GrainsMake half your grains wholeEat 6 oz. every day

VegetablesVary your veggiesEat 2½ cups every day

FruitsFocus on fruitsEat 2 cups every day

MilkGet your calcium-rich foodGet 3 cups every day; for kids aged 2 to 8, it's 2

Meat and BeansGo lean with protein Eat 5½ oz. every day

Weight Loss Tips Should I combine exercise and healthful eating to maintain a desired weight or lose weight? The benefits of regular exercise are numerous! Not only can regular aerobic exercise decrease your chance for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer, but it also helps you to lose weight and

maintain a healthy body weight. Exercise is fueled by stored calories. To lose one pound of body weight,

you must burn 3500 calories.

What is a safe amount of weight to lose per week?

According to the American College of Sports Medicine and Health Professionals, a safe weight loss is a loss

of between one to two pounds per week.

Daily Health Tips Check out the food listings on the front cover to see the appropriate food servings needed per day.

Eat slowly! It takes your stomach 20 minutes to tell your brain it is full. This means you could actually be overeating for 20 minutes and never know it until it is too late.

Drink eight glasses of water throughout the day. Especially drink a big glass before meals. The water will take up space in your stomach allowing you to eat smaller portions.

Don’t go hungry. Be sure you eat three meals and three in-between-meal snacks a day. This will help you from making bad food choices!

When buying cooking oils choose canola, sunflower, corn, or olive.

Fill up on fiber; adults need at least 20 grams of fiber per day. To help meet your fiber requirement, eat more fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains.

High Sodiumcuredin tomato saucemonosodium glutamate (MSG)smoked soy sauceteriyaki sauce

Low Fatbakedboiledbroiledgrilledmarinaramarinated in it’s own juicespoachedsteamed

High Fatau gratinbastedbéarnaise saucecheese saucecooked in buttercreamedcrispyescallopedfriedhollandaise saucerefriedsautéed in butter

GR-M7-481/1.indd (3/20/2009)

Dining-Out TipsAre you going out to eat? Use these tips to help you make smart menu choices! Foods prepared with the following phrases indicate:

A Balanced Diet

Health care benefit programs issued or administered by Capital BlueCross and/or its subsidiaries, Capital Advantage Insurance Company® and Keystone Health Plan® Central. Independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Communications issued by Capital BlueCross in its capacity as administrator of programs and provider relations for all companies.

The information provided is meant for a general audience. It is not a substitute for services or advice received from your health care providers who are the only ones that can diagnose and treat your individual medical conditions. Capital BlueCross and its affiliated companies believe this health education resource provides useful information but do not assume any liability associated with its use. If you have any questions about the information, please contact your health care provider. Individual coverage for any services that may be discussed in this resource depends on your benefits plan. To determine coverage for any health care service, please refer to your Certificate of Coverage or Evidence of Coverage or call Customer Service at the toll-free number on your Member identification card.

Your personal guide to

healthful

• I will take in no more than calories a day.

• That means I should consume grams of fat.

• I will exercise times/week for minutes/day.

• The type(s) of aerobic exercise I will do:

• I will try to lose pounds by this date:

Serving Size TipsYour... About...Fist = 1 cup or 1 medium whole fruitThumb = 1 ounce cheese or meatThumb Tip = 1 tablespoonFingertip = 1 teaspoonCupped Hand = 1 or 2 ounces nuts or pretzelsPalm = 3 ounces cooked (minus fingers) meat, poultry, or fish

My Personal Goals Calorie FactsOne Serving Equals . . .Bread, Cereal, Rice, Pasta• 1 slice of bread • 1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal • ½ cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pastaMilk, Yogurt, Cheese• 1 cup of milk or yogurt • 1½ ounces of natural cheese • 2 ounces of process cheeseVegetable• 1 cup of raw, leafy vegetables • ½ cup of other vegetables,

cooked or chopped raw • ¾ cup of vegetable juice

Fruit• 1 medium apple, banana, or orange• ½ cup of chopped, cooked, or

canned fruit • ¾ cup of fruit juice Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, Nuts• 2 – 3 ounces of cooked lean

meat, poultry, or fish• ½ cup of cooked dry beans or

1 egg counts as1ounce of lean meat. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or 1/3 cup of nuts count as 1 ounce of meat

Fat FactsI heard that there are different types of fat. What are the differences?

Saturated fat (solid at room temperature) — raises blood cholesterol level

Unsaturated fat* (liquid at room temperature) — lowers blood cholesterol level

Two types of unsaturated fat:monounsaturated* — lowers LDLpolyunsaturated* — lowers LDL and HDL

* These unsaturated fats do help to lower blood cholesterol levels when they are substituted for saturated fats. Yet, their use should also be limited to keep total fat consumption at a normal level.

Step Read these food and nutrition tips. Food and weight loss tips appear on the back of this brochure.

How much fat should my daily diet include? The American Heart Association recommends that the calories from fat should not exceed 30 percent of the total calories consumed. Saturated fat and trans fat intake should not exceed 10 percent of total calories each day for healthy people.

Here’s the equation: Calories multiplied by .3 (30%) = number of calories per day from fat

For example: 1,800 calories multiplied by .3 (30%) = 540 calories from fat per day

From the foods I’m eating, what percent of calories come from fat? Number of fat calories ÷ total calories X 100

How many grams of fat can I have a day?

My calories ÷ 9 =

grams of fat/day*Source: Mayo Clinic Diet Manual**Equation for adults only; do not use for children

= This is the number of = calories your body needs

every day to function.

To account for daily activity…

Multiply by 1.3 Very light activity Multiply by 1.3 (sitting and standing)

Multiply by 1.5 Light activity Multiply by 1.6 (light walking, house cleaning)

Multiply by 1.6 Moderate activity Multiply by 1.7 (walking, skiing, tennis, cycling)

Multiply by 1.9 Heavy activity Multiply by 2.1 (climbing, basketball, football)

MEN Multiply by 1, then by 24

WOMENMultiply by .9, then by 24

Divide by 2.2 to convert to kilograms

kg

My current weight is

lbs

to your personalizednutrition plan

stepsTwo easy

This information provided by Capital BlueCross Health Education Unit717.703.8575

For additional information:

www.nal.usda.gov/fnic

www.nutrition.gov/home/index.php3

www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines

www.capbluecross.com

Step Determine your daily caloric requirement.Calculating your Basal Metabolic Rate will tell you how many calories you should be consuming daily.

Calories* Used in 30 Minutes of Different Recreational Activities

Softball .................................. 130 Calisthenics ......................... 150 Golf ....................................... 170 Brisk walking ....................... 200 Bicycling ............................... 205Aerobic dance ..................... 210Tennis (singles) .................... 220Lap swimming ..................... 225Jogging ................................... 352

Cross-country skiing .......... 375Running ................................ 425 Rowing .................................. 430*for a 150-pound person

Calories by Food Type —The caloric value of one (1) gram of each of the following:

Carbohydrates ......... 4 caloriesProtein ....................... 4 caloriesAlcohol ...................... 7 caloriesFat ............................... 9 calories

Cut out this card and keep it as a handy reference bookmark.