Healthy Eating Basics
What is a ‘healthy diet’?

With two out of three Americans thought to be overweight, it seems this has become a tough question to answer. Is a healthy diet a diet that’s low in fat? Or high in protein? Maybe it’s a diet that is low-fat and low in carbohydrates. With so much information available, new diets coming to the market on a regular basis, and so-called experts promoting their favorites, it’s tough to make sense of it all. Not only that, but it is expensive! It’s estimated that Americans spend $42 billion each year on diet books and products.

Eating a variety of foods also will help provide the vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) your body needs. A balanced diet also includes non-nutrients that are necessary to keep your body working properly. Nonnutrients include fiber and phytochemicals that may help your body protect itself against disease.

Simple guidelines to follow

Make sure to include foods from each food group in your daily diet. Below are the recently updated federal dietary guidelines for a healthy diet:

• Eat plenty of fruit, vegetables and whole grains;
• Lower the amount of cholesterol and saturated fats you eat;
• Keep sweets and salt to a minimum;
• Limit the amount of alcohol you drink;
• Be mindful of portion sizes and how many calories you consume.

In general, two key words to keep in mind for eating healthy – variety and moderation! Another important part of a healthy diet is exercise. The government has also changed its recommendations for exercise. The new guidelines advise people to exercise for at least 30 minutes daily to prevent chronic illnesses. If you want to maintain your current weight, you should exercise 60 minutes a day. To maintain weight loss, the guidelines recommend 90 minutes of exercise a day.

A little bit of balance

In the end, a healthy diet is a balanced diet. Our bodies rely on nutrients to:
• supply energy to keep our muscles working, our heart beating, and our brain active;
• build bones, muscles, and tendons; and
• control body temperature.

One thing to remember is essential nutrients are found in a wide range of foods:
• no one food group has all the nutrients your body needs;
• foods within each group are not replaceable; and
• all food groups are equally important.

Talk to your doctor

If you have concerns or questions about your current eating habits, it’s best to talk with your doctor. Your doctor will be able to provide helpful changes based on your current health. If you are living with diabetes or a heart condition, your doctor may recommend a special diet in order to help you manage those conditions.

For more information

• Visit the Healthy Eating section of Preferred Care's online Health Encyclopedia.
• Log on to the American Academy of Family Physicians Web site at www.familydoctor.org.

Source: From the Preferred Care Spring 2005 Living Well newsletter
Posted: April 2005