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 With so many food choices available, you might feel like you need a nutrition degree to make healthy choices. Food makers know that Americans are on the hunt for more healthy options and have tried to fill this need with nutrition bars, functional juices, low-fat snacks, conventional foods with health claims, and entire aisles of organic and natural foods. How do you navigate through these options to create a healthy diet? You can rely on these basic guidelines to make your diet as good as it can be. Choose whole, basic foods as often as possible. Fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds, and whole grains are always good choices. Processed foods often have extra ingredients that dilute nutrient levels or add unhealthy components to your diet. For instance, say you’d like to eat oatmeal for breakfast. If you choose a packet of instant, sweetened oatmeal, you’ll be getting about a tablespoon of added sugar. With a bowl of plain oatmeal, you’ll get no added sugar (and it takes only three minutes to prepare in the microwave.) Processed, packaged foods also provide most of the sodium and trans fat in our diets. By choosing fresh foods and preparing meals at home, you’ll reduce you’re intake of these unhealthy ingredients. Choose nutrient-dense foods. For each food or beverage you choose, ask yourself what you’ll get that is nutritious. Look for foods that provide important nutrients and fiber. Minimize foods and beverages that provide calories but little or no nutrition like soft drinks, fruit drinks, sugary candy, crackers, and certain desserts and baked goods. Sure, there will be some foods you eat that are for pure enjoyment. But most foods in your diet should be high in nutrients. Be critical of health claims on food. Packaged foods that are marketed as healthy are often merely a better alternative to existing packaged foods. They may not be healthy in the context of the overall diet. For instance, the reduced fat version of the typical processed cracker might seem like a healthy choice. But the total calories per serving in the reduced fat cracker may be the same as that of the full-fat cracker. Plus, crackers provide few important nutrients to begin with, so choosing the reduced fat version might save you from eating two grams of fat, but it doesn’t mean you’re getting better nutrition. When eating out, keep calories in mind. Restaurant meals can be very healthy in terms of total nutrient content. But restaurant and fast food meals are notorious for being excessive in calories and portion size. The key is to make small choices to reduce the calorie level of the meal. Avoid dishes with lots of cheese, creamy sauces, or high-calorie dressings and condiments. Or ask for the dish to be prepared with less of those ingredients. When deciding between multiple menu items, choose the one that has the most vegetables or beans. Pass on extra bread and butter. Choose a side salad instead of fries. And, most importantly, stop eating when you feel full! Get Personal. Learn about your own, personal calorie and nutrient needs. If you have an estimate of your daily calorie needs, you will be better equipped to decide how a food might fit into your daily diet. If you know which nutrients are important for you or which tend to be low in your diet, you can make food choices to boost those nutrients and disregard health claims about other, less important nutrients. For instance, women may need to be vigilant about calcium and iron. Those at risk of heart disease will need to keep an eye on saturated fat and sodium. If you are elderly, you may need to make sure you eat enough calories. For a diet analyzer with personalized nutrient needs, visit the USDA’s MyPyramid Tracker http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/ |
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