Is it possible to eat healthy foods and at the same time enjoy food, maintain a slim figure and improve health? And how to replace the usual fried potatoes and sweet buns? Nutritionist Walter Willett shares the secrets of a healthy diet.
For the past 30 years, my colleagues and I have never ceased to be amazed at the huge role food plays in our lives. It can heal and maim, provoking various diseases – heart disease, diabetes, cancer, cataracts, and even congenital anomalies. We now know that consumption of trans fats, glycemic load, lack of folic acid and vitamin D in the body destroy our health. We eat to live. And in order for the heart to pump blood well, the muscles to work, and the brain to think, the choice of food must be taken very seriously.
Be afraid of fats, but not all. The only dangerous fats are saturated fats, found in abundance in whole milk and red meat, and trans fats, which are found in margarine, confectionery fat, baked goods and fried foods.
The other two types of fats, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, are good for the heart. They are found in vegetable oils, nuts, whole grains, other plant foods, and fish. Be sure to include them in your menu.
Be careful with carbohydrates. Easily digestible carbohydrate foods (wheat bread, baked potatoes, or white rice) spike blood sugar levels, which then drop just as sharply. Fluctuations in sugar (and insulin) levels lead to frequent bouts of hunger, lead to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Easily digestible carbohydrates are especially dangerous for overweight people.
But carbohydrates from legumes and whole grains (brown rice, pasta and wholemeal bread), on the contrary, are absorbed slowly and do not cause jumps in blood sugar and insulin. They should form the basis of a healthy diet.
Limit your intake of red meat – beef, pork, venison. Together with it, saturated fats and cholesterol enter the body. In addition, the body absorbs too much iron from red meat, whether it needs it or not.
Chicken and turkey are much lower in saturated fat. The same applies to fish, which also contain healthy unsaturated fats. Another good source of protein is legumes and nuts. They are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and all the same healthy unsaturated fats. Like fruits and vegetables, they provide us with a mass of phytochemicals that protect against many chronic diseases.
Don’t drink a lot of milk. We have long been advised to consume 2-3 servings of milk, yogurt, cheese or other dairy products per day. These are rich sources of calcium, necessary for the formation and strengthening of bones. However, until now, no one knows how much calcium we need.
Older Americans get more calcium than people in other countries (with the exception of the Netherlands and Scandinavia), but at the same time, cases of hip fractures are more common in them. In other countries, where people get 5 times less calcium than Americans, people are less likely to suffer from osteoporosis.
What’s more, the latest research shows that excessive consumption of dairy products may increase the risk of ovarian cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.
Don’t overeat. I’m not asking you to count every calorie. Just be mindful of what you eat and drink. Fatty meats, cheese, sausages, sausages, cakes, pastries, sodas and fruit drinks are the main sources of hidden calories. Many limit the consumption of meat and sausages, but at the same time they drink juices and soda by the liter, and then they are surprised that they do not lose weight.
Half a glass of juice in the morning won’t hurt, but a few glasses a day is a few hundred extra calories and not an ounce of fiber. Juice does not saturate, but only stimulates the appetite. Soda in this sense is even worse, because it does not bring the body anything but calories.
Stay away from temptations. Many of us find it difficult to refuse chocolate, cookies, chips or other treats when they are in plain sight or in the refrigerator. Take them away! “Out of sight” does not mean “out of mind”. But “out of the house” is already much easier.
About the Developer
Walter Willet, professor in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. His books have overturned the dietary ideas of recent years, and his scientific work formed the basis of the updated food pyramids in Great Britain and the United States.