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Food
for Thought
Confused
by the profusion of dietary advice? It's simpler than you think.
According
to a survey done recently for the American Dietetic Association
(ADA), more and more Americans—four out of five—are
getting the message about the importance of diet for living a long
and healthy life. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer are actually eating
what they preach.
Only
38 percent, compared with 44 percent two years ago, are doing everything
they can to eat right. Why? The top three reasons people cited
were concern over giving up foods that taste good, lack of time
to keep track of what they eat, and confusion over what to eat.
Put
simply, people—and especially middle-aged men—are so
overwhelmed with information on diet that they just give up. In
fact, the biggest drop in effort was in males 35 to 54 years old—guys
who simply haven't got the time or energy to turn eating into a
second profession, let alone a religion. Women continue to be much
more attuned and aware of the importance of diet, but even younger
guys show much healthier attitudes about food than their dads.
The
ADA points out that making big improvements in our eating habits
can be much simpler and less painful than most of us imagine. Try
following these simple guidelines:
- Pick
foods with a label that says "reduced fat" or "low
fat." Revised ADA guidelines suggest that you keep fat
to less than 30 percent of calories, and picking such foods
will help.
- Try
herbs such as garlic, oregano, chives, paprika, and pepper
before adding salt.
- Five
servings of fruits and vegetables per day will take care of
your need for vitamins and minerals.
- Two
servings per day of lean meat, fish, or poultry will take care
of your need for protein. One serving is about the size of
a pack of cards.
- Six
to eleven servings of grain takes care of carbohydrate. One
slice of bread is one serving.
- Eat
your five servings of fruits and vegetables, choose whole wheat
bread, and have a bowl of bran cereal for breakfast, and you
should be on track for fiber.
- If
you're still overcome with confusion about what to eat, dial
up the ADA at 800-366- 1655 for straight answers.
- Finally,
take news reports of nutritional breakthroughs with a grain
of, well, herbs and spices. A single study may sound exciting,
but sound medical advice comes only from repeatable and repeated
successes.
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