Top 10 List

Here's one Top 10 list from Harvard HEALTHbeat that is neither entertaining nor good for you! But unfortunately this is what people in the US are eating - by choice, by situation or both, and this is why so many Americans are overweight and unhealthy.

 

If you are reading this, your diet is probably on the right track or you are trying to make it better. Good for you! Take charge of your health and be a good role model for those around you.
 

Top 10 sources of calories in the U.S. diet

According to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (a panel of 13 nutrition experts charged with helping develop federal nutrition standards), Americans are eating many more calories than they used to.

Very few people follow the federal dietary guidelines, which recommend daily servings of dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, legumes, fruits, whole grains, and low-fat milk and milk products.

Instead, we eat foods full of refined grains, sugar, fat, and calories — just check out the list below.

This is one Top 10 list you don’t want to make. Take a look and see what you can do to get closer to the recommended dietary guidelines.

What Americans eat: Top 10 sources of calories in the U.S. diet

1. Grain-based desserts (cakes, cookies, donuts, pies, crisps, cobblers, and granola bars)
2. Yeast breads
3. Chicken and chicken-mixed dishes
4. Soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks
5. Pizza
6. Alcoholic beverages
7. Pasta and pasta dishes
8. Mexican mixed dishes
9. Beef and beef-mixed dishes
10. Dairy desserts

Source: Report of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee

Here's the guide to think of each time you eat or prepare a meal. Eat a variety of foods. See just how colorful you can make your plate, and you'll be on your way to better health!

Action Item: Think about your own Top 10 list. Does it include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc.? If not, try really hard the next few days to make good decisions and better choices with your cooking and eating. Tackle one section at a time. Start by adding fruit to each meal if you don't already. Or cut back on your protein serving size (i.e. no plate-covering steaks) and be creative with other protein-rich foods such as fish and beans. One step at a time.

For Further Reading: Harvard Health Publications, Dietary Guidelines from MyPlate.gov.

Nutrition Facts

By now, many of you have seen or heard about the new (proposed) nutrition labels.

To get started, you can read the FDA's press release here. The biggest differences are:

• More clearly defined number of servings per container.
• Number of calories' font size is drastically larger.
• A new line item for added sugar.

It's a good idea, in my opinion, for the calories to be listed in a hard-to-miss font size, and I especially like the proposed idea that serving sizes need to be what people are likely to eat. For example, even cereal is often listed as 3/4 cup serving size. I don't know about you, but I usually eat more than that it my bowl. Measure yours and see how much you are eating. So that 17grams of sugar in your cereal (if you haven't switched cereals yet) is misleading, because you're probably eating 1.5 to 2 times that. Now think about ice cream that's listed as a 1/2 cup serving size! Yikes. That's why it's good to make the calories so prominent. Who has tried not to look at the label when you know you're eating something "bad"? Raise your hand...

Dr. David Kessler, who was commissioner of the FDA when the original labels were created, said the proposed update is a "critically important" advance in public health. "The food label is not just about giving consumers information but about creating incentives for the industry to create healthier products," he said in an interview. "No company wants their product to look bad on the food label."

After a 90-day public comment period, the FDA will draw up final rules. These updates will take about three years to take effect.

Final Thoughts

Now all that being said... these are good steps, but please keep in mind that INGREDIENTS are what's really important! If you can read the ingredients and there are only a handful of them, then all the other will probably fall into place. For example, we buy tortilla shells that are made from corn, water and lime! I really don't even need to read the nutritional information, because I know I am choosing a product without added sugars and sodium.


Action Item: Do you have comments about the new labels? Read all about the new labels, the goal, and the research behind them, then leave your comments on the FDA website.

For Further Reading: U.S. proposes major update to food labels in bid to combat obesity

My Fitness Pal

If you're looking for a way to keep track of calories, exercise and view your daily breakdown of fat, protein, etc... then you might want to try My Fitness Pal. You can use it on the computer or your smartphone. It's a free "calorie counter, diet and exercise journal."

It may be a little time consuming at first, but becomes easier as you go especially if you tend to eat some foods or do they same workouts regularly. My Fitness Pal contains over 3 million foods in their database, so you should be able to find what you're looking for... especially if you are eating healthy whole foods!

Here's some info from their website:
Lose weight the healthy way. We believe — and medical studies prove — that the best way to lose weight and keep it off forever is to simply keep track of the foods you eat. Gimmicky machines and fad diets don't work, so we designed a free website and mobile apps that make calorie counting and food tracking easy.

It is very common to think that we eat less than we actually do. The calories in a few crackers, handful of M&Ms, and the extra serving of food add up quickly. Even if you're not trying to lose weight, a food diary/log/journal can be a good way to track your intake of nutrients (see where you might be lacking) and to see how many calories you burn during exercise.

Keep in mind that calorie counting is not necessary at all for a healthy lifestyle (to gain, maintain or lose weight). It works for some people to see things broken down into data, and others really don't care. If you're diet is healthy, you're happy, and you have energy, then do not add the stress of calorie counting. If you like numbers and like to see results analyzed, then try out this fitness app. If I feel like I've started consuming too many calories, then I'll use My Fitness Pal for a month or so until I'm back on track. It's definitely not an all-or-nothing plan.

That all being said, here's a great summary from the article below: "The bottom line? You don't need to count calories, but you should make all your calories count."


Action Item: Continue your commitment to a healthier lifestyle!

For further reading: The Dos and Don'ts of Counting Calories