Dietary Guidelines Update: Superfoods Are Out, Super Diets Are In
The much awaited science-based Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 have been released, and a key take-home message is that the whole healthy diet is greater than the sum of its parts.
Research supports that it is a healthy eating pattern, not a single component or nutrient, that's the best ammunition to fight heart disease, certain cancers, stroke and diabetes -- four of the 10 leading causes of death among Americans.
According to the Guidelines, "The components of the eating pattern can have interactive and potentially cumulative effects on health" over your life. In other words, there isn't an isolated superfood berry, exotic vegetable, rare flounder or ancient grain that is going to be the magic ingredient in fighting these chronic diseases and trimming your waist. Rather, it takes a village, and an entire healthy eating pattern, to make a difference in your long-term health.
The good news is that there isn't a one-size-fits-all eating plan that you have to follow. In fact, these latest guidelines provide suggestions for a variety of healthy eating patterns that can help you reduce your risk of obesity and the chronic diseases that plague us.
The common theme in all of these diets is that they are higher in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low or non-fat dairy and/or soy beverages, and provide a variety of protein foods such as seafood, lean meats, poultry, legumes (beans and peas), and nuts, but are limited in saturated fats, trans fats, added sugars and sodium. Here are four examples of diets cited in the Guidelines, so pick one that tickles your palate:
-- MyPlate
-- Healthy Mediterranean-Style Eating Pattern
-- Healthy Vegetarian Eating Pattern
Looking to a superfood or supplement to keep you healthy was yesterday's nutrition news. Rather, spend your energies and money concentrating on consuming a healthy eating pattern that you will embrace for the long-haul. This is the best way to fight obesity, heart disease, certain cancers and diabetes with your knife and fork.
Joan Salge Blake is a Clinical Associate Professor at Boston University and the author of "Nutrition &You," 3nd Edition, Pearson/Benjamin Cummings (2014), "Nutrition & You: Core Concepts to Good Health," Pearson/Benjamin Cummings (2010), and "Eat Right The E.A.S.Y. Way," Prentice Hall Press (1991). She is the co-author of "Nutrition: From Science to You," Pearson/Benjamin Cummings (2016). Joan has conducted more than 1,000 media interviews and has been quoted in or written for various media outlets, such as the New York Times, Food Network, Newsweek, Washington Post, Forbes, Prevention, WebMD, Consumer Reports, Boston Globe, Newsday, Time, The Atlanta Journal Constitution Readers Digest, and Cosmopolitan, People, Parade, Cooking Light, Parents, Shape, Self, More, Sports Illustrated, Woman's Day, More, All You and O magazines. She has appeared on CBS, The Early Show, CNN, CBS News Boston, NBC News, Boston, NPR and Fox TV, Boston. In 2012, Joan was named by Good Housekeeping Magazine as the expert to follow on Twitter for healthy eating. She is currently working towards her doctorate. Follow her on Twitter at: @JoanSalgeBlake.
