Description
Table of Contents
An excerpt from this report
Eating Special Report.
The rules of healthy eating have changed. Eating a “balanced
diet” is no longer the most important goal. Instead, scientists
have learned much more specifically which foods can help
prevent disease and which promote it. The Healthy Eating
report describes how the latest research has resulted in a new
healthy eating pyramid, a new concept of good fats and bad
fats, and a greater understanding of the components of foods
and how they influence health and longevity.
An Excerpt from this Healthy Eating Special Health Report
Forget your preconceived notions about healthy eating. A new nutrition story has
emerged. This new story, based on evidence from rigorous scientific studies, is not about
denying yourself the foods you love or following a rigid diet plan. It’s a set of principles you
can use to select from among the foods you enjoy. Research from the last decade or so
shows beyond all doubt that you can lower your risk for the most serious diseases of our
time by following a healthy diet. Healthy eating, based on this new science, can ward off
25 percent of all cancers and, combined with exercising regularly and not smoking, can prevent
possibly 90 percent of cases of type 2 diabetes. It can also cut your risk for heart disease, by
90 percent and prevent hypertension, osteoporosis and many other conditions.
We’ve known for years that certain foods are healthy — especially fruits, vegetables and
whole grains. But now we know why they’re healthy. For the first time, scientists can point
to specific nutrients and other substances in foods that fight disease, including vitamins,
minerals, and plant chemicals. But while “eat your vegetables” is a well-known refrain, it
may surprise you to know that you should eat fat too. It’s news to many people that some
of the healthiest foods are fats. Maligned for many years as the bane of a healthy diet,
some types of fat — mainly those from plants and fish — have been shown to keep arteries
clear and hearts beating normally and possibly to inhibit some forms of cancer.
This mounting evidence triggered a wholesale revision of the government’s nutritional
recommendations in 2002 with the introduction of the new dietary reference intakes
(DRIs) for protein, carbohydrates, fat and fiber. The following pages explain these DRIs
and give practical advice on how you can use them. You’ll find out how to separate the
truths from the half-truths on a food label to size up a food’s disease-fighting (or disease promoting)
properties. You’ll learn the science behind the latest food trends, such as
low-carbohydrate diets and soy. You’ll also learn why some low-fat versions of foods can
improve your diet while others are little more than marketing gimmicks.
Choosing healthy foods goes beyond nutrition. One of the biggest challenges to healthy
eating today is choosing foods that are safe as well as nutritious. Contamination from
bacteria and other germs has become the biggest threat to food safety in recent years.
Residues of toxic pesticides used in farming and shipping also pose risks to human
health.
This report supplies the information you’ll need to choose safe, nutritious foods. Although
junk food beckons from every store shelf and restaurant menu, there’s also a bounteous
supply of healthful options. Perhaps best of all, healthy eating doesn’t demand that you
give up great-tasting meals and snacks. You may need to adjust your tastes a bit, but
there are plenty of delicious, convenient, nutritious choices under the broad umbrella of
healthy eating.