Have a Feel-Good Summer

(Family Features) For many, making better-for-you food decisions and staying physically active go hand in hand with maintaining a quality lifestyle.

According to an article published by the Mayo Clinic, those who engage in regular physical activity enjoy the benefits of improved mood, more energy, better sleep and much more. For consumers who want to maintain healthy lifestyles, the NuVal® Nutritional Scoring System, which is found in grocery stores across the U.S., is easy to use for identifying summer snacks and meal items to energize fitness activities.

«Consumers deserve to get the most nutritional bang for their buck,» says Mike Nugent, NuVal General Manager. «That’s why NuVal scores were developed — to support healthy lifestyles. The scores analyze the nutrition facts on food labels boiling them down to a single 1 to 100 score. With 100 being the most nutritious, higher scores mean better nutrition, allowing consumers to make at-a-glance nutrition comparisons as they shop.»

Developed by a team of recognized experts, the scoring system was created as a direct response to America’s rapidly rising rates of obesity and diabetes in both the adult and child populations.

Displayed directly on shelf price tags in the grocery store, scores are determined by an independent team of nutrition and medical experts who analyze more than 30 nutrition factors such as vitamin D, omega 3 fatty acids, saturated fat and calories. The experts do the research, so consumers can feel better about their food choices. The scores do not tell consumers what to buy or eat; but simply reflect the overall nutritional quality of a food making it easy for consumers to compare nutrition as they do price.

«No matter what their food plan, the scores guide people in shopping for anything from produce and dairy to snacks and packaged goods,» adds Nugent. «If you can count to 100, you can use the system to shop, cook, eat and feel better.»

While it’s important to be physically active all year, many people simply find themselves more active in summer — both because the outdoors beckons and there is more time for recreation. This creates an opportunity to fit in more daily physical activity, which generally means some potential to build lean muscle mass, lose excess body fat and get more fit.

According to Dr. David Katz, M.D., M.P.H. — founding director of Yale University’s Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center and the principal inventor of the science behind NuVal scores — the more active you are, the more performance fuel your body needs. «The increased activity level of summer is a perfect time to think about trading up food choices, improving overall diet quality, and establishing a foundation for better overall health and vitality,» says Dr. Katz.