in depth assessment of your diet quality, Pyramid Tracker is a tool that calculates calorie input/calories burned through input of your personal data. It’s all about moderation, balance and the initiative to take personal responsibility for your own health. My Pyramid http://www.mypyramid.gov/
Pyramid Tracker http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/