Food and You

What is the BMI? How much should I be eating? Do I really need to exercise? Find the answers to these questions and other food, body, and health questions in this guide to understanding the fundamentals of good nutrition and its partner for optimum health--physical activity. Healthy eating can be a habit and good habits started earlier in life are easier to maintain. Good nutrition and physical activity complement each other in weight loss, cardiovascular health, and other benefits. This book provides the advice you need on how to get the most out of what you eat and how to develop healthier habits that will help keep you fit for a lifetime.

Most teens don't need to resort to special diets or programs; they just need to know how to make sensible choices. Definitions of good nutrition, discussions of how the food you eat affects the way you feel and perform, and information on how to use readily available tools, such as the Nutrition Facts label and USDA Food Guide Pyramid are just some of the factors provided to help readers develop healthy habits. Bijlefeld and Zoumbaris provide information on a number of other health matters, from vegetarian diets to eating disorders to the affects of alcohol and drugs on the body. You'll also learn how to make healthy choices in grocery stores and restaurants, how to set up a kitchen of your own, and how to keep your food safe, all factors involved in helping you to stay healthy for peak performance in whatever you choose to do.

MARJOLIJN BIJLEFELD is a freelance writer and editor. She is the author of The Gun Control Debate: A Documentary History (Greenwood, 1997), People For and Against Gun Control (Greenwood, 1999), and Teen Guide to Personal Financial Management (Greenwood, 2000).

SHARON K. ZOUMBARIS is a professional librarian, freelance writer, and storyteller. She is the author of Teen Guide to Personal Financial Management (Greenwood, 2000).