A poor diet can have too much food or not enough food or too many bad foods or not enough good foods. The U.S. Department of Agriculture as well as health-related organizations like the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society have guidelines that can help you avoid eating a poor diet. Failing to meet dietary guidelines can increase your risk of premature death as well as many major and minor diseases, according to "Essentials for Health and Wellness."
Significance
Poor diets can increase your risk of numerous cancers, gastrointestinal diseases, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and tooth decay, according to "Essentials," a college textbook. Diets with too much cholesterol and fats are poor because they can cause obesity and heart disease. Diets with too much meat can cause colon cancer. Diets with too little fiber can cause intestinal problems. Diets with too much salt can raise blood pressure. Diets with too much sugar can harm your teeth.
Requirements
Very low-calorie diets don't provide the energy required for daily activities. They can cause your blood pressure to dive, make you dizzy and light-headed, and slow your metabolism so much that losing weight becomes more difficult, according to "An Invitation to Health." Each day the average woman and man need to eat about 1,100 and 1,300 calories, respectively, "to keep the body alive," according to "Essentials." The average woman should eat between 1,900 and 2,200 calories daily, and the average man should eat between 2,300 and 2,900, reports "Invitation."
Guidelines
Labels with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's dietary guidelines can help you avoid a poor diet. People eating 2,000 calories daily should eat fewer than 65 g of fat and 20 g of saturated fat, fewer than 300 mg of cholesterol and 2,400 mg of sodium, and at least 300 g of carbohydrates and 25 g of fiber. People eating 2,500 calories daily should eat fewer than 80 g of fat and 25 g of saturated fat, fewer than 300 mg of cholesterol and 2,400 mg of sodium, and at least 375 g of carbohydrates and 30 g of fiber.
Recommendations
Eating more beans, fruits, grains and vegetables enables you to limit cholesterol, fat, saturated fat and sodium, while maximizing your intake of carbohydrates and fiber. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends individualized food pyramids based on its older food guide pyramid, which recommends eating six to 11 servings of the bread, cereal, rice and pasta group daily as well as three to five servings of vegetables, two to four servings of fruits, two to three servings of the dairy group, and the meat and beans group.
Minerals and Vitamins
Poor diets lack minerals and vitamins that improve your health. Vitamin E, for example, "lowered the risk of heart attacks and strokes by 40 to 60 percent," according to "Invitation." Green and leafy vegetables and whole-grain products have a lot of vitamin E. Vitamin C, folic acid, calcium and iron are also crucial. You can eat citrus fruits, cabbage, cantaloupe, strawberries, lettuce and tomatoes for vitamin C; leafy green vegetables, bread and pasta for folic acid; milk, broccoli and dried beans for calcium; and cereal, beans, raisins and spinach for iron.
References
- "Essentials for Health and Wellness"; Gordon Edlin, Eric Golanty, Kelli McCormack Brown; 2000
- "An Invitation to Health"; Dianne Hales; 2003
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Steps to a Healthier You
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Inside the Pyramid
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: MyPyramid Plan
