How To Eat Better

In the last post, we looked at how our eating habits have changed over the past 30 years. How do we get back to where we used to be? How can we change our diets to be more healthy and not promote weight gain?

Her her book "The Strong Women's Guide to Total Health", Miriam E. Nelson points out that exactly which foods in which amounts does not really matter as long as your diet is somewhat balanced (some food from each food group). A variety of foods gives you a variety of nutrients. She has developed 3 basic rules to follow.
1. Eat real food. Have you ever tried to read the ingredient list on a box of hamburger helper? Can you even read the list? There are so many words in the list that I can not pronounce. If I can not read all or at least 90% of the ingredients, I do not eat it. Have you ever noticed that fruits and vegetables do not have an ingredient list? It is because you know exactly what you are getting.
Focus on whole foods (fruits, vegetables, beans, lean meats) and minimally processed foods (milk, bread, yogurt). I try to pick products with short, readable ingredient lists.
Buying locally grown foods helps the environment. Germany has a lot of farmer's markets. Schweinfurt's farmers market is Saturday mornings in the marktplatz.
2. Eat a little less. The Japanese has a saying "hara hachi bu" which literally means "8 parts out of 10 full". The Japanese mean eat until you are 80% full and then stop. This will remove hunger but prevent overeating. This concept has been mentioned by other experts in the nutrition realm.
There are other ways to eat a little less besides stopping when you are 80% full (which may be hard to know). Try putting a smaller portion on your plate, buy the child's or seniors portion, use a smaller plate, measure your food, split a meal with someone else, refuse to take a second helping. These are just a few ways to eat less.
3. Enjoy your meals. Focus on food quality, not quantity. Savor your food. Eat slowly. It is hard to taste, let along enjoy, food when you are eating in the car. It takes our bodies 20 minutes to register being full. When we eat our meal quickly, we may eat too much. Choose foods you really like and not what you don't.

It is interesting to note, that Ms. Nelson is not the only one to come up with these rules. Michael Pollen in his book "In Defense of Food" and Miriam Nestle in "What to Eat" offer the same advice in slightly different words. Most experts in the nutrition field would agree with this advice with slight variations. I cannot tell you how many times I have given similar suggestions to people either trying to lose weight, lower their cholesterol, control their blood sugar levels or decrease their weight. Same rules, different words.