Food Groups
Vitamins & Minerals
Diet
Disease
Pot Luck
100
Producing this food has a greater negative impact on the environment than any other food.
What is meat? The environmental impact results from the greater amount of food, water, land and energy required to raise and transport livestock. [One Big Mac requires 53 gallons of water!]
100
Sometimes called the "Sunshine Vitamin", this micronutrient is essential to your body's ability to absorb calcium.
What is Vitamin D?
100
This is the most important meal of the day.
What is breakfast? Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. You need to refuel your body with a high protein, balanced meal that will stabilize your blood sugar and prevent cravings and over-eating later in the day.
100
SAD fact -- This disease, which is the leading cause of death among men and women in the United States, is largely attributable to the standard American diet of highly processed foods (characterized by high intake of red meat, sugary desserts, high fat foods, and refined grains).
What is heart disease?
100
This index is used to measure the impact of food on our blood sugar levels.
What is the glycemic index?
200
Consuming this food, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, is good for the heart and the brain.
What is fish? Consumption of fish is associated with reduced risks of heart disease and lower rates of cognitive decline and dementia.
200
This B vitamin, which the body needs to maintain a healthy nervous system, is found only in animal products.
What is Vitamin B12?
200
This diet emphasizes eating primarily plant-based, seasonal, whole foods, such as fruit and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.
What is the Mediterranean Diet?
200
Don't forget that excessive consumption of sugar and refined grains leads to insulin resistance in our brain cells and is linked to the onset of this disease, which some experts refer to as Type III diabetes.
What is Alzheimer's Disease? People with diabetes are twice as likely to get Alzheimer's.
200
This means a product is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, GMO seeds or irradiation (which is healthier for us and for the environment).
What is "certified organic"?
300
Often unfairly associated with weight gain and heart disease, this food group provides us with energy and is essential for maintaining a healthy metabolism.
What are fats?
300
This is the most effective way to get needed vitamins and minerals.
What is eating whole foods? We need real food, rather than supplements -- the whole carrot, not just the beta carotene.
300
Excessive consumption of these addictive foods leads to obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, stroke and heart disease, and is associated with dementia, ADD, ADHD, mood swings, depression and the growth of some forms of cances.
What are refined carbohydrates (i.e., foods that contain large amounts of refined flour and added sugar)?
300
Being overweight and inactive and consuming too much sodium often contribute to this condition, which is known as the "silent killer."
What is hypertension or high blood pressure?
300
On average, we consume more than double the recommended amount of sodium, and 75% of our sodium intake comes from these sources.
What are processed and restaurant foods? Read food labels and restaurant menus carefully! U.S. adults who live to be 50 have a 90% chance of developing hypertension or high blood pressure and one of the primary culprits is our consumption of sodium.
400
This non-digestible carbohydrate stabilizes blood sugar, reduces LDL cholesterol, and significantly contributes to weight loss.
What is soluble fiber? Foods highest in soluble fiber include oat bran, beans, lentils, peas, barley, oatmeal, apples, eggplant, artichokes, okra, citrus fruits, bananas and green leafy vegetables.
400
Spinach and liver are good sources of this mineral, which is required for the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body.
What is Iron?
400
When you're counting these, it's the quality not just the quantity that adds up to a healthy diet.
What are calories?
400
Eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, while consuming less processed meats, can help prevent this disease.
What is cancer?
400
Not getting enough of this important "activity" can throw off the hormones in our bodies that influence appetite.
What is sleep? Sleep-deprivation increases hunger and the heightened cravings are typically satisfied at night, when we are more insulin resistant -- which means the extra calories are more likely to be stored as fat.
500
These vegetables, which take their name from the latin term meaning "cross-bearing" (since the four petals of their leaves resemble a cross), are strongly associated with a reduced risk of cancer.
What are cruciferous vegetables?
500
Green leafy vegetables and dairy products are good sources of this mineral, which builds string bones, stabilizes blood pressure and improves muscle function.
What is Calcium?
500
Avoiding this protein is considered by many the best thing since sliced bread.
What is gluten?
500
Previously only suffered by adults, this disease now affects more and more children due to inactivity and poor eating habits.
What is Type II diabetes?
500
Ironically, for most of us it's not how much cholesterol we consume that determines the level of cholesterol in our blood, but rather the amount of these foods.
What are refined carbohydrates and trans fats?
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