Eating Well: The Quiz
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How healthy are your eating habits? Take this quiz to find out. First, read through the following scenarios. Decide which people are most like yourself. Once you have finished the quiz, check out the "suggestions" section to find some useful tips.
Who do you relate to in the following scenarios?
1)A. Jerry loves convenience. Fast food and microwave dinners are just his thing. His typical breakfast is a donut and coffee with friends. Lunch is a cheeseburger with french fries and a soda. Dinner is a microwave meal.
B. As a child, Carl learned to eat three square meals a day. He still does. His typical breakfast is oatmeal with brown sugar and bananas, orange juice, and a grapefruit. Lunch is a turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread with a bowl of vegetable soup. Dinner is baked chicken, rice, and a salad. A few times a week, he'll have a glass of red wine with dinner. Carl also snacks throughout the day on roasted nuts, apples, and pears.
C. Nancy lives alone, so she never worries about cooking big, fancy meals. Plus, she just doesn't have a very big appetite anymore. Nancy's typical breakfast is toast and tea or coffee with a non-sugar sweetener. Lunch is a bowl of soup or a green salad--unless she is out with a girlfriend. In that case, lunch is a blueberry muffin. Dinner is typically something quick, like pasta with tomato sauce or a microwave diet meal. Nancy usually gets a craving for sweets around 8 P.M. She allows herself a slice of cake or some chocolate candies as a reward for eating so little all day.
2)A. Chuck thinks that health is like gambling: a matter of chance. Some people eat all the right things and die of cancer at age 45, while others spend their life eating red meat and fried foods and live to 100.
B. Susan believes that if she does not eat well, her health will suffer.
C. Jack feels that eating balanced meals is important, but he does not believe that his health depends on it.
3)A. Larry claims that his health is the same regardless of what he eats. Whether it's corn dogs or steamed vegetables, he'll be the same Larry.
B. Diane eats lots of fruits and vegetables, high-fiber cereal, and fresh fish. These aren't her favorite foods, but she heard that eating them would keep her heart healthy and might prevent a stroke.
C. Juan's doctor told him to eat more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and olive oil. Juan is trying to eat these foods. He just doesn't know if these changes will help him lower his cholesterol and lose weight.
4)A. Wendy has had it with "health" food. Whole-grain rice and whole-wheat pasta remind her of eating cardboard. The low-fat, low-salt dishes her daughter makes for her are just plain boring.
B. Sarah doesn't understand why more of her friends don't eat as well as she does. Cooking healthier meals makes her feel better. She also has fun working in her vegetable garden, going to farmers' markets for the freshest produce, and trying new recipes from her cookbook.
C. Paul tries to eat well, he really does. But eating well is hard when you're a lousy cook, you live alone, and you have a tough time catching a weekly ride to the grocery store.
5)A. Jim doesn't like going to the doctor. His doctor's advice goes in one ear, out the other. After all, Jim can't and won't try to change fate simply by cutting out his favorite vices--potato chips, sausage links, and a double bourbon each night.
B. Evelyn tries hard to follow her doctor's advice. She also sees a nutritionist and reads health magazines to keep up with new advances and to get ideas. She wants to do everything she can to keep herself energetic and healthy.
C. George is fairly uninterested in his medical care. He figures that if he shows up for his doctor's appointments, he has held up his end of the bargain. When his daughter takes him grocery shopping, he tries to buy items from all the food groups--just like his doctor recommended. He also looks for things that taste good and that are on sale.
6)A. It's not easy for Maria to eat many foods that she knows are good for her. She has trouble chewing raw fruits and vegetables, meat, and bread. It's even hard to swallow some liquids. She has lost weight and is frustrated that she can't seem to gain it back.
B. Henry has a healthy appetite and eats about 5 or 6 small meals per day with no problems.
C. Julia is not as interested in food as he used to be. Everything tastes bland unless it has lots of salt. She also can't chew some of her favorite foods--like steak or corn on the cob--anymore.
Answers
If you answered mostly A's:
Take steps to brush up on what you know about nutrition. Eating well is linked to feeling well. Try these tips:
• Talk with your doctor about your diet. Ask for a referral to a registered dietitian who can assist you in meal planning and menu choices. Consider sitting in on a nutrition session at your local senior center or YMCA.
• Read articles on nutrition in magazines like Prevention or in your favorite Sunday paper.
• Eat healthfully for two weeks, using this web site as a guide. Take advantage of our printable shopping list, our recipe ideas, and our nutrient guide. See how you feel after two weeks. You just may convince yourself that eating well is well worth it!
• Healthy food doesn't have to taste badly. Think broccoli is boring? Toss it with soy sauce and crispy noodles. Is brown rice too bland? Season it with curry. Borrow different cookbooks from the library or download some recipes from the Internet.
If you are having trouble chewing, but still want good nutrition, buy:
• Juices and soft fruits in cans instead of fresh fruits
• Vegetable juices and creamed or mashed vegetables instead of raw vegetables.
• Ground meat, eggs, and cheese instead of chewy meat.
• Cooked cereals, rice, and pasta instead of bread.
• corn instead of corn on the cob, a sirloin burger instead of a steak, and applesauce instead of apples.
If you are having trouble swallowing foods or thin liquids, talk with your doctor or registered dietitian today. Try thicker liquids such as milkshakes.
If you answered mostly B's:
Congratulations! You have a good grasp of healthy eating. Continue the good work and remember to eat for vitality, fun, and life.
Stay on track—share what you know!
• Get new recipe ideas from our recipe section, or share some by posting your own on our site!
• Print out our shopping guide.
• Share your knowledge with others. Ask a registered dietitian to help you plan a nutrition workshop at your local senior center.
• Start a healthy recipe potluck club or cook healthy meals for friends and neighbors who could use the help.
If you answered mostly C's:
You know that you should eat well, but you could use a review. Explore this web site to learn more about nutrition.
Did you know?
• Being slim is not the same as being healthy. Eating well is not about giving things up. It's about maintaining a healthy body, providing your body with energy, and guarding yourself against disease.
• Eating well is linked to feeling well. Ask your doctor about your diet. Consider sitting in on a nutrition session at your local senior center or YMCA. Talk with a registered dietitian or read articles about healthy eating.
• Eating well can keep your blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood cholesterol in control.
• Challenge yourself!
Try this: have your cholesterol, blood pressure, or weight measured at your next doctor's appointment. Pick one that you would like to improve, and ask your doctor for a referral to a registered dietitian for suggestions for healthy eating. Follow through with these suggestions until your next appointment, and get tested again. Chances are you will improve your number.
More Advice
• Trouble getting to the grocery store? Find a market that delivers or ask a local volunteer organization about home delivery of food.
• Some people hire a home health worker to do their grocery shopping. Look in your yellow pages under "Home Health Services."
• You may want to sign up for a local "meals on wheels" program. To have nutritious meals delivered to your home, call 1-800-677-1116.
• If you are unable to cook or you don't consider yourself a good cook, buy frozen or pre-made meals. Grocery stores carry a large variety of healthy, ready-made meals in the frozen food aisle and the prepared foods section. Be sure to read the ingredients, though. Make sure that the dinner that you've chosen doesn't contain lots of fat and salt (sodium).
