Diet is a Four Letter Word

 

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary has the following definition of the word diet.

 

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English diete, from Old French, from Latin diaeta, from Greek diaita, literally, manner of living, from diaitasthai to lead one's life

1 a : food and drink regularly provided or consumed b : habitual nourishment c : the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason

 

In this article, the word diet means what we eat. We will not be discussing whatever current diet book is on the best seller list. In the future, we will attempt to keep you up to date on current nutritional information and present it in a way that is understandable.

 

It is not easy trying to figure out what exactly eating healthy means. We are constantly bombarded with information from many sources that often is conflicting. Before making any dramatic changes to your diet, it is wise to consult with your healthcare provider.

 

It is important to educate yourself and listen to your body (unless it is telling you to go on the Oreos diet!).

 

Here are some thoughts on healthier eating:

 

Fresh fruits and vegetables

We can’t say enough good things about incorporating fruits and vegetables into your diet. Naturally sweet, fruit not only tastes great but is packed with essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other helpful nutrients. Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and excellent sources of vitamins A, C, E, B6, beta-carotene, folic acid and selenium – to name just a few. Plus, fruits contain powerful amounts of antioxidants and phytochemicals that help your body fight all types of thing including cancer and heart disease.

 

Plenty of fiber

Fiber promotes better digestive health. There are two main groups of fibers, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber delays the stomach’s emptying time as well as the transit of flood through the small intestine – this improves digestion and absorption of nutrients. Insoluble fiber speeds up the time it takes what we eat to pass through the large intestines, which means toxins spend less time in the body. In other words, it keeps us regular. And that’s a good thing.

 

It is recommended that we consume 20 – 35 grams of dietary fiber. Good sources of dietary fiber include fruits, vegetables, whole and high-fiber grain products and legumes.

 

Eat breakfast

Breakfast is an easy meal to begin doing good things for your body, such as consuming items that are lacking in the rest of your diet: calcium (in milk, yogurt, or cheese), fruit (on top of cereal or mixed into yogurt), and whole grains (in the cereal itself or a slice of whole-wheat toast).

 

As featured in the 2004 Journal of Nutrition, John M. de Castro, PhD, a scientific investigator at the University of Texas at El Paso, found that a given number of calories eaten earlier in the day proves more satiating than the same number of calories consumed later on and blunts overall calorie consumption. Calories eaten late in the day, on the other hand, tend not to be as satiating, so that the more eating saved for evening, the more eaten in general.

 

“Eating breakfast of any kind prevents many of the adverse effects of fasting, such as irritability and fatigue”, according to Bonnie Spring, Ph.D., University of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School.

 

Water

It might not seem like it, but water is the most necessary nutrient of them all - so necessary that people can't survive for more than a few days without it. Your body is almost two-thirds water. Water is the main ingredient in all the fluids that make up your body systems. These fluids travel through your body, carrying nutrients and waste to and from all your cells and organs. On a regular day, your body loses two to three quarts of water. Many say that people need to drink six to eight cups of water each day. Be aware of drinks that contain caffeine, as it is a diuretic which means it makes you urinate more.

 

If you're exercising and sweating, drinking water is doubly important (cold water is better). When you sweat a lot, your body loses even more water than normal. The more you exercise, the more you’ll sweat, the more water you'll need to drink. When it's hot or humid, it's even more than doubly important that you drink water, because you are at a higher risk for heat exhaustion. When you're exercising, don't wait until you're thirsty to drink up.

 

Refined Sugars

U.S. Department of Agriculture and Center for Disease Control have been keeping statistics since the year 1909. While the current consumption of carbohydrates, about 500 grams per day, is about the same as 100 years ago, more refined sugar and fewer whole grains are consumed. There is a strong correlation between the consumption of refined sugars, in particular, high-fructose corn syrup and type 2 diabetes.

 

Trans fatty acids

Trans fatty acids (TFAs) are hydrogenated fats that are produced from vegetable oils. They are common in fast foods, bakery products, margarines, and packaged snacks. TFAs are known to be associated with abnormalities in the lipid profile, including lowered HDL cholesterol and raised LDL cholesterol and triglyceride, which are associated with increased risk of coronary disease and diabetes.

 

The next step is up to you . . .

 

As busy consumers, we are often confused by all of the conflicting information available relating to nutrition. What we really want is to feel confident in our food choices without having to count calories or trying to decipher between a “good carb” from a “bad carb.” It’s about eating a little better and finding time to move our bodies a little more, so that we can look and feel better. It’s about making a few simple, yet healthy choices to start on a path to better health.

 

Once we incorporate healthy changes in our lives, they begin to become habits. The American Academy of Family Physicians reports that it takes only 21 days to change a bad habit into a good one. So, what are you waiting for?

 

Remember, it’s not about finding a magic-bullet cure for weight loss. Numerous studies show such programs don’t work and are potentially dangerous. It is about making minor, healthier changes that last a lifetime. It is about becoming a healthier you.

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