Eating healthy can be harder than you think, thanks to an enterprising food industry that wants us to consume more than we need. That’s because our country’s agricultural system produces twice what most people require - 3,900 calories per person per day - according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. This encourages creative marketing to unload the excess, much of it made with cheap ingredients, having long shelf-lives, and minimal nutritional value - the kinds of "food" with the highest profit margins.
As a nutrition consultant, I know that words such as “low fat,†“high fiber,†“multigrain†and “natural†can fool even the most sophisticated customers into believing what they’re buying is healthful. In fact,  food industry-funded market research indicates this.
What can you do? First, make a habit of reading the ingredients list, not just the Nutrition Facts panel. And remember the following products worth resisting...
Reduced-fat peanut butter
The oil is the healthiest part of a nut,* containing most of the nutrients, so there’s no advantage to taking it out. In fact, it’s worse because it robs the peanut butter of its health benefits. “Reduced-fat peanut butter has as many calories and more sugar than the regular,†says Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Instead:Â Buy regular peanut butter. Eating one or two ounces of nuts daily is associated with reductions in heart disease and cancer risk. A recent Harvard study showed that eating nuts is associated with lower body weights.
Enhanced water
Drinks such as Vitaminwater are essentially sugary drinks with a vitamin pill. They are “unequivocally harmful to health,†says Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard’s School of Public Health. “Whether vitamins dissolved in water have any benefit will depend on who you are and whether you are already getting enough. . . . Some people may be getting too much of some vitamins and minerals if they add vitamin water on top of fortified foods and other supplements.†A recent Iowa Women’s Health Study found an association between certain commonly used vitamin and mineral supplements and increased death rates.
Instead: Drink water, ideally from the tap (“Eau du Potomac,†as it’s known locally). It’s the best drink for hydrating your body, is naturally calorie-free and contains fluoride to prevent tooth decay. No supplement matches the nutrients in whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains.
Energy bars
More details ...
No comments:
Post a Comment