Food: Americans’ best friend or enemy?
By: Dr. Terry Shlimbaum
"Eating is one of life’s greatest pleasures," says a recent edition of the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans," published by USDA.
Americans now enjoy one of the safest, and certainly the most bounteous, food supplies anywhere on the globe. Except where has it gotten us? Americans also consume way more on a per capita basis than most other nations. But the cost of the bounty is high: an epidemic of obesity.
You may be getting tired of hearing the message, but Americans are at a crossroads where their health is concerned. We now know fully 50 percent of cancers could be prevented by diet and lifestyle change. We also know some 60 percent of American adults are obese. And our children aren’t far behind.
No, you need not give up all your favorites. No, you need not eliminate sweets, fast food, steak and wine.
But if you want to continue enjoying them for many years to come, now is the time to change your relationship to many of these old "standards."
The USDA’s "Dietary Guidelines for Americans" is a useful tool for re-evaluating your food profile. The guidelines provide a helpful, easy-to-use framework based on "Aiming for Fitness" (using physical activity to control weight and increase well-being and fitness); "Building a Healthy Base" (using the Food Guide Pyramid to build better meals); and "Choosing Sensibly" (adopting a sane approach to satisfying the body’s nutritional needs and accommodating our human cravings for the "bad stuff."
The guidelines emphasize the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy foods to provide adequate amounts of vitamins, minerals and fiber, but they also emphasize choice. Within the basic guidelines, Americans can choose foods that suit their individual preferences.
It’s not really that hard! Certainly easier than living with one of the many chronic health conditions that can result from not making a change for the healthier!
To find out more about the USDA’s "Dietary Guidelines for Americans," visit the Web site at www. USDA.gov/cnpp. You’ll find plenty of information to help you on your way.
Dr. Shlimbaum is director of the Phillips-Barber Family Health Center in Lambertville.