1. How can I use the cyberkitchen to improve my health?
The cyberkitchen will help you understand how to balance the food you eat with physical
activity. You can discover the number of calories you need to maintain your current
weight. You can decide if you want to maintain, lose, or gain weight. Once you set goals,
you can choose the exercise and meals that fit within your calorie and fat guidelines. By
keeping your food intake within your calorie goals, fat to less than 30% of calories and
maintaining a healthy weight, you can reduce your risk of major chronic diseases including
heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
2. What does my daily calorie goal mean, and how is it calculated?
The daily calorie goal is an estimate of the number of calories you need to maintain
your current weight. The daily calorie goal is calculated using your height, weight, age,
gender and activity level. It is just an estimate because you can only estimate your
habitual activity level. Most Americans (60%) are either sedentary or only lightly active.
3. I want to lose weight. How can the cyberkitchen help me?
You can use the cyberkitchen to find out the approximate number of calories you need
each day to maintain your current weight. To lose weight, you need to take in less
calories than you use. Decide if you want to eat less, exercise more, or do a combination
of both. If you want to eat less, you can use the cyberkitchen to subtract calories
from your daily calorie goal following these guidelines: To lose about 1/2 pound per week,
subtract 250 calories from your daily calorie goal. To lose about 1 pound per week,
subtract 500 calories from your daily goal. Total calories should not dip below 1200 per
day for women and 1400 per day for men. If you want to add exercise, follow these
guidelines: To lose about 1/2 pound per week, you need to add an activity that burns an
additional 250 calories each day. To lose about 1 pound per week, add one or more
activities that burn an extra 500 calories per day. You can also choose to do a
combination of lowering your calories plus adding exercise. All calculations are
estimates. Weight loss does not occur evenly. Whatever you choose to do, do it
consistently.
4. I want to lose about 5 pounds. I've tried reducing the number of calories I eat, but
in the past, it hasn't worked. I looked at the menus in the cyberkitchen, and I think I've
done OK with the type of foods I'm eating. Any suggestions ?
The key to your success may be portion control. Pay close attention to the portion
sizes specified in the meal plans. People often underestimate their portion sizes. Eating
larger portion sizes than specified means taking in more calories, even if the foods are
low in fat. You might try measuring and weighing your food until you become familiar with
the portions. You didn't mention the physical activity you do. Lowering your calorie
intake and adding exercise is a great combination for weight loss!
5. I have to eat out frequently. Can I still use the cyberkitchen?
Absolutely. Your daily calorie goal and maximum daily fat allowance provide useful
information, since many restaurants list the calorie and fat content of their menu items.
Although the cyberkitchen is based on home-prepared meals, the variety of foods offered is
broad enough that you can use the meals as a guide when eating out and choosing from a
menu. The key is to pay attention to the portion size so that you don't eat larger
portions in the restaurant than your meal plan allows. Try to select foods that are
prepared using the same methods that are in the menu plans. For example, look for grilled
or poached foods rather than fried items.
7. What's more important to weight control, calorie intake or fat intake?
Both really play a role. To lose weight, the calories you take in must be less than the
calories you burn. Fat is the most concentrated form of calories, providing a little more
than twice the calories of an equal amount of protein or carbohydrate. Reducing your fat
intake can help you lower the number of calories you eat. Be cautious: fat free doesn't
mean calorie free. You still have to watch the total calories you eat each day. The key is
portion size. Don't be fooled into thinking you can eat all the fat free cookies you wish.
Refer to the label that explains what a serving is and stay within that guideline.
9. What about fiber? Should I pay attention to that?
Fiber, found only in plant foods like cereals, breads, fruits and vegetables, is
important for good health. It has been found to promote proper bowel function, can reduce
symptoms of chronic constipation, diverticular disease, and hemorrhoids, and may lower the
risk for heart disease and some cancers. The Food and Drug Administration recommends 25
grams of fiber daily based on a 2000 calorie intake. Just for fun, when you visit your
supermarket, check out the nutrition label on a variety of cereals an d breads to see how
many grams of fiber are in a serving.
10. I'm a vegetarian. Will the meal program in the cyberkitchen provide me with the
protein I need?
You can get enough protein from a vegetarian diet as long as the variety and amounts of
foods consumed are adequate. The menus have been designed for lacto-vegetarians, and
protein is provided through both plant sources and dairy foods. Because vitamin B12 is
only found in foods of animal origin, vegans (vegetarians who do not eat any animal
products) should include a reliable source of vitamin B12 in their diets. They can do this
by taking a supplement, eating fortified breakfast cereals, or drinking fortified soy
beverages.
11. What does it mean to "bank" my calories?
If you eat less calories than your calorie goal for the day, you can "bank"
or save your calories for the next day. This might be helpful when planning for a special
occasion.
12. Some nutrition authorities say that Americans should only be getting 10% of their
calories from fat. Why can't I do that in the cyberkitchen?
The most recent guidelines released from the American Heart Association endorse a lower
limit of 15% of calories from fat for the general population. Diets with very low levels
of fat have been found to be helpful in persons at high risk for a heart attack, but these
diets have not been found to be of value in the general population primarily because most
people find such a diet unpalatable. There is concern that such low fat levels can result
in problems with the intake of some essential nutrients in children, pregnant women and
the elderly.
13. If I'm eating right, do I really need to exercise?
Exercise is essential to good health! Unfortunately, more than 60% of American adults
are not regularly physically active, and 25% are not active at all. Regular physical
activity reduces the risk of early death, and of heart disease, high blood pressure, colon
cancer and diabetes. It also improves mental health and is critical for the health of
muscles, bones and joints.
16. What happens if I go over my calorie goal for the day?
You can balance the food you eat with physical activity, choosing an activity to burn
the extra calories. You may also choose to eat fewer calories the following day. However,
if you take in more calories than you burn day after day, this will result in weight gain.
18. I am completely sedentary. How can I get started with exercise?
Start slowly! You should check with your health professional before beginning an
exercise program. You may need to start with only 10 minutes of exercise, like walking, on
alternate days of the week. Try to work up to 30 minutes or more of moderate physical
activity (like walking, swimming, cycling, gardening) on most days of the week.
And, of course, always begin exercising with some light stretching and warm-up exercises.
When you're finished exercising, take several minutes to ease off slowly as you gradually
return to rest. You can then do an additional few minutes of stretching.
19. I am not sure what my activity level is. Can you help me?
Most Americans are either "sedentary" or in the "light to moderate"
activity range, spending much of the working day in activities that require little energy
and using leisure time for low energy activities like watching television or using the
computer. If you underestimate your activity level, your calorie goal for the day will be
less than you need to maintain your current weight and you will lose weight. If you
overestimate your activity level, your calorie goal will be greater than what you need to
maintain your current weight and you will gain weight.
The amount of fat you choose in your diet is tied to your goals for health. To reduce
your risk of developing coronary heart disease, the American Heart Association recommends
a level of no more than 30% of total calories as fat. This will reduce your saturated fat
intake and help maintain a healthy weight. If your interest is to lose weight, you may
want to limit your fat intake to 25% or even 20% of calories. The cyberkitchen menus and
snacks offer a variety of foods that accommodate whatever fat goal you choose.
