Everyday wellness is striving to be well every day. And sometimes that can be difficult to accomplish. Between your job and your life and maybe calling your mom or walking the dog or paying a few bills, sometimes being well takes a back seat.QUIZ: Get Your Priorities StraightFortunately, there is an abundance of technology now available for us to make everyday wellness much easier. The latest and greatest that I’ve seen comes from Google’s nutritional information search. They are currently rolling out nutrition information (from the USDA) for 1,000 commonly searched foods, and they have plans to increase that number and offer information in other languages as well. So no more excuses! Going to the movies and ordering popcorn? It will be as easy as typing “how many calories in popcorn?” into the search bar on your smartphone to instantly view calories per serving and other important facts.So why is this relevant to you? And should you really care, anyway? It is relevant, and you should care! And here’s why: Seventy-five percent of chronic diseases are lifestyle driven. That’s a huge percentage. And the really great news about that: You can lower your risk of the majority of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, depression and arthritis, just to name a few. It all comes down to simple choices you make every day. For instance: You can wolf down one regular size Snicker’s bar, or for the same number of calories and no added sugar, you could eat three bananas!MORE: Are You Getting too Much Protein?But you wouldn’t know that off the top of your head; and neither did I—I had to look it up. That’s the beauty of all of these new apps and technology that are quickly becoming mainstays on our various devices (like the Fooducate app I wrote about in a previous column). We have all of the information literally at our fingertips to make healthy choices, every day. Doesn’t get much better than that!Here are some guidelines to keep in mind as you navigate this brave new world of nutritional data points:Calories: On average, a healthy and moderately active woman under age 50 should target approximately 2,000 kcal (or calories) daily, divided between meals and snacks.Sodium: A healthy woman under the age of 50 should target 2,300 milligrams or less of sodium per day.Saturated fat: When reading labels, strive for less than 4 grams of saturated fat per serving.Sugar: When reading labels, strive for less than 4 grams of sugar per serving.Fiber: Women need, on average, 25 grams of fiber daily; most of us fall way short of this target.MORE: The Snack Food with Surprising Beauty Benefits
LATEST
