13. Healthy Food

Breakfast is the first meal of the day. Nutritionists recommend that we eat a healthy breakfast to give us energy throughout the day. Oatmeal, cereal, wheat toast, ham, and fresh fruit are healthy breakfast foods. Eggs are popular, but they are high in cholesterol, so we should only eat 3-4 eggs a week. Skipping breakfast is a bad habit, and it makes people feel tired.

There are many kinds of foods: fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, beans, nuts, sweets, dairy products, and seasonings. Some foods are eaten raw, some are cooked, and some can be eaten either raw or cooked. Carrots, for example, can be eaten raw or they can be cooked in boiling water. Foods come in different colors and textures, and each food has a different flavor. People like some foods, but not others. It is important to eat a variety of foods, and to not eat too much. When people eat too much food they become fat. When they eat too little, they become skinny.

Fruits are good for your health. They grow on trees, bushes, vines, and plants. People should eat three or more servings of fruits each day. Fruits have vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Fruits are sold in grocery stores, farmers' markets, and at roadside stands.

Vegetables are good for your health. People should eat three or more servings of vegetables each day. Vegetables help people maintain a healthy weight because they are low in calories. They also have many vitamins and minerals.

Eating healthy food and exercising regularly improves your health. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables can reduce your chance of getting cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Low-fat meats, beans, and nuts are also part of a good nutrition plan. The United States Department of Agriculture has published a new food pyramid that includes tips and facts about how to eat healthy to improve your health and live longer.

Healthy Life

Rest and relaxation are just as important to our body as exercise and healthy eating. If you don’t get enough of them you can make yourself ill. Your body is a bit like a battery. If it is not allowed to recharge itself through sleep and relaxation it may stop working properly. Lack of sleep affects our ability to concentrate. When you dream, your brain may be clearing itself out and preparing itself for the next day's thinking.

During your teens, you need at least eight hours' sleep a night. If you stay out late, try to go to bed early the next night. The effects of lack of sleep can build up over several days. When you are awake you make many demands on your mind and body.

Your body needs a period of rest to repair itself and prevent it from getting worn out. During sleep, substances called hormones stimulate body tissues to grow and repair themselves. If you have troubles getting to sleep, try reading a book to calm your mind or take some exercise and avoid tea, coffee or food before bedtime. A hot, milky drink may help you relax.

14. My favorite holiday (Christmas)

    My favourite holiday is Christmas as it is the most cheerful festival and is of religious origin. It’s the day when Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. The Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on 7 January according to the Julian calendar. In the middle of the 4th century it was established by the Roman Catholic Church as a separate feast. Now the Catholic Church celebrates Christmas on 25 December according to the Gregorian calendar.

    The Christmas Eve is considered as the most interesting part of Christmas as it has ritual and magic acts aimed at ensuring a good harvest and a life of plenty. Carolling is a characteristic feature of the feast, it expresses respect for the master of the house and his children, and sometimes it’s accompanied by a puppet theatre (vertep). The religious festival lasts three days and involves Christmas liturgies, carolling, visiting and entertaining relatives and acquaintances.

In Ukraine its main feature is Holy Supper consisting of 12 dishes, when the family gathers around the dining table. The first dish is "kutya”. The beginning of the holy supper is signaled by the first star. There is also a custom for the Ukrainian children to go from house to house at Christmas to proclaim "Christ is born” and to sing Christmas carols. They expect some money or candies in return for their musical efforts. Everybody likes Christmas, but a folk proverb says: "Christmas comes but once a year”.

Holidays in Ukraine

First it is the New Year. It is my favourite holiday. It is merry to decorate the New Year Tree, to dance near it and to receive presents.

Then in a week there is Christmas. In Ukraine it is an old and popular holiday. In the morning boys go from house to house, from flat to flat, sing traditional holiday songs and wish everything good to the people they visit. The people give them sweets, cakes and money.

The 8th of March is the Women's Day. We give presents to our mothers, grandmothers, teachers, sisters and girl-friends and wish everything good to them.

On the 1st of May we celebrate May Day. On the 9th of May we have Victory Day. It is a great holiday. We say, "Thank you very much" to old people who took part in the Great Patriotic War and defended our Motherland against the fascists.

In spring we have one more traditional holiday. It is Easter. Usually people bake cakes and paint and colour eggs for the holiday.

On the 24th of August we celebrate Independence Day.

The 1st of September is a holiday for everybody who studies.

Each holiday is interesting in its way but all of them are good and merry.