The USDA released the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans on Monday and to much shock and surprise, they actually addressed obesity as being a health issue in America, and gave some decent advice on ways to improve health. All in all, I would say its a definite step in the right direction. I just have one small quibble: they make it very clear what to eat, and maintain their stance of being very vague about what not to eat. Heres an example:
"On average, Americans of all ages consume too few vegetables, fruits, high-fiber whole grains, low-fat milk and milk products, and seafood and they eat too much added sugars, solid fats, refined grains, and sodium. SoFAS (added sugars and solid fats) contribute approximately 35 percent of calories to the American diet. This is true for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults and for both males and females. Reducing the intake of SoFAS can lead to a badly needed reduction in energy intake and inclusion of more healthful foods into the total diet."
Thinking like a consumer, this paragraph starts out beautiful, clear and concise. Eat more fruits, whole grains, low-fat milk and milk products and seafood. It's what I tell my clients every day, I say it so much that I actually get tired of hearing myself talk! My issue with this paragraph is the next part:
Eat less sugars (okay), solid fats (such as?), refined grains (are different from whole grains because..?), and sodium (no more salt, gotchya). Oh and don't forget about the SoFAS (never heard of them), they are bad too.
To the everyday consumer, the last part is confusing. It's just words, and they read them and move on without understanding the valuable points that the USDA is running in circles trying to hint at. Which is unfortunate. So I'm going to simplify this last part, just a little.
1. Eat less sugar: Avoid the middle aisles of the grocery store, if you can. They are packed full of "food" which will never fill you up or leave you as satisfied as an apple will. Yes, an apple has natural sugars, but a cookie has added sugars. If you're going to eat sugar, eat whole foods with natural sugars, because at least they (generally) have vitamins, minerals, fiber, and macronutrients, which your body needs.
2. Eat less solid fats, i.e. trans, saturated and hydrogenated. These are all fats that you hear of a lot, and are all really bad for you.
The obvious culprits: butter and margarine, shortening (i.e. crisco), and fats that come from animals.
The not so obvious culprits:
a. The cookie/chips/cracker aisles. Many baked goods such as cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries even crackers contain solid fats as an ingredient. Fats are used to make these "foods" soft, flaky or crispy. Unfortunately for us, the consumer, we can't control the ingredients that go into these processed foods, we can however, control the amount that we eat.
b. Dairy products are actually packed full of "solid fats" this is where the name game gets confusing. Cream is fluid, evaporate the water and you're left with solid fat. Same goes for ice cream, that luscious and rich mouth feel comes from solid fat. These fats are the reason it's important to choose low-fat dairy products, since these options have had some of the fats removed, leaving most of the nutrients intact. Low-fat dairy options have the same nutrients, but less damaging fat.
c. Margarine, just because it's not butter, doesn't necessarily make it healthy. A lot of my clients think that as long as they eat margarine, they can eat as much as they want. Wrong. Yes, it's true that margarine doesn't have cholesterol like butter, but it's often the case that the fat used in making margarine has been partially hydrogenated. Which is tech speak for taking a fat which once was liquid and making it solid, producing a product that can be just as, if not more, damaging than butter. I would say neither are your best choice. If you can, use a small amount of liquid vegetable/nut/seed oil: safflower, olive, sesame, peanut, etc. These liquid oils will actually help your body, where as solid fats will hurt your body.
3. Refined grains are grains, yes, but you don't really know what part of the grain is present in what you're eating. Refined grains have been milled to separate the different components of the kernel, these components are then use however the manufacturer sees fit. In order to get the most nutrients for your money, here are a few tips:
a. Read the ingredients list: If it says whole grain as the first ingredient, it's a healthier option, grain wise.
b. Read the nutrition facts panel: A product made with whole grains should have at least 2 grams of fiber per serving, since grains are full of fiber.
c. Choose "brown" options over "white" for at least 50% of your foods each day. Select brown rice over white rice, whole wheat bread over white bread, etc. This is a good starting place for making a positive change in your diet.
d. Just because it says multi grain, doesn't mean it's good. Food companies use words and phrases that sound healthy to trick the unassuming consumer. Multi grain sounds healthy, but since you have no way of knowing which component of the original grain is being used, you will never be 100% sure that the product is healthy. The different components of whole grains work best in unison, so eating them all at once gives you the most nutrient benefit. Food companies also trick consumers by putting nut/seed pieces in the products, such as on the top of a loaf of bread. But buyer beware, nutritionally speaking, a slice of whole wheat bread is a much healthier option than a slice of multi grain with a couple of seeds on it.
4. Reduce your sodium intake. Lowering the amount of salt that you put on foods is a good first step. Be cautious of the sodium in other food products as well. I've worked for a large food company, the industry doesn't have the magic answer for reducing salt in processed foods while maintaining a desirable flavor. Sodium has numerous functions in the food manufacturing industry: it acts as a preservative, modifies flavor, binds ingredients, enhances color, and serves as a stabilizer. It is used in a lot of different products from sauces and soups to canned foods and bread. It's inevitable that you are going to eat too much if it's in all of your food. Read the ingredients label, if it says sodium, soda or Na, it counts towards your salt intake. An adult should aim to eat less than 1,500 mg of sodium per day. Thats less than 1 tsp per day. Some tips to reduce sodium in your diet: choose fresh or frozen food options instead of canned. Use herbs, spices or lemon to naturally enhance the flavor of foods. Select low-sodium options when available (though even those can have high sodium contents). Your best bet is to read the nutrition facts panel. If you're trying to choose between two products, choose the one with less sodium.
5. SoFAS (added sugars and solid fats) contribute approximately 35 percent of calories to the American diet. That is a huge percent, especially considering that neither of them are healthy foods options. The issue with these foods is that they are largely found in processed foods. And of course they are, they taste delicious and we love them. But we need to keep in mind that these foods should be eaten in moderation, as in as-little-as-possible.
Do your body a favor, try shopping in the outer aisles of the grocery store next time you shop, only enter the middle aisles if you really need to. Allow yourself a little extra time at the grocery store to read nutrition facts labels and ingredient lists, choose options that have lower saturated fats, no trans fats, less sodium and the shortest ingredients lists. Look at the top shelves instead of eye level. Food companies pay big money to have their foods stocked on the middle shelves and a lot of these foods are nutrient void, meaning they don't sufficient nutrients needed to nourish you. Educate yourself on the things you're putting into your body. Don't be the unassuming consumer that food companies count on you to be.
Why the new USDA Dietary Guidelines don't just say any of this information is what is most disappointing. There are too many politics that go in to the American diet. I think I'm done ranting for today.
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