Building a Healthy Diet
Nutrition advice seems to be everywhere these days. It's hard to turn on the TV, open a magazine or even log on to the Internet without finding diet suggestions. Celebrities with milk mustaches tell you what to drink, nutritionists debate what portion of your diet should come from carbohydrates and public health officials sound alarms about America's growing obesity epidemic. Given the overwhelming—and often conflicting—amount of information out there, it's no wonder that many Americans are confused about nutrition. So whose advice should you take?
Would you be surprised if the answer is Uncle Sam's?
That's right, the U.S. government. Every five years, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture review the most recent scientific literature on nutrition and simplify the information into a document called the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This information can be found online at http://www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines/.
These guidelines are aimed at Americans who want to prevent chronic diseases associated with a poor diet and inactivity, and the guidelines are general enough to apply to people with a variety of preferences and lifestyles. To help you remember the recommendations, here are the ABCs on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans:
Aim for fitness:
Aim for a healthy weight
Be physically active each day
Build a healthy base:
Let the USDA's Food Guide Pyramid guide your choices
Choose a variety of grains daily, especially whole grains
Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables daily
Keep food safe to eat
Choose sensibly:
Choose a diet that's low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat
Choose beverages and foods to moderate your intake of sugars
Choose and prepare foods with less salt
If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation
Be aware of what you are eating when away from home.
Pay special attention to what you eat when you're away from home. Snacks and meals at work, in restaurants or when socializing with friends make up a significant portion of daily caloric intake. Choose these foods wisely. Try to eat fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods. When dining out, order fish, chicken, or lean meat and ask that it be grilled, rather than fried.
Take your time with weight loss.
If you need to lose weight, do it gradually. Losing a half pound to two pounds a week is a safe and realistic goal. Forget about miracle diets and adopt healthy eating habits and exercise regularly. It may seem to take forever to reach your target weight, but research shows that people who lose weight steadily are most likely to keep the weight off and then maintain a healthy weight.
Stay active.
For at least 30 minutes most days of the week, be physically active. Walking, bicycling, golfing, dancing or taking exercise classes are just some of the ways to be active for at least a half hour.
Or you can break up your exercise time. Walk instead of drive. Take the stairs. Rake leaves. Clean the house. Play with your children. Push a stroller. Walk the dog. It will add up.
Reduce your salt intake.
Choose fresh, frozen or canned vegetables without salt added or with low-salt content. Look for labels that say "low-sodium." Leave the salt shaker in a cupboard, not on the dinner table. Go easy on condiments such as soy, ketchup and mustard, which can add a significant amount of salt to your food.
Resources
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Information Center offers information at http://fnic.nal.usda.gov
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion provides tips on Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid, as well as meal planning on a budget, at http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/
The American Dietetic Association offers nutrition resources, and can help you locate a registered dietitian in your area, at http://www.eatright.org
Chivari, T. (2010, Reviewed). Building a healthy diet. Raleigh, NC: Workplace Benefits.
