Whether you want to stay updated on the latest nutritional research or you're ready to change your daily diet for the better, one very easy step to remember is to eat more whole foods. "Whole foods" refers to any food that's either completely unprocessed or barely refined at all and has no additives. The typical American generally eats too few whole foods on a daily basis. The result is less than optimal health. The good news is you don't have to overhaul your entire diet to reap the rewards of better nutrition and health.
Problems and Prevalence of Processed Foods
Rates of obesity in the United States have increased dramatically since the 1990s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Beyond physical appearances, obesity is directly linked to cardiovascular disease, cancers, and type 2 diabetes. The reasons for the rise in obesity are complex, but one factor to examine is the kind of foods Americans are eating. The News21 project, The Ration, is a collaboration of universities exploring food and health. News21 Fellow, Andrea Jezovit, used data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create a striking image illustrating the change in American eating habits since 1970. The categories of "added sugar" and "added fat" became increasingly more prevalent in the diet. Processed and refined foods rely heavily on additives like sugars and fats. One particularly pervasive culprit is high-fructose corn syrup. In an analysis of Jezovit's interactive diagram of "average daily calories available per capita," Tom Philpott reports Americans get 10 percent of their overall calories from corn syrup.
The Problem With Corn Syrup
Jennifer K. Nelson, M.S., R.D., L.D., calls high-fructose corn syrup "ubiquitous" in the American diet. The sweetener is the most common additive in processed foods and drinks. At one point, dietary studies pointed to fructose being worse for your body than glucose. Eventually research evolved and it now appears that the real nutritional problem is sweeteners and their prevalence in general. Mayo Clinic's Nelson says the American Heart Association recommends women consume no more than 100 calories a day -- or 6 tsp. -- from added sugar, and for men, that number is 150 calories, or 9 tsp.
The Problem With Refined Grains
Processing any grain, for example, from raw rice into white rice, inherently involves methods that strip away vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber from the grain. While these refined grains are then enriched -- a manufacturing process that puts some nutrients back into the grain -- the resulting product still is not as nutritious as the original. Also, many processed grains contain additional sugars and fats that are left out of whole grains.
Information and Best Intentions
There's so much nutrition information available to the average person now, most Americans have some idea of what it means to "eat healthy." But wading through all that information is challenging and may lead to confusion for most food consumers. A national survey conducted by Consumer Reports in November 2010 revealed that 90 percent of American adults report their diet is healthy, but the food-by-food details say otherwise. Survey respondents also reported on their height and weight, which were used to reach individual body mass index, or BMI numbers, and about one in three people who thought they were at a healthy weight were in fact overweight. Still, a majority said they try to eat right. Indeed, most reported they usually choose whole grains over refined carbohydrates, eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, and limit sugar and fat.
Practice Good Nutrition Intentions
The trick isn't what people know or don't know -- it's putting those best intentions into practice. Chances are good you're not going to know how many teaspoons or calories of additives are in your daily diet, unless your physician has prescribed a restrictive diet with a very specific menu. If you stick with whole foods every day, you can rest assured that your diet will be closer to additive-free and healthier overall. For example, Mayo Clinic's dietitian Nelson and others say you can reduce your sugar intake by simply skipping sodas and sugary cereals altogether and cutting back on packaged foods like cookies and microwave meals.
Healthy, Whole, Every Day
The basic recommendations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for an adult's daily diet are simple: up to 6 oz. whole grains, 5 cups of fruits and vegetables, and 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free dairy. Protein from animal sources is now viewed as necessary but almost supplemental in the amount recommended: only 10 to 35 percent of your total daily calories, which amounts to about 50 to 175 g. You can boost that amount in a more healthful way by choosing lean meats, like fish and poultry, and eating more plant proteins like beans, lentils and soy.
Whole Grains
The term "whole grains" is frequently used in product marketing, but the American Dietetic Association lists common whole grains as brown rice, buckwheat, bulgur or cracked wheat, oatmeal, popcorn and wild rice. Barley, cornmeal, and rye may or may not be whole -- check the label. To add variety to your menu, try recipes that incorporate unusual whole grains like amaranth, millet and quinoa.
Fruits and Vegetables
Americans don't always get enough nutrients from fruits and vegetables. The USDA lists folate, magnesium, potassium, dietary fiber, and vitamins A, C, and K as nutrients that are lacking in the typical diet. Besides being linked to reduced chronic disease incidence, unprocessed fruits and vegetables are both low in calorie and satisfying. Research reflects this fact by linking fruit and veggie intake with weight control. The USDA recommendations specify that fruit juice cannot replace the nutrition of whole fruit, even if that fruit is canned, frozen or dried.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: U.S. Obesity Trends
- Civil Eats: Where Do Americans Get Their Calories? (Infographic)
- Grist: Industrial Agriculture: The American diet in one chart, with lots of fats and sugars
- Mayo Clinic: What are the health concerns about high-fructose corn syrup?
- Slate: Dark Sugar: The decline and fall of high-fructose corn syrup.
- Consumer Reports Health.org: Are We Fooling Ourselves?
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