I believe in evidence based medicine to make recommendations on what's truly considered "healthy."
I also use the dietary guidelines by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services to focus on the specific dietary issues that we face in the USA. Click here to view the new guidelines.
My overall recommendations are in line with these guidelines and include the following:
1) Limit added sugar to <10% of your total daily calories
This is very important considering how much added sugars we as Americans take in. Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared. Decreasing added sugars means we have to start looking at the nutrition labels of all the foods we eat. There's a ton of "secret" or "hidden"added sugars in different items that you would never guess - things from cereal to pasta sauce! Many researchers have suggested that "added sugars" can have independently bad outcomes on health (heart disease, diabetes, obesity) when compared to "natural sugars:" i.e. the sugars in milk, fruit,vegetables, grains, etc. I will blog on this separately soon!
2. Incorporate more healthy eating patterns (how we eat, think, and relate to food)
See below for my take on what this means
Continued recommendations include:
3. The recommended amount of vegetables in the Healthy U.S.-Style Eating Pattern at the 2,000-calorie level is 2½ cup-equivalents of vegetables per day
4. Consume less than 10 percent of calories per day from saturated fats
5. Consume less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day of sodium
6. Recommended daily intake of whole grains is to be at least half of total grain consumption, and the limit for refined grains is to be no more than half of total grain consumption.
7. If alcohol is consumed, it should be consumed in moderation—up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men—and only by adults of legal drinking age.
You might be wondering what "healthy eating patterns" mean exactly?
Think about when you are hungry or have a craving -- you always make a conscious decision (whether right or wrong) of what goes into your mouth. The right decision is made by keeping in mind your caloric intake (or restriction if you are following a restricted diet) & need for nutrients (vitamins, minerals, number of servings to maintain a balanced diet).
A healthy eating pattern would mean choosing the right food which is healthy for you, and avoiding the foods that you know are "bad".
Much of understanding and utilizing "healthy eating patterns" comes from educating yourself on nutrition and what foods are considered "good" or "bad".
I will try to help with some of the very basics!
Our food groups consist of:
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Grains
- Dairy
- Protein
- Fats
Think of the food pyramid:
In each category there are "good" and "bad" options for you. One way of changing your eating pattern and behavior would mean picking the "good" options, and limiting those which you know are "bad".
The "bad" and "good" foods in each category also depends on your underlying medical issues! I.e. Diabetics have a certain diet where too many carbs are "bad", dialysis patients have a certain diet where too much protein is "bad", etc. So if you have any underlying medical condition you should ask your MD about the best diet for you.
I will share with you some of the good and the bad foods in each category....
Vegetables:
Good options: All fresh, frozen, canned, and dried options in cooked or raw forms
Bad options: French fries, potato chips, vegetable chips/straws, tortilla chips, popcorn
Fruits:
Good options: Whole fruits raw, cooked, canned (be aware of the canned fruits with fruit juice added), frozen, and dried
Bad options: Fruit juice, fruit candies, smoothies bought in bottles, breakfast bars with fruit flavoring or filling, blueberry pie
Grains:
Good options: Whole grains that are not enriched or refined
Bad options: Sugary cereals (most kids cereals are loaded with sugars even though some have grains), bagels, doughnuts, biscuits, bran muffins, oatmeal cookies, beer, whole wheat tortilla chips, crackers
Dairy:
Good options: Milk or dairy products (yogurt, cheese, etc.) that is made from fat-free or low-fat milk, soymilk, almond milk
Bad options: Ice cream, Indian sweets made from cheese (!), cheesecake, pizza, alfredo sauce
Protein:
Good options: Lean meats like chicken and fish, nuts (cooked or raw), legumes (beans, peas and lentils), tofu, eggs
Bad options: Processed meat (lunch meats), sausage, bratwurst, hot dogs, bacon, fried chicken, breaded fish sticks, breaded chicken cutlets
Fats:
Good options: Choose oils with monounsaturated fats (olive, sesame, canola, peanut, safflower oils) and polyunsaturated fats (soybean, corn, sunflower oils & fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, trout)
Bad: Solid fats (named so because they are solid at room temperature and high in saturated fats) like butter, stick margarine, shortening, lard, coconut oil, trans fats like margarine, doughnuts, cookies, frozen pizza, most fast food items, pie crusts, etc.
I will blog more on each of these food groups and discuss how Americans are doing with their eating habits and what we can do better!
Please feel free to ask any questions! Email me at DoctorDeenaMD@gmail.com or ask/follow me on Twitter/Instagram @Doctor_Deena
**PLEASE REMEMBER IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND/OR BEFORE STARTING OR STOPPING ANY TREATMENT OR ACTING UPON INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE, YOU SHOULD CONTACT YOUR OWN PHYSICIAN OR HEALTH-CARE PROVIDER**
I also use the dietary guidelines by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services to focus on the specific dietary issues that we face in the USA. Click here to view the new guidelines.
My overall recommendations are in line with these guidelines and include the following:
1) Limit added sugar to <10% of your total daily calories
This is very important considering how much added sugars we as Americans take in. Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared. Decreasing added sugars means we have to start looking at the nutrition labels of all the foods we eat. There's a ton of "secret" or "hidden"added sugars in different items that you would never guess - things from cereal to pasta sauce! Many researchers have suggested that "added sugars" can have independently bad outcomes on health (heart disease, diabetes, obesity) when compared to "natural sugars:" i.e. the sugars in milk, fruit,vegetables, grains, etc. I will blog on this separately soon!
2. Incorporate more healthy eating patterns (how we eat, think, and relate to food)
See below for my take on what this means
Continued recommendations include:
3. The recommended amount of vegetables in the Healthy U.S.-Style Eating Pattern at the 2,000-calorie level is 2½ cup-equivalents of vegetables per day
4. Consume less than 10 percent of calories per day from saturated fats
5. Consume less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day of sodium
6. Recommended daily intake of whole grains is to be at least half of total grain consumption, and the limit for refined grains is to be no more than half of total grain consumption.
7. If alcohol is consumed, it should be consumed in moderation—up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men—and only by adults of legal drinking age.
You might be wondering what "healthy eating patterns" mean exactly?
Think about when you are hungry or have a craving -- you always make a conscious decision (whether right or wrong) of what goes into your mouth. The right decision is made by keeping in mind your caloric intake (or restriction if you are following a restricted diet) & need for nutrients (vitamins, minerals, number of servings to maintain a balanced diet).
A healthy eating pattern would mean choosing the right food which is healthy for you, and avoiding the foods that you know are "bad".
Much of understanding and utilizing "healthy eating patterns" comes from educating yourself on nutrition and what foods are considered "good" or "bad".
I will try to help with some of the very basics!
Our food groups consist of:
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Grains
- Dairy
- Protein
- Fats
Think of the food pyramid:
In each category there are "good" and "bad" options for you. One way of changing your eating pattern and behavior would mean picking the "good" options, and limiting those which you know are "bad".
The "bad" and "good" foods in each category also depends on your underlying medical issues! I.e. Diabetics have a certain diet where too many carbs are "bad", dialysis patients have a certain diet where too much protein is "bad", etc. So if you have any underlying medical condition you should ask your MD about the best diet for you.
I will share with you some of the good and the bad foods in each category....
Vegetables:
Good options: All fresh, frozen, canned, and dried options in cooked or raw forms
Bad options: French fries, potato chips, vegetable chips/straws, tortilla chips, popcorn
Fruits:
Good options: Whole fruits raw, cooked, canned (be aware of the canned fruits with fruit juice added), frozen, and dried
Bad options: Fruit juice, fruit candies, smoothies bought in bottles, breakfast bars with fruit flavoring or filling, blueberry pie
Grains:
Good options: Whole grains that are not enriched or refined
Bad options: Sugary cereals (most kids cereals are loaded with sugars even though some have grains), bagels, doughnuts, biscuits, bran muffins, oatmeal cookies, beer, whole wheat tortilla chips, crackers
Dairy:
Good options: Milk or dairy products (yogurt, cheese, etc.) that is made from fat-free or low-fat milk, soymilk, almond milk
Bad options: Ice cream, Indian sweets made from cheese (!), cheesecake, pizza, alfredo sauce
Protein:
Good options: Lean meats like chicken and fish, nuts (cooked or raw), legumes (beans, peas and lentils), tofu, eggs
Bad options: Processed meat (lunch meats), sausage, bratwurst, hot dogs, bacon, fried chicken, breaded fish sticks, breaded chicken cutlets
Fats:
Good options: Choose oils with monounsaturated fats (olive, sesame, canola, peanut, safflower oils) and polyunsaturated fats (soybean, corn, sunflower oils & fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring, trout)
Bad: Solid fats (named so because they are solid at room temperature and high in saturated fats) like butter, stick margarine, shortening, lard, coconut oil, trans fats like margarine, doughnuts, cookies, frozen pizza, most fast food items, pie crusts, etc.
I will blog more on each of these food groups and discuss how Americans are doing with their eating habits and what we can do better!
Please feel free to ask any questions! Email me at DoctorDeenaMD@gmail.com or ask/follow me on Twitter/Instagram @Doctor_Deena
**PLEASE REMEMBER IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND/OR BEFORE STARTING OR STOPPING ANY TREATMENT OR ACTING UPON INFORMATION CONTAINED ON THE SITE, YOU SHOULD CONTACT YOUR OWN PHYSICIAN OR HEALTH-CARE PROVIDER**
