Three Essential Keys To a Healthy Diet

[JeffN]

Three Essential Keys To a Healthy Diet
Jeff Novick, MS, RDN

These days, it seems like almost every week we hear breaking health in regard to diet and health. Seems like we, even those in the WFPB world, have become a nation obsessed with the latest super food, super nutrient or super diet.

Here are three key principles that will help you put all this breaking health information into proper perspective and help you make better choices on your WFPB journey to health.

1) Foods Over Nutrients

We often hear of a certain nutrient, like Vitamin C, and how important and beneficial it is for us. While this is true and these nutrients are important, what is more important is the package they come in and their best package is whole foods. Nutrients work together with each other and by choosing nutrient rich foods, we are getting much more then the benefit of any 1 or 2 nutrients but the benefit of the whole package and of all the different nutrients in the package working together.

A recent study compared the Vitamin C activity of an apple extract, which was the equivalent of a small apple containing less than 10 mg of Vitamin C to a Vitamin C supplement containing 1500 mg. The antioxidant activity of the apple extract was much higher than the supplement and even more so when the apple skin was included.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v4 ... 903b0.html

2) Variety Within A Food Group

While apples are good and better than a Vitamin C pill, eating a variety of apples and a variety of fruits over time, is even better. The reason is, all the varieties of apples have varying levels of their many nutrients (even if picked at the same time from the same tree) as do all the varieties of fruits. So, the best way to ensure that we are really getting in all the nutrients in all the right amounts and combinations is to consume a variety of foods within each of the recommended food groups over time.

3) Dietary Patterns

Eating an apple is better than taking a Vitamin C pill and and eating a variety of apples and fruits is better than eating just one variety and kind of fruit, but by themselves, they will not constitute a healthy diet. Consuming a variety of foods within each food group is even better, but it is our overall dietary pattern that will matter most. When we look at long-lived healthy populations, even though there may be some differences, we do see a consistent overall dietary pattern. I have described this pattern here as "The Five Pillars of Healthy Eating- A Common Sense Approach To Nutrition."

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=37450

1) Plant-Centered - Center your plate and your diet around minimally processed plant foods (fruits, vegetables, starchy vegetables, roots/tubers, intact whole grains, and legumes (beans, peas & lentils).

2) Minimally Processed - Enjoy foods as close to "as grown in nature" with minimal processing that does not detract from the nutritional value &/or add in any harmful components.

3) Calorie Dilute - Follow the principles of calorie density choosing foods that are calorie adequate, satiating and nutrient sufficient.

4) Low S-O-S - Avoid/minimize the use of added Salts/sodium, Oils/Fats and Sugars/sweeteners

5) Variety - Consume a variety of foods in each of the recommended food groups.

So, the next time you hear of the latest super nutrient, super food or diet, remember, these three essential keys;

1) Foods Over Nutrients,

2) Variety Within A Food Group

3) Dietary Patterns.

Understanding the importance of these three key issues and the importance of our overall dietary patterns, especially as I have described it above, allows us to pick from a variety of minimally processed, nutrient rich foods within that overall dietary pattern.

In Health
Jeff

[Acura]

NICE

[geo]

Excellent! Taking it from the minutia we suffer ourselves with today to the big picture.

"Out of the rabbit hole and into the light"

[JeffN]

Excellent! Taking it from the minutia we suffer ourselves with today to the big picture.

Correct.

While it is all fascinating and attractive to a certain part of our brain, for most of us, it is not helpful and can be a huge distraction.

The more we try to micromanage the details, the more we complicate things and the harder and more confusing we make it.

We can study an apple 1000 different ways as an apple, then study it another 1000 more on how it interacts with a 1000 other foods, good and/or bad but in the end, it will matter little. And, that focus really misses the point. The real question is still, do we eat the apple or not and if so, how much?

This is why dietary patterns are the most important thing, not specific diets, not specific foods and not specific nutrients. We know the healthier dietary pattern and the basic guidelines for it. And, there is some leeway with in that. This is why most all the therapeutic WFPB diets work. WFPB diets are a dietary pattern and not a diet, per see.

In regard to food, nothing is a poison in and of itself. The dose always makes the poison. Saturated fat, salt, sugar, oil, etc, will not harm us unless we get in too much. And it will vary and there will be ranges, not clear cut lines.

The same even with non food substances people partake of. Tobacco does not kill everyone he smokes nor does everyone get cancer or emphysema from it.

You do not have to know all the details of a combustion engine, a continuously variable transmission, the electrical system to successfully own, drive and maintain a car in excellent condition for many many years. I just need to know some basic things to do. Same with the human body and diet.

Yes, every now and then, I get a patient, who the minutia will matter. This is rare. And, for them, the minutia will only matter if and when they have done everything else. Yet, most of us worrying over the minutia are not doing everything else.

In Health
Jeff

[Acura]

Various people may be able to get away with various excursions to varying degree. That doesn't change the bottom line. The bottom line is WFPB. I don't know what can go wrong with it(WFPB) that can be fixed/bettered by something else.

There may be lots of critics, opponents to vegetarian diet, carbs etc; I have never heard even the harshest critics say Fruits, vegetables, whole grains is bad. Nobody says, oh eat less fruits and vegetables, legumes, beans, whole grains. That right there shows how powerful this diet is that even harshest critics can't find fault with it.

The way they attack this diet is by hiding behind veganism, carbs..which can be just about anything.