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Food
as Medicine? Rx: Eat Better, Feel
Better!
(By Susan Gennaro, Every Woman Magazine,
Winter 2004)
Most women want to make time for regular
exercise and healthy eating but recognize that the demands and stresses
of a full-time career, family, and social life leave little room for
fitting everything in. They are intrigued by the barrage of diets
available. The low-carb, no carb, sugar-bustin', and
point-counting regimens appeal to the desire to shed extra pounds, but
who has the time and energy? What women need is more balance,
better choices, and a way to fit activity into everyday life.
Most
Americans are seriously
overweight. Two-thirds of us weigh more than we should. And
it's killing us: Being overweight leads to 300,000 deaths a year
from cancer, diabetes, and heart disease--all deaths that might have
been prevented.
We can
gain so much by being
"losers": Weight loss lowers our blood pressure, and our risk of
stroke, heart attack, and diabetes. Losing weight would help us
sleep better, diminish joint pain, and help conditions such as gout and
arthritis. It's good for our mental health, as well.
Sadly,
knowledge alone is
not enough to make lasting change. But the good news is that some
small but consistent changes can make a very big difference. You
can begin to have a healthier diet and more physically fit body by
making these small changes now:
- Drink more
water
- Eat only
when you are sure that you are
hungry. (Use the acronym HALT and ask yourself, Am I hungry,
angry, lonely or tired? Eat only if you're hungry)
- Eat only
foods that you have decided are really
important for you to eat--if you have to have that once-a-week brownie,
balance it out with nutritious snacks during the rest of the week
- Increase
your activity level
There is a
weight that
is right for your body. Use the body-mass-index
chart to find the weight range that is most healthy for
you. Are you lucky enough to find yourself in the "healthy
weight" category? Read on to see if you're eating the types of
foods that will keep you healthy at this weight, because a healthy
weight doesn't always mean a healthy body.
Right-Sizing
If you're like most people, you'll secretly miss McDonald's supersize
fries when the company begins phasing them out. Fast-food
providers (under pressure from the government), health care agencies,
and consumers alike are recognizing that we're overwieght because we
eat too much of the wrong foods. We often eat in restaurants,
where portion sizes have continued to increase. We eat too much
fat and sugar; too few fruits and vegetables. So what does a
healthy diet look like?
The U.S. government's food pyramid is one place to start. Whether
the food pyramid should be dramatically revised is an ongoing
debate: Lots of exciting research is being done about the
potential benefits of eating a more Mediterranean-style diet, which is
rich in olive oils and low-fat proteins. But until we have more
definitive answers about individual food groups, it makes most sense to
see how well you feel and how your body reacts to the way you balance
your intake of fats, protein, and carbohydrates using the food pyramid.
How does your diet compare to the food pyramid recommendations?
Are you eating enough of the foods you should eat more often (whole
grains, fruits, and veggies) and choosing treats, such as ice cream,
desserts and sweets, only sparingly?
Getting the
Basics: Whole Grains
You need
six to 11 servings of whole grains each day; women need fewer
calories, or fewer servings, than men. One serving equals one
slice of bread or a half cup of rice, pasta, or cereal. A small
bowl of cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and a cup of pasta
for dinner comes to five servings, leaving room for a snack (for
example, some crackers). If you need to lose weight, eat foods
that are high in fiber (these usually contain less sugar). In
general, it's a good idea to eat foods that are higher in fiber and
have less sugar and less white flour. Foods higher in fiber also
tend to have fewer calories for their portion size.
Fruits and
Veggies: Five a Day, Every Day
Although we know that fruits and veggies are important, only one in
five Americans eats the recommended five or more servings each
day. These nutritional powerhouses help reduce our risk of
cancer, heart disease, and diabetes; they promote good eyesight and
healty skin by providing important vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin
C, and folic acid. Eat as many fruits and vegetables as
possible. One
serving of vegetables has, on average, 25 calories; a serving of fruit
typically has 60 calories. Rather than reaching for potato chips,
cookies, or other snacks that are high in calories and low in
nutrition, try finding fruits or vegetables that you like to eat.
Body Mass Index Chart
 One
vegetable serving is a cup of raw leafy vegetables or a half cup of any
other kind of vegetables, either cooked or raw. Also, three
quarters
of a cup of vegetable juice counts as a serving of vegetables.
Forget about soggy, overcooked veggies covered in butter and opt for
fresh or steamed veggies like broccoli. Raw veggies make great
low-calorie, high-fiber snacks, are very filling, and are easy to buy
precut and prewashed. You could also try stir-frying vegetables
(using
a nonstick pan and low-fat spray cooking oil) with a little meat or fish for a low-fat, tasty meal.
Fruits are the perfect choice for a sweet tooth. A whole piece of
fruit, such as an apple or an orange, counts as one serving. A
half
cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit or a half cup of fruit juice is
also one serving. Eat fruit in its natural state for fiber and
skip
the juice, which is mostly sugar. Try carrying whole fruit around
so
that you always have a healthy snack available. Eat two to four
servings a day. You might want to have fruit as a dessert after
lunch
or dinner or as a snack. Fruit is a healthy, sweet way to get
vitamins, minerals, and fiber without a lot of calories.
Milk, Yogurt and Cheese
Dairy is high in protein, vitamins and minerals, and it's a great source
of calcium. But dairy foods can also pack significant calories
and
fat, so you should choose skim milk or nonfat yogurt. High-fat
cheese
and ice cream have a lot of saturated fat, which is bad for your
cholesterol levels and for your heart. Choose low-fat cheese and
ice
milk or frozen yogurt rather than ice cream. One dairy serving
equals
one cup of milk or yogurt, one and a half ounces of natural cheese, or
two ounces of processed cheese. You need two to three servings in
this
group per day. If you're pregnant, breast-feeding, or a teenager,
you
need three servings.
Eating
enough dairy is
important because many of us don't get enough calcium in our
diets.
This puts our bones at risk for fracture -- a disease called
osteoporosis, which is more common in women, than men. If you
can't
get enough calcium from your diet, you should take a calcium
supplement. There's even evidence that adequate calcium from
dairy
products can help with weight loss.
All About
Protein: Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs and Nuts
Your body needs protein every day. Take in two or three servings
of
protein each day for B vitamins, iron, and zinc. You need five to
seven ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, fish, or non-meat proteins,
such as soy or beans, daily. A serving size is two to three
ounces of
cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish. That's about the size of a
regular
hamburger or the amount of meat on a medium-size chicken breast (three
ounces of meat or poultry is about the size of your palm). The
equivalent of one ounce of meat is one egg, a half cup of beans
(measured when dry), two tablespoons of peanut butter, or one third of
a cup of nuts. So one day's worth of proteins (six ounces) might
be:
an egg for breakfast, two ounces of turkey in a sandwich at lunch, and
a three-ounce hamburger made from lean meat for dinner.
Soy is a protein with added health benefits -- it may protect your
heart over time. In 1999, the Food and Drug Administration
allowed
manufacturers to mention the benefits of soy on food labels. You
need
25 grams of soy protein a day to significantly lower cholesterol.
To
include this health claim on a label, foods must contain at least 6.25
grams of soy protein per serving, or one fourth of the effective level
of 25 grams per day.
Eggs can be an important contribution to your daily protein
intake. If
you are concerned about the cholesterol in egg yolks, you should opt
for egg alternatives or use the whites only. You can add extra
egg
whites without the yolks to dishes. Remove the skin and fat from
your
meat. Fish and shellfish are generally lower in fat than meat,
but
chicken and turkey are low-fat meats. If you trim all the fat
away and
broil, roast, or grill meat rather than frying it, you will be doing
your heart and blood vessels a big favor.
Fat, Oil, and Sweets
Although we all need some fat in our diets, experts recommend you eat
healthy fats and avoid saturated fats. It's almost impossible to
eat
in America without getting more than enough fats and oils, so very few
of us need to work on getting enough fat in our diets! Choose
healthy
fats, such as monounsaturated oils like olive, canola, and flax
seed.
Limit the amount of butter or margarine you use, as well as the amount
of such foods as sour cream, salad dressing, cream cheese, chocolate,
and mayonnaise, all of which are very high in fat.
Sugar Versus Fat
Who doesn't sing the praises of low-fat brownies? Many desserts
claim
to be low in fat, making them attractive to diet-conscious
Americans.
But you should read the label closely, because the manufacturer might
be replacing those tasty fats with more sugar than you want to keep
your palate satisfied.
Look for reduced- or low-sugar jams, jellies, or sorbets and sherbets
to replace ice cream, cream cheese, and butter in your diet. When
you
choose to eat sweets, try to find foods that you really like that also
give you an adequate amount of food for the calories they
provide.
Soft drinks, cakes, cookies, pies, fruit drinks, candy, and ice cream
are all very high in sugar and also very high in calories.
What About Salt?
Salt is an essential nutrient, but too much can lead to high blood
pressure and can also increase the amount of calcium you lose from your
body. Always taste your food before you add salt. Prepare
food with
little salt and let others add salt later if they want to. Over
time,
as you and your family eat less salt, you will lose your taste for
heavily salted foods.
Can Alcohol Be Part
of a Healthy Diet?
Alcohol has lots of calories and little nutritional value. You
shouldn't drink when you are pregnant or breast-feeding, and at other
times drink only in moderation. A five-ounce glass of wine has
about
100 calories, and a 12-ounce glass of beer has 150 calories. One
glass
of wine or beer per day is about all you should drink if you are trying
to lose weight and maintain a healthy diet. Research is emerging
that
moderate amounts of alcohol might be beneficial in a diet; talk with
your health care provider about your risks regarding alcohol intake.
Assessing Your Diet
Still not sure if you are eating a healthy diet? Try this:
Write down
everything you eat (including how much you eat) for the next 24
hours.
Then check your list against the food pyramid. How did your list
compare with the types and amounts of food suggested?
Read nutrition labels on packaged foods and consider the amount of fat
and added sugar you eat. Do these seem excessive? You can
lower the
amount of fat in your diet by switching to low-fat alternatives when
possible, but remember--these could still have lots of calories and
sugar!
To get less sugar in your diet, drink water rather than soft drinks,
and eat fruit instead of processed desserts for dessert.
Why should you make changes in your diet? Eating a healthy diet
means
you will have more energy and your body will get the food it needs to
function. We all want to be healthier and look better.
Small changes
can make a big difference over time, and your health is worth it.
Your
example can even help the children in your life make important changes
for their own health for years to come!
Susan Gennaro, DSN,
RN, FAAN,
is a professor and director of doctorial and post-doctoral studies, as
well as director for the International Center for Research for Women,
Children, & Families, at the University of Pennsylvania School of
Nursing in Philadelphia.
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