Healthy Lifestyle Guidelines for Youth and Young Adults (part 3)
- By : Glen Sanders
- Category : Lifestyle
- Tags: healthy eating pattern, Low-fat or fat-free dairy, Skipping sleep can be harmful

- Healthy Nutrition
YOUNG ADULTS/ADULTS
Consume a healthy eating pattern which accounts for all foods and beverages within a suitable calorie level.
Briefly, a healthy eating pattern includes:
- A variety of vegetables from all genres: dark green, red and orange, starchy, legumes (beans and peas), and others.
- Grains with at least half being whole grains.
- Fruits, particularly whole fruits.
- Low-fat or fat-free dairy, including milk, cheese, yogurt, and/or fortified soy beverages.
- A variety of protein foods, including lean meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, legumes (beans and peas), seeds, nuts, and soy products.
- Oils.
A healthy eating pattern limits:
- Saturated fats and trans fats, sugars, and sodium.
- Consume less than 10% of calories each day from added sugars.
- Consume less than 10% of calories each day from saturated fats.
- Consume less than 2,300 milligrams each day of sodium.
- If you consume alcohol, you should consume it in moderation – up to one drink/ a day for women and up to two drinks/ a day for men, and only by legal drinking age adults.
- Getting Adequate Sleep
YOUTH
It is said that sleep is food for the brain. During sleep, important brain activity and body functions occur. Skipping sleep can be harmful, making you look bad, feel moody, or perform poorly. Sleepiness can make you find it hard to get along with your family and friends and hurt your scores on the court, on the field, or on school exams. Remember that a brain which is hungry for sleep will get it.
Facts:
- Sleep is as important to your well-being as the air to breathe, the water to drink, and the food to eat.
- Teens need from 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night to function best and the fact is that most teens do not get enough sleep.
- Teens tend to stay up late and sleep in late on the weekends, hurting the quality of their sleep and badly affecting their biological clocks.
- Many teens suffer from treatable sleep disorders like insomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, or restless legs syndrome.