What are most adults eating these days? I can tell you only one thing for sure: most Americans are consuming too much unhealthy food. According to a recent study by the University of California, Berkley, nearly one-third of calories consumed by adults are derived from sweets, chips and sugary sodas! Almost twenty-five percent could be attributed to desserts, sweets, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages. Sugarsweetened sodas alone were responsible for seven percent of these damaging empty calories. But the bad news is that healthful foods, such as vegetables and fruits, compose only ten percent of the calories consumed in the average diet.

Now I understand that vegetables and fruits are low calorie in general, so as a percentage of calories they would naturally appear lower. But calories are still calories, and so there are valuable insights to be gained from this study.

The first is to eliminate sugar-sweetened sodas. They contain an exorbitant number of calories with absolutely no nutritional benefits. If you want to drink sweetened beverages without using artificial sweeteners, possible alternatives are diluted fruit juice or iced tea that you sweeten yourself with table sugar.

The second food group to tackle are sweets and desserts. Here the goal is to obtain nutritional value from your choices, as well as to control the volume and frequency of consumption. Fruits make wonderful choices for sweet treats. Try fresh, dried, and even canned (in their own juices). Even a fruit-based traditional dessert (such as a cobbler or fruit pie) has far more nutritional benefit than most other dessert choices.

The last food type to decrease, or even eliminate are salty snacks such as potato chips. A healthy alternative is a whole grain fat-free pretzel or air popped popcorn.

And of course, the most important dietary change needed, as indicated by this study, is to include more fruits and vegetables. The current recommendation for fruits and vegetables is five servings per day. Evaluate your daily diet. Are you eating this many servings each and every day? As martial artists, our overall eating habits will impact our training progress and our ultimate potential. Next month we’ll discuss the fruits and vegetables that pack the most punch!

Martial Arts Success Stories

Personal Profile
Alyssa Venturini, Age 18

My name is Alyssa Venturini, and I am 18 years old. I live in a small town outside of New York City, and have been attending martial arts since I was 12 years old. Throughout my life I have gone through many trials. I was born with critical aortic stynosis, a leaking aortic valve. I have had two surgeries to correct it, which has resulted in my having a human donor valve implanted. Due to my cardiac condition I was unable to play any contact sports. This was very hard for me because I had always wanted to be part of a team. When my mother enrolled me in martial arts I immediately found it fun and challenging. My instructors work with me, so I never feel different from any of the other students because of my condition.

In the years that I have attended karate I have learned many life skills which I will never forget. My self-confidence and my awareness have risen, and I look at life now with a black belt mentality, always looking to improve my skills, and help others. Not only do I train during the week, but I am active in our school’s demo team, and assist my instructors when teaching the Realistic Attack Prevention for women and children. My martial arts training originally started out being a hobby and a sport, but it is now a major part of my life as an adult.

Alyssa Venturini is a student at Malandra’s Martial Arts Academy.

Parents: You Never Thought
Your Job Could Be So Easy!

As a parent, you’ll be amazed to find out that our children’s martial arts program
was designed to make your job easier by reinforcing the life lessons and
positive qualities that you work so hard to instill.
For example, our class curriculum is full of fun, exciting activities and character
development lessons that teach and encourage students to:

• Treat themselves and others with respect
• Concentrate and always do their best work
• Serve as a positive role model for others
• Take responsibility for their actions
• Be proud of their accomplishments

Your child will enjoy our martial arts program because it’s exciting and fun, and you’ll
love it because we’ll support your role as a parent...making your job easier!
Don’t wait!

Call Today: 201-368-9050