Nutrition

Eating well and being active helps us feel positive, strong, and energetic. You might assume that skinny people are automatically healthy people, but the truth is that our body weight is influenced by a number of things like our height, muscle mass, bone structure, and body fat. So judging your health by your weight can be inaccurate.

Eating healthy means getting the right balance of nutrients your body needs to perform every day. A healthy eating plan includes eating a well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy foods, lean meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and whole grains.

If you are finding it hard to eat well and be active, it may be a good idea to talk with your doctor, a dietitian or a nutritionist who can help you develop a diet and exercise routine that works for you.

Acknowledgement: ReachOut.com, a website that helps teens get through tough times.  

Special Thanks

• CAPT Donnie Lee, MD, Indian Health Service
• Portland Area Diabetes Consultant Acting Director Office of Clinical Support

Many articles in this section were adapted from WeRNative.org, a website for Native Youth by Native Youth