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Good
News About Health
Ray Buser, R.Ph.
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DIET
The third
key to good health is to supply the body with nutrients through proper
diet and nutritional supplements. There are many important concepts behind
a high quality, healthful diet. Five of these concepts are:
1. Eat only small amounts of foods that contain large amounts of simple
carbohydrates (sugar, sucrose, and fructose) such as candy, desserts and
sweet snack foods.
2. Eat multiple servings of vegetables and one or two servings of fruit
each day, especially in their fresh uncooked forms.
3. Eat whole grain products for a good source of fiber and healthy carbohydrates.
4. Eating bad fats (trans fats) is very harmful.
5. Eating good fats is essential.
Fat is one of the three macronutrients in the diet that provides the energy
(calories) for cellular function and life. The quality of fat is the key
to its beneficial effects. It is well accepted that good fats are those
found in deep sea fish, olive oil, coconut oil, rice bran oil, nuts and
nut butter spreads. These good fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated
fats. Contrary to what we have been led to believe, saturated animal fat
found in fresh meat, whole milk, and butter is also good for our health
and wellness. All of these good fats play a role in building healthy cell
membranes, production of hormones and various other functions throughout
the body. The body can recognize and use these molecules to benefit our
health. Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat that is
essential to the diet for good health and are described later in this
article.
It is most important to avoid consumption of the worst fats (hydrogenated
or trans fats). These fats are commonly found in most commercial vegetable
oils and margarines and in fried foods available in restaurants and fast
food establishments (French fries, onion rings, fried chicken, etc.).
Items such as donuts, high fat desserts and prepackaged snack foods often
contain these bad hydrogenated fats. Real butter from dairy fat that is
high in saturated fats is a much better alternative to margarines that
contain hydrogenated fats. Nut butters that do not contain hydrogenated
trans fats are also a good choice for spreads. For cooking, use virgin
olive oil, coconut oil, rice bran oil, real butter, or fresh lard. A healthful
diet can include between 20 and 40 percent of its average daily calories
in good fat. Therefore, for most people it is not necessary to carefully
control the amount of fats eaten, but rather carefully control the quality
of fats eaten. It is very
important, however, to be aware that fats contain a high amount of
calories and that consuming more calories than are burned (used for
energy) each day will lead to weight gain and, therefore, to health
problems.
Carbohydrates are the second type of macronutrient essential as a source
of energy for our bodies. Although the quantity of carbohydrates consumed
in our diets is important, the type (or quality) may be more important
for most Americans. Eating the right kinds of carbohydrates found in unprocessed
grains and vegetables is comparable to maintaining an appropriate weight
and eating the right kind of fats in the foundation of a healthy diet.
Carbohydrates can be described in three main categories: sugars, starches,
and fiber. Sugars provide us with energy (calories) in a manner that causes
a rapid and sizeable increase in our blood sugar level. Our body responds
by releasing a large amount of insulin to lower the elevated blood sugar
level. These large fluctuations in blood sugar levels often lead to weight
gain and are a contributor to the disease diabetes, which causes many
harmful effects on various parts and systems of the body.
Starches are more complex carbohydrates found in vegetables and grains
that the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) breaks down over time and which
provide sugars that are more slowly absorbed into the blood stream to
be used for energy. This slower provision of sugar does not cause the
rapid and substantial changes in blood sugar level that is caused by eating
sugars and thus avoids much of the associated insulin level fluctuations, diabetes tendencies,
and other health complications.
The third type of carbohydrate, fiber, is a complex form of carbohydrate
that is present in varying types and amounts in whole grains, vegetables,
and fruits. The GI tract does not use fiber to produce sugar and energy,
but uses it to provide bulk and consistency to the stool as part of the
body’s method of eliminating toxins and waste products of food digestion.
Therefore, it is best for our health to reduce the amount of foods eaten
that are high in sugars and simple carbohydrates such as candy, sweets,
fruit juices, and highly processed foods such as white bread, white flour,
most snack foods and premixed baked goods. Carbohydrate calories should
be provided by foods that are higher in complex carbohydrates such as
whole grains, vegetables and fruits.
The third and final macronutrient that is needed in our diet is protein.
The foods that provide protein are meat, fish, eggs, whole grains, dairy
foods (milk and cheese), beans, and nuts. Protein is needed in the diet
so that it can be digested into the building blocks (amino acids) needed
for the body to build its own set of thousands of different proteins.
The body builds these proteins to provide the essential components of
hair, skin, muscles, blood hemoglobin, and many required enzymes. Protein
should provide 15% to 25% of the calories in our diet. Higher protein
diets should be avoided by people with poor liver, kidney, or digestive
function and may also lead to calcium loss from bones (osteoporosis).
To summarize the important concepts of a healthy diet, it is not nearly
as important to count calories and the quantity of fats, carbohydrates,
and protein as it is to consider the quality of these macronutrients that
are eaten. The avoidance of low quality or harmful foods and the consumption
of a wide variety of good foods are the important dietary concepts that
most people need to be concerned about to assist in good health. It is, however, important to
realize that becoming overweight is harmful to health and requires the
reduction of total calories consumed and/or the increase of calories
burned through physical activity or exercise. We have
included the following summary of important food advice entitled “Helpful
Tips for Healthy Eating”.
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Copyright
© 2002 Advance Health
The information
presented in this document and the associated Web site is not meant to
be used in place of more specific personal advice from a healthcare professional.
In addition, please note that this information hasbeen simplified and
summarized for ease of understanding.
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