Diet impacts health - such as how prone you are to becoming overweight or obese, and how susceptible you are to disease development. Through your dietary choices, you can positively influence your health and promote a long, happy, and healthy life. Health and happiness go hand in hand, so why not embrace a healthy diet and do as much as you can to benefit yourself and live to your fullest potential!
According to Mary B. Grosvenor and Dr. Lori A. Smolin in Visualizing Nutrition: Everyday Choices, a simple, compelling guide to nutrition and to achieving a healthy lifestyle, “A healthy diet is based on variety, balance, and moderation” (2).
*Mary B. Grosvenor - a registered dietitian who holds a masters degree in Nutrition Science.
*Dr. Lori A. Smolin - an instructor who has taught in the Departments of Nutritional Science and Molecular and Cell Biology.
In their book, they state that by incorporating variety into your diet - by consuming different types of protein and dairy sources, fruits and vegetables - you can obtain a variety of nutrients because one type of food can’t supply all the nutrients your body needs (2). For instance, if your vegetable intake consists of just spinach, you’ll receive a good source of iron, but a poor source of zinc - a mineral needed for growth and development (2). If you have mostly citrus fruits like oranges and kiwis, you’ll receive large amounts of vitamin C, but you’ll miss out on an excellent source of vitamin A, which is vital for healthy eyesight (2).
In an attempt to incorporate variety into our own lives, we try to vary our fruit for breakfast; if we sprinkle strawberries and blue berries on top of cereal one morning, we’ll pair a bowl of oatmeal with an orange the next. However, sometimes we have the same breakfast for a few days in a row simply because we enjoy it!
Grosvenor and Smolin also state, “A healthy diet is a balancing act.” By this they mean that a healthy diet consists of two things: balancing calories consumed with calories expended and balancing individual food choices (2). If your intake increases, your expenditure should as well because caloric balance allows individuals to maintain their body composition (1). Balancing individual food choices would include pairing a high sugary food earlier in the day with something lower in sugar content later.
Although we try to make sure our food choices are well balanced, we do like to, for instance, take it easy on the weekends. We like to enjoy some treats while opting out of our regular fitness routine.
Interestingly, the Journal of Obesity Facts reported early 2014, that weekend treats don’t negatively impact your diet, especially when you compensate during the weekday (3). After 80 adults (ages 25-62) weighed themselves daily for 11 months, “a pattern of daily weight changes was found with higher weight early in the week (Sunday and Monday) and decreasing weight during the week. Increases begin on Saturday and decreases begin on Tuesday” (3). In fact, those who showed the “largest compensating change from the weekend to the weekdays are those who – over time – are most likely to either lose weight or maintain their weight” (3) Therefore, emphasizing the importance of balance!
The authors also emphasize moderation, saying that it “will help you maintain a healthy weight and prevent some of the chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, that are on the rise in the U.S. population” (2). The authors continue to write that more than half of the adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese because they have “not been practicing moderation when it comes to calorie intake” (2). They state, “Moderation means not overdoing it - not having too many calories, too much fat, too much sugar, too much salt, or too much alcohol” (2).
Recently, for instance, we celebrated a few family events at one of our favorite restaurants. While there, we ordered a soup, a sandwich, and a salad only to find that the portion sizes were huge! We shared and brought home some leftovers for lunch the next day.
Moderation means selecting nutritionally dense foods most of the time. It doesn’t mean excluding those that are less nutritional completely, as “enjoying special foods on occasion is part of moderation” (1).
Personally, we feel that it’s fine to “overdue” it every once in while - just as long as it’s not a reflection of your regular diet because this will put your health at risk.
Consider ways in which you can create positive changes. Small steps can produce many benefits (1). Many resources are available for free to learn more. Seek them out!
Good luck.
P.S. Visualizing Nutrition: Everyday Choices is an excellent guide to how to care for your personal well-being. We strongly encourage it!
Works Cited:
1) Baker, Libby. Concepts of Physical Fitness. New York City: McGraw-Hill Education, 2013. Print.
2) Grosvenor, Mary B., and Lori A. Smolin. Visualizing Nutrition Everyday Choices. Second ed. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print.
3) Orsama, Anna-Leena, Mattila Elina, and Ermes Miikka. "Weight Rhythms: Weight Increases during Weekends and Decreases during Weekdays." Obesity Facts 2014, Vol. 7, No. 1. Karger Publishers, 31 Jan. 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
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