Nutrition - January 5, 2010 Newsletter

Proper Nutrition

EHE Newsletter, Volume 10, Number 1
January 5, 2010

Throughout the holidays, tempting meals often lead to extra pounds and New Year’s resolutions. In making such resolutions, we look for ways to improve ourselves by making lifestyle changes. When you think about your resolutions for this new year, make sure that one of them is to develop healthy eating habits — not just for this new year but throughout your lifetime.

New research studies on nutrition and health make news headlines almost every day. Americans are faced with the challenge of making sense of this constantly emerging, and often conflicting, information. One thing, however, will always remain consistent — you must focus on basic nutrition habits and lifestyle choices in order to make positive health changes.

A healthy diet is one of the most important ways to maintain an active lifestyle and to protect against health problems. It benefits almost every aspect of your health throughout your lifetime. A few of the many benefits associated with healthy eating are:

• Promoting and maintaining good health.
• Promoting optimal growth in infants, children and adolescents.
• Decreasing the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, hypertension, and certain cancers.
• Decreasing the risk of obesity and excess weight.
• Decreasing the risk of micronutrient deficiencies.
• Speeding recovery from injuries and surgery.

Nutrients

The most important steps in eating a balanced diet are to educate yourself about what your body needs and to read the ingredients lists and nutrition labels of the foods that you eat. Many Americans consume more calories than they need without meeting the recommended intakes for many nutrients. Daily dietary requirements for essential nutrients vary according to an individual’s age, sex, weight, metabolic activity and physical activity. In general, absolute nutritional requirements for men are greater than requirements for women simply because men (as a population) are larger and have more muscle mass than women.

According to the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, each basic food group (grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, yogurt, cheese, meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts) is a major contributor of at least one nutrient while making substantial contributions of many other nutrients. Since each food group provides a wide array of nutrients in substantial amounts, it is important to include all food groups in your daily diet. If you have specific health concerns, you should speak to your doctor or to a nutritionist who can help you determine how different foods can affect you.

According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA), you should choose the most nutritionally–rich foods from each food group — those packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and other nutrients but low in calories. Foods and beverages that are less nutritious do not have to be eliminated but should be consumed in moderation. Strive to choose foods that are better for your health.

The ADA recommends that individuals:

• Focus on fruits. Eat a variety of fruits — fresh, frozen, canned or dried. For a two thousand calorie diet, you need two cups of fruit each day.
• Eat more orange and dark green vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli and dark leafy greens. Include beans and peas such as pinto beans, kidney beans, split peas and lentils.
• Consume calcium–rich foods. Consume three cups of low–fat or fat–free milk (or an equivalent amount of low–fat yogurt and/or low–fat cheese) every day. If you do not or cannot consume milk, choose lactose–free milk products and/or calcium–fortified foods and beverages.
• Make half of your grains whole. Eat at least three ounces of whole–grain cereals, breads, crackers, rice or pasta every day. Look to see that grains such as wheat, rice, oats, or corn are referred to as "whole" in the list of ingredients.
• Choose lean meats and poultry and then bake, broil, or grill them. Vary your protein choices with more fish, beans, peas, nuts and seeds.
• Know the limits on fats, salt and sugars. Read the "Nutrition Facts" labels on foods. Look for foods that are low in saturated fats and trans fats. Choose and prepare foods and beverages with little salt and/or added sugars.

Additionally, control your portion sizes and stop eating when you are satisfied (even if there is still food left on your plate).

A basic, but important, premise of the Dietary Guidelines is that nutrient needs should be met primarily through the consumption of foods. Nutrient supplements cannot replace a healthy diet and it is your diet that should give you all of the vitamins and minerals that you need. Foods not only contain the vitamins and minerals that are often found in supplements, but also contain hundreds of naturally–occurring substances that may protect against chronic health conditions. Supplements may be useful when they fill a specific identified nutrient gap that cannot be, or is not otherwise being, met by food intake.

Proper nutrition is the foundation of good health. Making informed food choices and developing sound eating habits will benefit almost every aspect of your health throughout your lifetime. In 2010, make it a priority to set realistic nutritional goals and follow through with them.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: The information is not intended to constitute medical advice and is not a substitute for consultation with a physician or other health care provider. Individuals with specific complaints should seek immediate consultation from their personal physicians.