What Single Parents Need to Know to Live Longer and Enjoy Life

As a single parent who needs to care for yourself and your children, eating more fruits and vegetables every day as part of a healthy eating plan may lower your chances of getting cancer, heart disease and stroke and other chronic diseases. 

Today, more than 90 percent of all Americans do not eat the daily recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. 


Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

The answer is simple... just eat more fruits and vegetables for the benefit of getting more fiber in your system. as well as the other benefits. Focus on how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your daily eating plan.

To get more fiber in your diet, the following food items are examples of good sources of dietary fiber -- beans, blueberries, grapes, apples. most raw vegetables, whole grain cereals, sweet potatoes, and whole grain breads. Current recommendations for healthy adults are to get 20 to 30 grams of fiber a day through dietary food sources. 

However, Americans on average only get about 10 to 13 grams a day.  Some of the many health benefits to eating enough fiber, include lowering blood cholesterol levels and assisting with digestive disorders. If you want to increase fiber, do so gradually by 16 adding small amounts to your daily diet.

Reduce Saturated Fats in Your Diet
Why is it important to reduce the saturated fat in the diet? It helps prevent many chronic diseases such as heart disease and stroke. It helps prevent clogging of the arteries. It helps with weight control and management. It helps lower blood cholesterol levels. 

The American Heart Association and other nutrition guidelines encourage all Americans to reduce their overall intake of saturated fat in their diets. On average, Americans consume 45 percent to 50 percent of their total daily calories from saturated fat sources. 


Saturated fat is found in animal products such as meat, high-fat dairy products and also in some processed foods. You should limit your intake of saturated fats to 10 percent or less of your daily fat calories. 


Healthier fat sources include monosaturated or polyunsaturated sources of fat such as olive oil, canola oil and nuts.

Trans fats are Unhealthy
Trans fats are considered unhealthy fat sources. The following tips will lower your intake of trans fats. Choose liquid vegetable oils. Reduce eating commercially prepared baked goods and snack foods.

Avoid deep-fried foods eaten away from home. Limit eating fast foods. And, read the food labels. According the Institute of Medicine, there are no safe levels of trans fats. Try to replace saturated and trans fats with vegetable oils and other non-saturated fat sources.



Do you have some healthy eating tips you would like to add? Leave your thoughts below.