In early
January, new dietary guidelines were released. The guidelines are aimed at
helping Americans improve their eating habits, reduce obesity and prevent
chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
CoxHealth
Endocrinologist Dr. James Bonucchi explained that in the past, the dietary
guidelines emphasized a low-fat diet.
“What we’ve
learn through more recent research is perhaps the low fat diet is not the ideal
diet,” Dr. Bonucchi explains. “When you start to eliminate fats in your diet,
the fats are often replaced with carbohydrates, whether it is simple sugars,
such as candy, sodas and sweet teas, or even more complex sugars, such as a
potato. The extra sugar in the diet, complex carbs included, have a big
detriment on the body overall. Those carbohydrates end up leading to more
obesity based on what we believe with current research, which ultimately
relates to more diabetes.”
Dr. Bonucchi
said 20 years ago, the obesity rate in the U.S. was only 10 to 15 percent.
Today, in Missouri, the obesity rate is now one in three adults,
according to 2014 numbers and no state has an obesity rate less than 20
percent.
What’s to
blame?
Dr. Bonucchi
explained there are a couple of things believed to be contributing to the
growing obesity problem – less active lifestyles and the foods being consumed
today.
“It is not
just about the calories consumed, but what makes up those calories, is what
really plays into it,” he says. “A lot of it also likely has to do with
convenience foods. The average kitchen has shrunk in size in new houses. People
are eating out, ordering in and getting take out. They are not spending time in
their kitchen cooking from scratch the way our grandmothers did. When our
grandmother made something, she knew every ingredient she put in there. With
processed foods, we don’t know what foods we are putting in our bodies.”
When
purchasing food, Dr. Bonucchi suggests purchasing items with no more than five
ingredients listed on the label, if possible.
“Also, if you
can’t pronounce an ingredient, you probably shouldn’t be buying it,” he
said.
Stick to a
healthy eating pattern, not a diet
“You should
really stick to a healthy eating pattern and not to a diet,” Dr. Bonucchi said.
“Diets don’t work because diet implies it is short term. We are talking about
healthy eating, something you are doing consistently, every single day. That
healthy eating pattern should include a healthy, rich mixture of different
vegetables including leafy, dark greens, as well as greens, reds and
oranges. All of those different fruits and vegetables are different
colors for a reason because there are different nutrients in each one. Also,
don’t forget about beans. Beans are very healthy and a great source of both
protein and fiber.”
Selective
with starches
“Some starchy
vegetables are OK, if you are eating them whole,” Dr. Bonucchi says. “We are
often told to avoid corn, but corn still has good nutrition in it, as long as
it is not ground up into a corn tortilla. It is also OK to have a potato
occasionally, as long as it is not the giant baked potato. If you have a baked
potato, have a small baked potato that will fit in your hand and make sure you
are eating the skin because that is where you find the good nutrients.”
Go for
whole grains
“It is OK to
have some carbohydrates, especially if they are in the form of whole grains
because the body can handle whole grains over a longer period of time,” he
says. “Whole grains are less refined and so the body is able to handle it more
slowly and it allows your body to absorb the food in your body over a longer
period of time, which is especially important for those who have diabetes. The
key to whole grains is avoiding white. If it looks like it has little nuts and
seeds in it, that is perfect.”
Add fish to
your diet
“Don’t forget
about seafood,” Dr. Bonucchi said. “We probably don’t eat enough seafood in
this country. You should be having a serving of ocean fish at least once a
week, not deep fried and battered, but baked or grilled. Also, go for lean
meats, poultry, chicken, eggs, beans and soy.”
What to
limit
“We should
consume no more than 10 percent of our daily calories from added sugars,”
explains Dr. Bonucchi. “We are not talking about sugars that naturally occur in
fruit. Those don’t count because they are buried in that whole piece of fruit
or corn. It is the sugars that are added to our diet that we really must limit
to 10 percent of our calories. If the average person is on a 2,000 calorie
diet, they should limit their intake to 50 grams of sugar. That is equivalent
to about one can of regular soda or one glass of sweet tea. Also, be aware of
hidden sugars, such as sugars added to salad dressings and sauces.”
The new
guidelines also recommend limiting sodium to 2,300 mg per day.
“The average
American is consuming 4,000 mg each day,” Dr. Bonucchi said. “If you are going
out to eat, you can easily get 2,000 mg of sodium in one appetizer, let alone
the entire meal. Most processed food items are filled with sodium, including
your frozen TV dinners. Sodium is an excellent preservative but the tradeoff is
we are getting a lot of sodium in our diet from processed foods.”
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