Eating properly is critical for proper growth (kids and teenagers) as well as sustaining  good health (adults). When combined with the proper exercise, eating properly not only improves our health, it keeps us from gaining weight. Poor diet and inactivity, on the other hand, can cause nutritional imbalances that make us sick as well as energy imbalances that make us fat. Proper nutrition in the simplest form means consuming the right mix of foods from the basic food groups: grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, meat/beans, and oils. It also means eating the right amount of food to avoid excess calories and skimping on those foods that are calorie rich but nutrient poor. 

The National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF) says, “All food is ‘health food’ in moderation; any food is ‘junk food’ in excess -- there are no inherently ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods, just good and bad total diets. More than anything else in food, it is excessive calories producing too much body fat (rather than dietary fat per se) that is associated with our high frequency of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.”

Sound nutrition, according to the NCAHF boils down to:

·        Three guiding words: moderation, variety, and balance.

·        Six basic food groups: grains, vegetables, fruits, milk products, meat or beans, and oils.

·        A handful of guidelines helping you get the variety, amount, and mix of food and exercise that you need.

People following the simple principles of sound nutrition live longer. They also maintain a higher quality of life, which is important because long life means little if you’re not in good condition to enjoy it.