Nutrition - Eating for Life
Chapter 9. Staying Well

The old saying "You are what you eat" seems to be more true now than ever before. Eating right plays a pivotal role in good health and in disease prevention. The foods you "chews" can help lower your risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain cancers.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have stated what defines eating well in their "Dietary Guidelines for Americans."

These guidelines cover the most up-to-date advice from nutrition scientists and are the basis of federal nutrition policy.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Eat a variety of foods. To make sure you get all of the nutrients and other substances needed for health, choose therecommended number of daily servings from each of the 5 major food groups displayed in the Food Guide Pyramid. (See the Food Guide Pyramid.) Vary your choices from each of the food groups.

Balance the food you eat with physical activity - maintain or improve your weight. Many Americans gain weight in adulthood, increasing their risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, certain types of cancer, arthritis, breathing problems, and other illnesses. Therefore, most adults should not gain weight. If you are overweight and have one of these problems, you should try to lose weight, or at the very least, not gain weight.

Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables, and fruits. These foods provide needed vitamins, minerals, complex carbohydrates (starch and dietary fiber), and other substances that are important for good health. They are also generally low in fat, depending on how they are prepared and what is added to them at the table.

Choose a diet low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. High levels of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet are linked to increased blood cholesterol levels and a greater risk for heart disease. Also, fat contains over twice the calories of an equal amount of carbohydrate or protein. A diet low in fat can help you maintain a healthy weight.

Choose a diet moderate in sugars. Because maintaining a nutritious diet and a healthy weight is very important, sugars should be used in moderation by most healthy people and sparingly by people with low calorie needs. Avoid eating sugars in large amounts and frequent snacks of foods and beverages containing sugars that supply unnecessary calories and few nutrients.

Choose a diet moderate in salt and sodium. A high salt intake is associated with higher blood pressure. Most evidence suggests that many people at risk for high blood pressure reduce their chances of developing this condition by consuming less salt.

If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. Moderation is defined as no more than 1 drink per day for women and no more than 2 drinks per day for men. When you drink alcoholic beverages, do so with meals, and when consumption does not put you or others at risk.

What is the Food Guide Pyramid?
An easy way to follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is to choose foods daily, using the Food Guide Pyramid. The pyramids of Egypt have withstood the passage of time. Likewise, the Food Guide Pyramid can be used throughout a lifetime as a good foundation of what Americans should eat every day. It is not a rigid prescription but a general guide that lets you choose a healthful diet that's right for you and members of your family.

The pyramid calls for eating a variety of foods from each group to get the nutrients you need. At the same time, you can get the right amount of calories (and grams of fat) you need to lose or gain weight or maintain a healthy weight by adjusting the number of servings you eat from each group.

What Counts as a Serving?
Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta Group
1 slice of bread
1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal
1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta
Vegetable Group
1 cup of raw, leafy vegetables
1/2 cup of other vegetables - cooked or chopped raw
3/4 cup of vegetable juice
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group
2-3 ounces of cooked, lean meat, poultry or fish
1/2 cup of cooked dry beans or 1 egg counts as 1 ounce of lean meat. Two
tablespoons of peanut butter or 1/3 cup of nuts count as 1 ounce of meat.
Fruit Group
1 medium apple, banana, or orange
1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit
3/4 cup of fruit juice
Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Group
1 cup of milk or yogurt
1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese
2 ounces of processed cheese

FYI - Key Nutrition Issues
Balance is the key. Know what to say yes to, what to moderate, and what to go easy on. Say yes to 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day to get vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and anticancer substances.

Say Yes to Dietary Fiber
Dietary fiber comes from plant foods only. (The part that goes undigested and unabsorbed.) Animal foods have no fiber. Aim to get between 20 and 35 grams of dietary fiber per day. Food labels list the grams of dietary fiber per serving. Read them.

Say Yes to Calcium
Why? It is needed to strengthen bones and teeth, to help guard against osteoporosis, and to help your heart beat, your blood clot, your muscles flex, and your nerves react. Health experts recommend 1000-1500 milligrams of calcium a day for adults. Good food sources are:
Milk, yogurt, cheese (choose nonfat and low-fat ones)
Broccoli, collard greens, kale, spinach
Legumes, dried beans and peas
Tofu (if calcium is used in processing)
Salmon, sardines (with bones)
Calcium-fortified juices, cereals, breads, etc.

Use Sugar, Salt, Sodium, and Alcohol in Moderation
Sugar - Many foods that contain large amounts supply calories, are limited in nutrients, and can contribute to tooth decay.
Salt and sodium - Most Americans eat more salt and sodium than they need. (Salt contains 40% sodium, 60% chloride.) The recommended amount of sodium is 2400-3000 milligrams per day.
Alcohol - Moderate use means no more than 1-2 drinks per day, 1 per day for women, 2 per day for men. 1 drink = 12 oz. regular beer, 4-5 oz. wine, 1-1/2 oz. distilled spirits (80 proof). {Note: Women who are trying to conceive or are pregnant should not drink alcoholic beverages.}

Say No to Too Much Fat
Why? Populations with diets high in fat have more obesity and certain types of cancer (breast, colon, prostate). How much is too much? It is recommended that you get less than 30% of total calories from fat.

To figure out how to get less than 30% of calories from fat:
Take 30% of total calories.
Example: .30 x 1200 calories = 360 calories.
Divide the answer by 9 calories/gram (fat contains 9 calories per gram) to get the upper limit of grams of fat per day.
Example: 360 calories ÷ 9 calories/gram of fat = 40 grams of fat. 

Read food labels to find out how many grams of fat a food item contains per serving.

Say No to Saturated Fat
Why? Saturated fat raises blood cholesterol more than anything else in the diet. Saturated fats are generally solid at room temperature. Examples of foods that are high in saturated fat:
Coconut oil
Animal fats
Dairy foods with fat
Palm oil
Cocoa butter

Say No to Too Much Dietary Cholesterol
Why? Dietary cholesterol in excess can contribute to hardening of the arteries.

About Cholesterol
Cholesterol is an odorless, white, waxy substance. Cholesterol is made only by animals. It is present in every cell in all parts of the body, including the brain and nervous system, muscle, skin, liver, intestines, heart, and skeleton. There are 2 sources of cholesterol: The cholesterol our body makes (mostly in the liver) and the cholesterol that is found in animal foods (dietary cholesterol). Plant foods have no cholesterol. Examples of foods with cholesterol are:
Organ meats, such as liver and kidneys
Eggs yolks, meats, poultry, and fish
Dairy products that contain fat

It is recommended that we eat no more than 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol per day. Your blood cholesterol can be measured using a blood sample taken from your finger or arm. The U.S. government has established the following guidelines for individuals:
Total blood cholesterol
Less than 200 mg/dl...................Desirable
200-239 mg/dl.................Borderline High
More than 240 mg/dl........................High

A fasting blood test is not needed to measure total blood cholesterol. A fasting blood test will reveal a more complete "cholesterol profile". It will give measurements of types of lipoproteins - "packages" in which cholesterol travels in the blood. Two types of lipoproteins of interest are:

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) - carry most of the cholesterol in the blood. LDLs deposit cholesterol in the artery walls. They are called "bad cholesterol."

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) - contain a small amount of cholesterol. HDLs help remove cholesterol from the blood. They are called "good cholesterol."

A high LDL-cholesterol level and/or a low HDL-cholesterol level increases your risk for coronary heart disease.. The following guidelines are used today:
LDL-cholesterol
Less than 130 mg/dl...................Desirable
130-159 mg/dl.................Borderline High
More than 160 mg/dl........................High

HDL-cholesterol
Less than 35 mg/dl....................High Risk
More than 55 mg/dl...................Low Risk

Some health care experts use a ratio of total cholesterol divided by HDL-cholesterol to determine risk for heart disease as follows:
Total cholesterol / HDL (ratio)
More than 6.0...........................High Risk
Less than 4.0............................Low Risk

About Triglycerides
Triglycerides are fatlike substances carried through the bloodstream to the tissues. The bulk of the body's fat tissue is in the form of triglycerides, stored for later use as energy. We get triglycerides from the fat in our foods, both animal and plant sources. Normal fasting blood triglyceride levels range from 40-160 mg/dl. They are thought to be elevated if fasting levels are over 250 mg/dl. To lower elevated triglycerides, do the following:
Lose weight if you are overweight.
Exercise regularly; eat a low-fat diet.
Limit alcohol, sugar, and foods with sugar

{Note: Some people may need medicine to help lower cholesterol and/or triglycerides in addition to dietary measures. Check with your doctor.}

HEALTH AT HOME - Your Complete Guide to Symptoms, Solutions, and Self-Care © 1999 by Don R. Powell. American Institute for Preventive Medicine. 

Return to Menu

Date updated 04/20/99