- Some foods contain very little
nutritional value or have ingredients that can cause disease. Eating healthy doesn't mean
giving up all sweets, salt, and snacks. It means eating such foods in moderation. The
foods and food ingredients you need to limit include fat, cholesterol, sodium, alcohol,
and sugar.
Eating foods high in cholesterol and saturated fat
can cause atherosclerosis (narrowing of blood vessels from buildup of fatty deposits).
This is critical for everyone but especially important if you have a family history of
high cholesterol levels or diabetes. Atherosclerosis can lead to heart disease and
strokes. Cholesterol is a substance found in animal products such as meat, eggs, dairy
products, and baked goods made with eggs and milk. Vegetables do not contain cholesterol.
Of the various types of fats, saturated fats are the
least healthy. They tend to increase the level of cholesterol in your blood. In fact, the
amount of saturated fat in food is at least as important as the amount of cholesterol.
Foods labeled "No Cholesterol" sometimes contain high saturated fat. Saturated
fats are generally solid at room temperature. Foods that contain saturated fat include
butter, cheese, margarine, shortening, tropical oils such as coconut and palm oil, and the
fats in meat and poultry skin.
To reduce the saturated fat in your diet, limit the
amount of butter and margarine you eat. Drink nonfat or low-fat milk. Choose lean cuts of
meat and take the skin off poultry before you eat it. If you use cooking oil, avoid
tropical oils such as palm or coconut oil as well as peanut oil. Better oils to use are
sunflower, canola, soy, or olive oil.
| Sodium, one of the ingredients in table
salt, can contribute to high blood pressure if it is eaten in excess. Sodium is found in
many foods, not just in table salt. Fast foods usually contain high amounts of sodium. An
average healthy person should have no more than 2400 mg (milligrams) of sodium a day and
no less than 500 mg a day. Read the labels on food packaging to check how much sodium is
in the food. The following chart shows some examples: Approximate
- Food
- Big Mac or Whopper
- Bread (2 slices)
- Cheese, cheddar (1.5 oz)
- Fruit (1)
- Milk (1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon of salt
|
- mg of Sodium
- 1000
- 200 to 600
- 300
- 2 to 5
- 120
- 2100
|
|
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- On food labels, "low sodium"
means each serving contains less than 140 mg of sodium. "Moderate sodium" is 140
to 400 mg per serving. "High sodium" is more than 400 mg of sodium per serving.
Excess alcohol consumption can lead to weight gain, liver disease,
brain damage, and other disorders. Women should have no more than one drink a day. Men
should not have more than two drinks a day. A drink equals about 5 ounces of wine, one can
of beer, or one ounce of distilled spirits.
Sugar and foods that contain a lot of sugar supply a
large number of calories but very little nutrition. Sugar also causes tooth decay.
- Proteins
- Proteins form the basic structure of body tissue and
organs. The body uses proteins for growth and repair of cells. Proteins are found in eggs,
milk, cheese, tofu, nuts, meat, fish, poultry, dried beans, split peas, and lentils. About
15% of your daily calories should come from protein.
|
- Carbohydrates
- Carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy.
Carbohydrates are found in potatoes, bread, cereals, grains, pasta, milk, yogurt,
vegetables, and fruit. They should make up at least half of your daily calories.
|
- Fats
- Fats provide energy and are used for growth and
repair of tissues. They are found in olives, nuts, cheese, meat, fish, poultry, butter,
oils, avocado, and mayonnaise. Saturated fats are less healthy than polyunsaturated and
monounsaturated fats. Saturated fats are found mostly in butter, margarine, meat, cheese,
poultry with skin, tropical oils, and whole-milk dairy products. Monounsaturated fats are
found in olive oil, canola oil, and avocados. Polyunsaturated fats are found in fish and
some vegetable oils. Fats should contribute no more than 30% of your daily calories. Only
10% of the fat you eat should be saturated fat. There are nine calories in a gram of fat.
So, to calculate the maximum grams of fat you should eat each day, use these formulas:
- Multiply the maximum number of calories you should
eat in a day by 0.30 (30%) to calculate the maximum number of calories you should get from
fat.
-
- Number of calories a day x 0.30 = Number of calories
from fat in a day
- Divide the daily number of calories from fat (the
answer from the calculation above) by 9 to find the maximum number of grams of fat you
should eat each day.
- Number of calories from fat / 9 = Number of fat grams
a day
- For example, if you need 1800 calories per day, no
more than 30% of those calories should come from fat: 1800 x 0.30 = 540 calories from fat.
Divide 540 by 9 to find out the maximum number of grams of fat you should consume each
day: 540/9 = 60 grams of fat.
|
- Fiber
- Fiber is found in plants and is not digested by the
body. It provides what is considered "bulk," which is used by the large
intestine to help remove waste through bowel movements. Lack of fiber in your diet can
worsen intestinal problems, such as constipation. Fruit, vegetables, bran, whole grains,
and cereals are good sources of fiber. It is recommended that you get 20 to 35 grams of
fiber a day. A diet high in fiber may help reduce your cholesterol levels.
|
- Vitamins and Minerals
- Vitamins are important nutrients that help to
regulate metabolism and help the brain, nerves, muscles, skin, and bones function
properly. The major vitamins are A, B, C, D, E, K, B-12, and seven B complex vitamins.
Minerals are necessary in very small amounts for the body to function properly. For
example, calcium is necessary for healthy teeth and bones, and zinc and magnesium are
needed to control cell metabolism. Iron is important for healthy blood and many chemical
reactions in your body. Vitamins and minerals are found in many foods, especially milk,
cheese, green leafy vegetables, fish, meat, and poultry. They are also added to milk and
cereal.
|
- Water
- Water is necessary to replace the fluid your body
loses every day when you breathe, go to the bathroom, and sweat. You should drink six to
eight glasses of water or other liquids (including soups and other beverages) every day.
|
| Bake or broil food
instead of frying it. |
| Don't eat more than
four egg yolks a week. Egg whites are healthy, but egg yolks are not. |
| Have a green leafy
salad at least once a day. (Leaf lettuces and spinach are much more nutritious than
iceberg lettuce.) Use oily dressings sparingly on the salads or try nonfat dressings. |
| Eat fresh foods
instead of canned foods. |
| Eat more whole-grain
products. |
| Cook vegetables only
slightly or eat them raw. |
| Limit the amount of
red meat you eat; eat more fish. |
| Remove the skin from
poultry before eating it. |
| Limit fat,
cholesterol, sugar, alcohol, salt, and caffeine in your diet. |
| Avoid pre-prepared
foods as much as possible. |
| Limit dining at fast
food restaurants. If you do dine there, leave off the bacon, cheese, sour cream,
mayonnaise, and fatty salad dressings. Order broiled instead of fried items. |
