by B.J. Armstrong

What we eat every day has a direct impact on our health. What we eat is a major portion of how we are shaped. A good guideline for beginning to eat healthy is to eat whole grains and fruits and vegetables.

Spring is a time of cleansing for the body. Eating less food in the evening will allow for a better night's rest. The body can awake feeling more refreshed and energized. The body responds to new ways of doing things, rather than drastic change. When you start an exercise program, start slow, and then work up to more and longer activities. Start with an understanding of your body. Do something that you enjoy. This way you will want to do it and stay with it longer.

The body chews, digests, absorbs nutrients and eliminates what's not used for building the structure of our body. The energy required for growth and function is used up in filtering out the nutrition from the foods we eat. Cells in the blood, bones, brain and tissues are constantly regenerating as new cells replace old cells. Pay attention to how your food makes you feel. Good health and longevity start with eating quality food.

"Without bread, a man does not live long. If bread is all he gets, he cannot live well."
-- R.F. Auman.

"Eating to be healthful is like buying an old house. You don't see it like it is, but the way it's going to be when you get it remodeled."

30 Healthy Snacks

Snacking can be good for you ... if done correctly. By choosing healthy snacks, you will be doing your health a favor. Snacking between meals will eventually change your metabolism, allowing you to eat smaller portions of regular meals, therefore reducing weight. We like to eat what we want but ..we just need to eat

less of it. Below is a list of healthy snacks. Some are seasonal and some more healthy than others. These snacks are a good substitute for sweets. So, try any .. or all .. for a healthy snack between meals.

1.  apple
2.  apricot
3.  avocado
4.  banana

5.  beets
6.  broccoli
7.  cabbage (raw)
8.  cantaloupe
9.  celery
10. cottage cheese
11. figs
12. graham crackers
13. grapefruit
14. grapes
15. hard-boiled egg
16. honeydew melon
17. kiwi
18. orange
19. papaya
20. pear
21. pineapple
22. plums
23. pretzels
24. prunes
25. raisins
26 tomatoes
27. trail mix
28. strawberries
29. watermelon
30. yogurt

This is by no means a complete list. But by choosing a healthy snack each day will help you live more healthy. A recent survey commissioned by the Produce for Better Health Foundation showed that few Americans are getting their needed servings of fruits and vegetables each day. The survey showed that only 12% ate the recommended amount. Other results of the survey showed that 75% of Americans would like to change their snacking habits to include more fruit and vegetable. This is the year to cut back on sweets and start eating healthy snacks.