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CALIFORNIA DIET TRENDS
Obesity and diabetes up; consumption
of fruits and vegetables down: and fast-food consumption is going through
the roof, the California Department of Health Services found in its sampling
of more than 5,000 Californians over the past eight years ('91-'99). "The
numbers are all pointing the same way, and it's the wrong way," said Susan
B. Foerster, chief of cancer prevention and nutrition for the department.
The proliferation of ads for high-fat fast foods, combined with time pressures
that rob many families of home-cooked meals are cited as causes. Low cost
promotions are also noted, "It's hard to compete with a 39-cent hamburger.
You can't make that kind of food in your house for that kind of money."
People are not exercising as much as they should and the rising obesity
rate shows a poorer health picture. More people are fat. The rate of obesity
has risen 25 percent since 1990 and 50 percent since 1984. After tobacco
use, a poor diet and physical inactivity are the leading causes of preventable
death. The road to poor health and premature death is paved with fast,
convenient and cheap foods.
SWEET TOOTH EQUALS SOUR HEALTH
That we load up with more sugar
than ever is unquestionable -- 156 pounds of added sugars per person last
year, up from 144 pounds in 1994, which in turn was up from 127 pounds
in 1986. The average American now consumes more than 20 teaspoons of added
sugars a day, twice the amount recommended by health experts worldwide.
By squeezing out more nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains
and low-fat dairy products that can help to prevent disease, a high-sugar
diet may be making an important contribution to health problems like osteoporosis,
cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease, not to mention
the time-honored association between sugary foods and tooth decay. The
mounting health concerns associated with a high-sugar diet have prompted
the Center for Science in the Public Interest to petition the Food and
Drug Administration to change food labels. The consumer has no way to know
how much sugar was naturally present in a food or drink before it was processed
and how much sugar the manufacturer added. Don't be fooled by products
that claim to contain "all natural" sweeteners. Added ingredients like
brown sugar, raw sugar, fruit sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, honey or
maple syrup are treated no differently from table sugar once they enter
the bloodstream. A nutritionally sound diet should derive no more than
10 percent of its calories from added sugar. A high-sugar diet causes special
problems for people with so-called insulin resistance, who account for
10 percent to 25 percent of the population. When such people consume sugars
and refined starches, their bodies are forced to produce more than the
normal amount of insulin, which can eventually wear out the pancreas and
result in diabetes. The powerful sugar lobby has succeeded in preventing
that kind of legislation or guideline implementation.
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GRAPE JUICE: A HEALTHY HEART DRINK
Research by John Folts, U.Wisconsin
Medical School, found that grape juice helped protect against heart disease
by helping prevent platelets from clumping together on arterial walls,
a process that can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Concord (purple) grape
juice has the highest level of antioxidants among fruits and vegetables.
Also high on the list are blueberries, prunes, blackberries and strawberries.
Drinking about 12 ounces grape juice a day significantly increased the
elasticity of blood vessels and resulted in about a 35% increase in the
amount of time needed to oxidize LDL cholesterol. The cholesterol, especially
when it is oxidized, is a primary cause of atherosclerosis.Buy only
100% grape juice free of added sugars.
BLUEBERRIES FOR...YOUTH!
A secret of youth may be as close
as a nearby farm or the supermarket shelves: blueberries. A cup of blueberries
a day improved in balance, coordination and short-term memory, a study
published in the Journal of Neuroscience said. Like other fruits and vegetables,
blueberries contain chemicals that act as anti-oxidants. Scientists believe
anti-oxidants protect the body against ``oxidative stress,'' one of several
biological processes that cause aging. Blueberry extract significantly
improved memory, balance and coordination. Other studies have suggested
that anti-oxidants in fruits and vegetables could prevent cancer and heart
disease. Their latest study was the first to show antioxidants can actually
reverse age-related declines. They don't know why blueberries were more
effective than strawberries and spinach or exactly how the chemicals work
in the body. The scientists believe the anti-oxidants improve cell membranes
so that important nutrients and chemicals can flow through more easily.
Fresh blueberries with whole grain cereals, as part of a fruit mix and
blended into a smoothie are ways to get a cup a day into the diet.
SOY PROTEIN TO GET FDA HEALTHY
HEART LABEL
Healthy heart claims could be
added to the labels of foods containing soy protein under a new regulation
proposed by the Food and Drug Administration. Soy protein differs from
other vegetable proteins because it changes the way that the liver processes
cholesterol. The healthy heart benefit of soy comes from consuming at least
25 grams a day of soy protein. To qualify for the health label, a serving
would have to have 6.25 grams soy protein, one-quarter the daily amount.Watch
for the promotions as well as the misleading claims.
EAT RIGHT
The diet high in fruits, vegetables,
fish and beans (like the "New Pyramid Diet")-- already proven to reduce the
risk of cancer -- may also protect people from suffering a second heart
attack, a study shows. The Lyon Diet Heart Study of more than 400 men and
women over nearly four years found that people who eat these kinds of foods
are 50% to 70% less likely to suffer repeat heart attacks. The diet averaged
30% of total calories from fat and 8% from saturated fat. Participants
faced a 56% lower risk of dying during the study period, and a 61% lower
risk of developing cancer. It's possible to reduce the risk of heart disease
or recurrent heart disease and lower cancer risks by eating a diet that
is low in saturated fats and rich in fruits, vegetables and fibers. This
is another in a long line of research that confirms that food is medicine!
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| Copyright 1999. The "New Pyramid Diet: Eat Right For Life!" Association. Used by permission. pyramiddiet4life@netscape.net |
| New Pyramid Diet keywords are diet or pyramid or new or free or food or guide or weight or loss or control or health or nutrition or heart or cancer or osteoporosis or plan or longevity or prevention or anorexia or bulimia or maintenance or news. New Pyramid Diet keywords are diet or pyramid or new or free or food or guide or weight or loss or control or health or nutrition or heart or cancer or osteoporosis or research or plan or longevity or prevention or anorexia or bulimia or maintenance or news. New Pyramid Diet keywords are diet or pyramid or new or free or food or guide or weight or loss or control or health or nutrition or heart or cancer or osteoporosis or research or plan or longevity or prevention or anorexia or bulimia or maintenance or news. |
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