Malcolm McDowell Woods
Simply Health

The what-to-eat list to end all lists

By - Jan 1st, 2010 10:29 am
Judy Mayer

Judy Mayer

It seems that the media doesn’t think we’re capable of eating healthy on our own. And food manufacturers bombard us with new brands, flavors, products and eye catching labels offering us effortless weight loss and good health.

It’s no wonder there’s so much confusion in the world of nutrition. It makes me crazy and surely makes my job a challenge.

One of the biggest offenders in our plight to eat the “right” foods are the confusing and endless lists – open a magazine, turn on your computer or look at the “best seller” books and this what you’ll see:

Top Ten Fat Burner Foods
The 29 Healthiest Foods on the Planet
The Eleven Best Foods You’re Not Eating
Top 10 Lemonade Cocktails

And, to balance the best we have the worst:
The 5 Absolute Worst Foods You Can Eat
Ten Worst Foods To Eat While Driving – a nice guide I suppose
Top 10 Riskiest Foods
– foods listed as the most risky in terms of food born illnesses

Do we need these endless, sometimes ridiculous lists to instruct us on what to eat or not to eat? I’ve said for years that eating doesn’t have to be so hard — often a little fine tuning can make the difference; a little more of this and a bit less of that.

Well, how about a list to put an end to all the lists? Here’s my short list to guide you through the toughest food choices and problem areas I consistently see. Follow these basics and you’ll be just fine.

cheeses1. Yes, it’s okay to eat cheese, just not too much.
After years of interviewing and consulting with clients/customers the “cheese” word is usually a source of embarrassment and one that many don’t want to admit to – at least to me. Cheese has advantages. It is an excellent source of protein, calcium, energy and good taste, and, it’s an all-American comfort food. The disadvantages are that the best-tasting cheeses are very high in fat, saturated fat, sodium, and calories, and they raise cholesterol. And we simply eat too much of the stuff. Cheese should be considered a sometimes food, not an everyday food.

It’s surprising, but 1½ ounces is considered a serving — that’s about the size of your little finger! That very small serving contains a mighty six to seven grams of saturated fat — the type we should eat less of. Low fat cheeses are available, but to me that’s like chewing on erasers. Combining a low-fat cheese with a full fat cheese isn’t so bad and will save you half the fat.

Use this handy guide for cheese selection: Hard cheese such as aged cheddar contains more fat and calories. Soft cheese such as mozzarella has more water and therefore less fat and fewer calories. Cheese is best eaten in small amounts as well as grated, crumbled or shaved and not piled 3-inches high.

I know all of these numbers and calories are confusing. If you want to get an idea of how much fat you should consume during your day, check out the American Heart Association’s interactive fat translator. It’s a great tool.

greens2. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Many of us are not eating enough fruits and vegetables, particularly vegetables. Many people don’t take the time to prepare and cook them. But you know what? You don’t have to prep! Frozen vegetables are a delicious, affordable and convenient. Open the package and steam or microwave. And fruit is even easier; it doesn’t have to be prepped. Just pick it up and eat.

3. Eat more fiber.
Soluble fiber found in barley, oats or beans should be part of your daily diet. Psyllium (the active ingredient in Metamucil) can also hold its own in the race to lower cholesterol, especially LDL. These products can be found in the bulk aisle at Outpost. Rye, berries and apples also contain soluble fiber to lower cholesterol.

Insoluble fiber helps to keep things moving and keeps our digestive system healthy. This type of fiber can be found in fruits and vegetables, bran, nuts and seeds.

4. Eat enough food.
For all of you dieters out there – be sure that you’re taking in enough calories to lose weight. Sounds strange doesn’t it? Skipping meals, especially breakfast, only eating two meals a day, and going long periods of time between meals or without eating can set you up for failure. Keep fueling throughout the day – let your body know you care and feed it at least every four hours – or your metabolism is in trouble. Not eating enough calories can slow your metabolism, zap your energy and prevent you from burning calories efficiently.

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0 thoughts on “Simply Health: The what-to-eat list to end all lists”

  1. Anonymous says:

    Yes!

    You wrote “let your body know you care and feed it at least every four hours.” I want this in billboards across America and around the world.
    I tell this to my patients. They are often shocked. People with eating disorders (and others too) believe that they are ahead of the game if they skip meals. They think it’s great if they are not hungry. If they don’t eat for hours (or days) they believe that they have permission to binge later.

    And no one seems to recognize until they are well into recovery that not eating starves brain cells and causes thinking and perception distortions.

    Great post. Can you get it on a billboard? 🙂

    Joanna Poppink, MFT
    Los Angeles psychotherapist
    eating disorder recovery specialist

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