It’s an American tradition. Every January 1st,
people make New Year’s Resolutions. Whether it’s exercising more, eating
more vegetables, or losing weight, health and nutrition resolutions often
top the list. What will you change this year? For some timely ideas, here
are ten nutrition resolutions to consider this year.
1
Slow
Down and Eat
Experts are blaming the growing obesity
epidemic on many factors, including fast food, dwindling family dinners and
hectic lifestyles that seem to leave little time for eating healthy and
exercising. Welcome the
Slow Food Movement, an organization created by
people passionate about the physical and emotional benefits of slowing down
to enjoy life with family and friends. The organization boasts 77,000
members in 48 countries, including 40,000 in Slow Food’s birthplace of
Italy.
Slow Food’s recipe is to
combine slowing down with food traditions. For a nourishing and enriching
2004, try some Slow Food ideas:
-
As often as possible,
eat home cooked meals with family and friends
-
Cook from scratch more
often, using fresh ingredients rather than boxed or canned foods
-
Establish or reclaim
family traditions at mealtimes
-
Create a calm,
pleasant mealtime atmosphere
-
Turn off the TV during
meals
-
Savor the flavor of
your food
-
Linger over meals with
conversation and companionship
2
Eat Your Greens…and Reds and
Purples
Many people have memories
of their mother or grandmother reminding them to eat their greens. Experts
now recommend eating reds, yellows, purples and whites too!
The color in fruits and
vegetables comes from natural plant compounds called phytochemicals. You may
be familiar with some of these—lutein from greens, lycopene from tomatoes,
and beta-carotene from carrots. Interestingly, the main role of
phytochemicals is to protect the plant. In turn, these protective factors
benefit the person who eats the plant. Phytochemicals can help prevent
disease, retard aging and improve immunity.
For a fun and healthy New
Year’s Resolution, choose foods from each “color group” daily:
-
Deep reds or
bright pink (raspberries, red peppers, tomatoes, watermelon)
-
Greens (spinach,
broccoli, honeydew, kiwi)
-
Yellows/Oranges
(carrots, mango, pineapple, corn)
-
Blues/Purples
(blueberries, eggplant, figs, blackberries)
-
Whites (onion,
garlic, cauliflower, bananas)
For a more extensive list
of color groups, go to the
5 a Day website, sponsored by the Product
for Better Health Foundation.
3
Move Over Rice and Pasta
For many Americans,
favorite grains include white rice, pasta, flour tortillas and white
bread. Although in moderation any of these foods can be part of a healthy
diet, as diet staples they have shortfalls. First, they are low in fiber.
This is a problem because, according to the American Dietetic Association,
the average American gets less than half of their fiber quota daily. Second,
many nutrients are lost in the processing. While certain vitamins and
minerals are returned in the enrichment process, most disease-fighting
phytochemicals are lost forever.
This year, give your diet
a facelift by adding more high fiber grains. Brown rice, whole wheat pasta,
oatmeal, bran cereal, whole wheat tortillas, and 100 percent whole wheat bread are
well known options. If you’re the adventurous type, try the less common and
even more nutritious millet, quinoa, triticale, bulgur, barley or wheat
berries.
4
Go Nuts
For over a decade,
nutrition research has been glowing about nuts. Eating several small
servings of nuts a week reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Although nuts contain a high percentage of fat, the majority is unsaturated
fat—the heart healthy fat that lowers the LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels.
Nuts are also packed with nutrients such as fiber, vitamin E, magnesium and
other phytochemicals.
If you have shunned
fat-laden nuts due to weight concerns, here’s some good news. Studies have
shown that nuts in moderation aren’t a deterrent to weight loss. In fact,
since nuts curb hunger better than some low fat snacks, including nuts in
your diet may actually help you eat less!
5
Drink Milk for Weight
Loss
For decades, people
were told to drink milk for strong bones. In recent years, dairy products
have also been found to improve blood pressure, reduce the risk of diabetes
and protect against certain types of cancer. Now a growing body of research
links consumption of calcium-rich milk, yogurt and cheese to a lower risk of
obesity. This latest research points to a benefit beyond calcium, since
dairy products were found to be more effective than calcium supplements.
Of course, milk products
are high in cholesterol-raising saturated fat. So the best dairy choices are
nonfat or skim milk, nonfat yogurt, and low-fat or nonfat cheese.
6
Make Your Food Work for
You
When a food offers a
benefit beyond basic nutrition, it is often called a “functional food.” This
term is often used when a food provides a specific benefit, such as the
gastrointestinal benefits of yogurt or the cholesterol-lowering properties
of soy. Functional foods also include foods that have been modified to
improve health. Calcium fortified juice or breakfast cereal with added flax
are examples.
Expect more functional
foods to hit the grocery shelves in 2004. While not all of these products
will live up to their hype, nutrition-savvy consumers can give their diets a
boost by taking advantage of this booming area of nutrition.
7
Spice it up for Health
Add
a little spice to your New Year and get healthy in the process! Although
the role of spices is to flavor foods, their benefits stretch far beyond the
taste buds. Spices can help manage or prevent disease. Experts believe that
herbs and spices are often as rich in health-promoting substances as fruits
and vegetables. Here’s a look at some common spices and their benefits:
-
Cinnamon helps diabetes. A recent study
reported in Diabetes Care showed that as little as ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
daily helps people with diabetes lower their blood sugars and cholesterol
levels.
-
Chili powder contains capsaicin, a
phytochemical with potential cancer-fighting benefits. It’s also a great
source of the antioxidant beta-carotene.
-
Coriander, cumin, tumeric, rosemary and
ginger also contain phytochemicals with cancer fighting properties.
-
Garlic, onion, allspice, oregano and thyme
were found by Cornell researchers to be potent bacterial killers.
8
Say No to Extremes
All too often, people opt
for extreme diet changes. They give up entire food groups, or they choose a
trendy diet that’s so rigid or monotonous, they can’t stick with it more
than a few days. The deprivation caused by extreme dieting often leads to
overeating and failure.
The best way to make diet changes is to start
small. Identify one or two changes to make and get started. Maybe it’s
eating more vegetables at dinner, or replacing that afternoon candy bar with
fruit. Each week, evaluate your progress. Add more changes when ready.
Eventually, your diet will be transformed. This “small step” method takes
commitment and patience, but over time the rewards can be improved
self-confidence, a healthier body, and the sweet taste of success.
9
Indulge
Once in a While
Speaking of extremes, few
people have perfect eating habits. Instead of aiming for perfection, allow
an occasional treat for a more realistic and successful approach. The good
news is that some of these treats can have health benefits of their own.
Chocolate is a perfect example.
Cocoa beans are rich in
flavonoids, an antioxidant that makes cholesterol less likely to build up in
the arteries. Among chocolates, dark chocolate and cocoa have the highest
flavonoid concentration. Other recent studies have linked dark chocolate to
improved blood pressure and a reduction in harmful blood clotting activity.
So the next time you
crave a little chocolate, don’t do it. (Feel guilty, that is.) In
moderation, it may be good for you.
10
Go Mediterranean
For years, research
has identified the Mediterranean-style diet as a heart healthy approach to
eating. This diet contains plenty of vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts and
cereals, as well as moderate amounts of fish and dairy products, small
amounts of red meat, and typically wine with meals. Olive oil is used
regularly.
To understand how healthy
adults benefit from this way of eating, researchers from Harvard School of
Public Health and the University of Athens studied a population of over
22,000 adults in Greece. They used a 10-point scale to assess adherence to
the traditional Mediterranean diet. Researchers found that for every 2 point
rise on the adherence scale, the risk of overall death dropped by 25
percent, the risk of death from heart disease dropped 33 percent and the risk of
cancer dropped 24 percent.
Of interest, the researchers deemed the whole
diet more responsible for the health benefits than any particular food.
While many individual foods are thought to have risks and benefits, diet
patterns and the overall diet are a more important focus. This may be the
most important nutrition theme to carry into 2004—to eat more of the best
and less of the rest.
Kay Peck is a Registered Dietitian and
Certified Diabetes Educator. She is a freelance writer and works as a
diabetes care manager for The Permanente Medical Group in Fairfield,
California.
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