...as you mature



eing healthy and active can help you stay fit and 

feel fabulous over the years. If you are overweight 

and inactive, you are more likely to get:

n type 2 diabetes (high blood sugar)

n high blood pressure

n heart disease

n stroke

n certain forms of cancer

You can improve your health if you Move More and Eat 

Better! This booklet gives you tips on how to get moving 

and eat well throughout your life.

Did you know?

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Why Move More and Eat Better?

eing active and making smart food choices is good 

for your health. But that is not the only reason to move 

more and eat better. You can:

n Have more energy.

n Reduce stress.

n Feel better about yourself.

n Relieve boredom or depression.

n Set an example for your family.

Tips on 

Moving More

ry to do at least 30 

minutes of moderate-intensity 

physical activity (like brisk 

walking) most days of the week. 

It is not as hard as you may 

think, and you do not have to 

do the whole 30 minutes at one 

time. Try these tips to get past 

things that keep you from being active.

“It’s too late for me to 

get physically active.”

It is never too late to start 

moving more. Physical activity 

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can help you manage health problems like arthritis, osteoporosis (bone loss), and heart disease. It may also help:

n Keep your body flexible.

n Keep your bones and muscles strong.

n Keep your heart and lungs healthy.

n Control high blood sugar, especially if you lose 

weight.

n Let you keep living in your own home without help.

TIP: If you are over age 50 or have chronic health 

problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, or obesity, talk to your 

health care provider before starting a vigorous

physical activity program. You do not need to talk 

to your provider before 

starting a less strenuous 

activity like walking.

“Physical activity 

 is a chore.”

n Walk or take an exercise 

class with a friend or a 

group—that way, you can 

cheer each other on, have 

company, and feel safer 

when you are outdoors.

n Start a small garden 

in your yard or a 

community garden.

n Break it up into short 

blocks of time—taking 
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three 10-minute walks during your day may be easier 

than taking one 30-minute walk.

n Do stretches or walk in place while watching TV.

“It’s too expensive.”

There are lots of ways to be physically active that are free 

or low-cost. You can:

n Find a local park or school track where you can walk.

n Walk around a mall.

n Join a recreation center or fitness center at work or 

near your home.
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n Be active with your grandchildren—take a walk, toss 

a softball, or ride bikes. Physical activity is good for 

them too.

n Walk your dog. If you do not have a dog, pretend 

that you do.

Tips on Eating Better

ou may not know where to start on the road to making 

healthier food choices. Try these tips to eat better, save 

time, and stretch your food budget.

Get Started on Eating Well

These tips can help you have healthy eating habits:

n Start every day with breakfast. Try oatmeal, a wholegrain cereal like raisin bran with fat-free or low-fat 

milk, whole-wheat toast spread with jam, or fat-free 

or low-fat yogurt. Enjoy some fruit with your 

breakfast too.

n Try kidney or butter beans 

in hot dishes, on salads, or 

plain. Protein is important 

to your health as you age. 

Beans are loaded with 

protein and cost less than 

meat.

n Choose fat-free or low-fat 

milk, yogurt, and cheese 

instead of full-fat dairy 

products.

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n Choose whole-grain foods like whole-wheat bread, 

oatmeal, brown rice, and whole-wheat pasta more 

often than refined-grain foods, like white bread, 

white rice, and white pasta. Whole-grain foods offer 

dietary fiber, which helps keep you regular.

n Do not let sweets like cookies, candy, or soda crowd 

out healthy foods.

TIP: If you cannot digest lactose (the sugar found 

in milk) try fat-free or low-fat lactose-reduced 

milk. Or try fat-free or low-fat yogurt or hard 

cheeses like cheddar, which may be easier to 

digest than milk. You can also get calcium from 

calcium-fortified juices, soy-based beverages, and 

cereals. Eating dark leafy vegetables like collard 

greens and kale, and canned fish with soft bones 

like salmon, can also help you meet your body’s 

calcium needs.

Make Healthy Meals That Taste Good

You might like the taste of fried foods and fatty meats, 

but these foods can put too much saturated fat in your 

diet if you eat them too often or in large amounts. 

Saturated fat is not healthy for your heart. There are 

other ways you can add flavor to your food. Try:

n Baking, roasting, broiling, grilling, or oven-frying 

chicken or fish—season with 

herbs, spices, lemon, lime, or 

vinegar (but not salt).

n	 Cooking collard 

greens or kale 

with onions, 

garlic, chicken
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broth, bouillon, smoked turkey, turkey bacon, or 

turkey ham (use broth, bouillon, and cured meats in 

small amounts because they are high in sodium).

n Topping baked potatoes with salsa or low-fat sour 

cream.

n Making salads and casseroles with low-fat or fat-free 

salad dressing or mayonnaise, flavored vinegar like 

balsamic, or a small amount of mustard (but remember that mustard is high in sodium).

Save Time and Money When You Cook 

You do not have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen or a 

lot of money to eat well. 

n Cook enough to last. Casseroles, meat loaf, and 

whole cooked chicken can last for several days. 

(Be sure to freeze or refrigerate leftovers right away 

to keep them safe to eat.)
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n Buy frozen or canned vegetables (no salt added) and 

canned fruit packed in juice. They are just as good 

for you as fresh produce, will not go bad, and make 

quick and easy additions to your meals.

n If your local store does not have the foods you want 

or their prices are too high, go to another store. Start 

a weekly shopping carpool, share the cost of a taxi 

with friends, or ask a relative or neighbor for a ride.

Reading Food Labels

ood labels may help you make 

healthy food choices.* But they can 

be confusing. Here are some quick 

tips for reading food labels:

Check Serving and Calories:

All the information on a food label is based on the serving size. Be 

careful—one serving may be much 

smaller than you think. If you double the servings you eat, you double 

the calories and nutrients, including the percent Daily Values (DVs).

Percent DV: This tells you whether a food is high or low 

in nutrients. Foods that have more than 20-percent DV of 

a nutrient are high. Foods that have 5-percent DV or less 

are low.

* For more information on reading nutrition labels, visit www.cfsan.fda.gov.

For more information about the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, see 

www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines. 

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Saturated Fat: Saturated fat 

is not healthy for your heart. 

Compare labels on similar foods 

and try to choose foods that 

have a 5-percent DV or less for 

saturated fat. Most of the fats 

you eat should be polyunsaturated and monounsaturated 

fats. Keep total fat intake between 20 percent to 35 percent 

of calories.

Trans Fat: Trans fat is not 

healthy for your heart. When 

reading food labels, add together the grams of trans fat 

and saturated fat, and choose 

foods with the lowest combined 

amount.

Cholesterol: Too much cholesterol is not healthy for your 

heart. Keep your intake of saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol as low 

as possible.

Sodium (Salt): Salt contains sodium. 

Research shows that eating less than 

2,300 milligrams of sodium (about 1 teaspoon of salt) per day may reduce the risk 

of high blood pressure.

Fiber: Choose foods that are rich in fiber, 

such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Sugar: Try to choose foods with little or 

no added sugar (like low-sugar cereals).

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 cup (228g)

Servings Per Container 2

Amount per Serving

Calories 250 Calories from Fat 110

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 12g 18%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Cholesterol 30 mg 10%

Sodium 470 mg 20%

Total Carbohydrate 31g 10%

Dietary Fiber 0g 0%

Sugars 5g

Protein 5g

Vitamin A 4%

Vitamin C 2%

Calcium 20%

Iron 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on

your calorie needs:

Calories 2,000 2,500

Total Fat Less than 65g 80g

Sat Fat Less than 20g 25g

Cholesterol Less than 300mg 300mg

Sodium Less than 2,400mg 2,400mg

Total Carbohydrate 300g 375

Dietary Fiber 25g 30g

TIP: Many 

food labels say 

“low-fat,” 

“reduced fat,” 

or “light.” 

That does not 

always mean 

the food is low 

in calories. 

Remember, 

fat­­­-free does 

not mean 

calorie-free, 

and calories 

do count!
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Calcium: Choose foods that are high in calcium. Foods 

that are high in calcium have at least 20-percent DV.

Keeping Track of Serving Sizes

any people think that bigger is better. We are so 

used to value-sized portions—especially in restaurants 

—that it is easy to eat more than our bodies need. Eating 

smaller portions will help you cut down on calories and 

fat (and might save you money too). Here is a 1,600-calorie per day sample menu with sensible portion sizes:*

Breakfast

1⁄2 cup oatmeal

1 English muffin with 1 tablespoon low-fat cream cheese

1 cup low-fat milk

3⁄4 cup orange juice

Lunch

2 ounces baked chicken without skin 

(a little smaller than a deck of cards)

Lettuce, tomato, and cucumber salad with 

2 teaspoons oil and vinegar dressing

1⁄2 cup rice seasoned with 1⁄2 teaspoon tub or liquid 

margarine

1 small whole-wheat roll with 1 teaspoon margarine

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* Adapted from National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 

sample menus.
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Dinner

3 ounces lean roast beef (about the 

size of a deck of cards) with 

1 tablespoon beef gravy

1⁄2 cup turnip greens seasoned with 

1⁄2 teaspoon margarine

1 small baked sweet potato with 

1⁄2 teaspoon margarine

1 slice cornbread

1⁄4 honeydew melon

Snack

21⁄2 cups low-fat microwave 

popcorn

11⁄2 teaspoons margarine

TIP: Use tub or liquid 

margarine instead 

of butter. Choose a 

soft margarine that 

has no more than 2 

grams of saturated 

fat per tablespoon 

and that lists “liquid 

vegetable oil” as the 

first ingredient on 

the ingredient list. 

(American Heart 

Association)
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Eating Away From Home

n real life, you cannot always cook your meals. Here are 

some ways to make healthy choices when you are away 

from home:

n Use a small plate at social functions to help keep you 

from eating too much.

I

TIP: Try keeping a food diary. Writing down 

what you eat, when you eat, and how you feel 

when you eat can help you understand your 

eating habits. You may be able to see ways to 

make your eating habits healthier. You can also 

use your diary to plan weekly menus, make 

shopping lists, and keep track of recipes you 

would like to try. For more information about 

keeping track of food portions, read the Weightcontrol Information Network (WIN) brochure 

Just Enough for You: About Food Portions.
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n At restaurants, order a half 

portion, share a meal with 

a friend, or take half of 

your order home for another meal. 

n Balance your meals 

throughout the day. If 

you have a high-fat or 

high-calorie breakfast or 

lunch, make sure you eat 

a low-fat dinner. If you 

know you will be having 

a higher fat dinner, make 

lower fat choices earlier 

in the day.

You can do it!

et goals. Move at your own 

pace. Celebrate your successes. 

Allow for setbacks. Let your 

family and friends help you. 

And keep trying—you can 

do it!

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Cookbooks

Heart-Healthy Home Cooking African American Style.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Publication No. 97-

3792, 1997. This pamphlet tells how to prepare your 

favorite African-American dishes in ways that will help 

protect you and your family from heart disease and 

stroke, and includes 20 tested recipes. Available from 

NHLBI for $3.00; call (301) 592-8573 or (240) 629-3255 

(TTY).

Down Home Healthy Cookin’. National Cancer Institute 

(NCI), reprinted 2000. This pamphlet features 12 recipes 

for traditional African-American foods modified to be low 

in fat and high in fiber—but still tasty. Available free from 

NCI; call 1-800-4-CANCER or 1-800-332-8615 (TTY).
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Weight-control Information Network

1 WIN Way

Bethesda, MD 20892-3665

Phone: (202) 828-1025

Toll-free number: 1-877-946-4627

FAX: (202) 828-1028

Email: WIN@info.niddk.nih.gov

Internet: www.win.niddk.nih.gov

The Weight-control Information Network (WIN) is a national information service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and 

Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health, which 

is the Federal Government’s lead agency responsible for biomedical 

research on nutrition and obesity. Authorized by Congress (Public Law 

103-43), WIN provides the general public, health professionals, the 

media, and Congress with up-to-date, science-based health information on weight control, obesity, physical activity, and related nutritional issues. 

Publications produced by WIN are reviewed by both NIDDK scientists 

and outside experts. This publication was also reviewed by Steven 

Blair, P.E.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, Cooper Institute 

and Ellen Feiler, M.S., Health Education Director, Broward County 

Health Department, Florida Department of Health.

This publication is not copyrighted. WIN encourages users of this brochure to 

duplicate and distribute as many copies as desired. This publication is also available 

at www.win.niddk.nih.gov.
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