Life Expectancy

The life expectancy currently is 80 years for American women, 75 for men and 77 years overall. These figures reflect the average number of years people may expect to live at the time of their birth, according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

Look further into the National Center for Health Statistics and you'll see that the average 80-year-old American may expect to live another 9 years, and 85-year-old can expect to live another 6 years, a 90-year-old may expect to live to 95 and a 100-year-old may expect to live to 103.

If you make it to 80, you have a better chance of reaching 100 years of age than you had at age 70. Once Americans reach 80, they can expect to live longer than their counterparts in Japan, France or Sweden. Long life is a treasure and health is wealth.

 

Balance Food and Exercise

With today´s busy schedule, nutrition often gets put on the back burner, with convenience food and fast food pick ups playing a substantial role in everyday meals.

To add to the problem, people have little physical activity planned into their day.

If you feel like you need a little push in the right direction to start a healthier lifestyle, now is a great time to start. March is National Nutrition Month.

Answer these questions to see how informed you are about nutrition and its guidelines.

True or False: Most North Dakotans consume the recommended serving of fruits and vegetables each day.

*False: Almost 79 percent of North Dakotans eat fewer fruits and vegetables each day than recommended. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 encourages at least 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½ cups of vegetables a day. Make a point of eating more fruits and vegetables each day by keeping them easily accessible and ready to eat.

True or False: Products that are "made with whole wheat" are whole-grain products.

*False: Products that are "made with whole wheat" are mostly refined grains. Make half of your grain whole grain is the recommendation by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005. To consume whole grains, make sure the label says it contains whole grains, not just whole wheat.

True or False: Different nutrients are found in whole, low-fat, fat-free and other kinds of milk.

*False: The only difference in the milk is the amount of fat. Choose 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk or milk equivalent every day.

True or False: To be the healthiest you can be, you need to have a fat-free diet.

*False: You need some fat in your diet for basic body functions. Nutrition experts recommend that you keep fat between 20 percent and 35 percent of your total calorie intake, limiting saturated fatty acids to 10 percent or less of calories and cholesterol to 300 milligrams.

 True or False: Most people need to incorporate more protein in their diet.

*False: Most people already consume enough protein and do not need to increase their intake. Keep total protein intake between 10 percent and 35 percent of calories to meet the dietary recommendations.

True or False: You can get all the physical activity you need a day by your everyday activities.

*False: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 recommends 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity activity most days of the week. These activities can be cardiovascular conditioning, stretching exercises for flexibility and resistance exercises for muscle strength and endurance. Choose a variety of activities that you like the best and stick to them. The more you enjoy what you are doing, the more likely you are to keep doing it.

Balance the food you eat and the physical activity you do to maintain your body weight. A healthy weight has many benefits. It can help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and many other diseases.

 Establish good eating and physical activity habits by taking an active part in National Nutrition Month. Go ahead, take nutrition off the back burner and make it an essential part of your life. Take steps to having a long and wealthy life.

For more information about nutrition and exercise, go to www.eatright.org or www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/food.htm