Does Your Diet Need a Makeover?
For most Americans, eating healthier means making different food choices. All three macronutrient groups— carbohydrates, fats, and proteins—offer healthier and less healthy choices.
Today, I’m going to focus on carbohydrates. They are the biggest targets for a makeover, since they make up the largest part of most Americans’ diets. Start by cutting back on anything made with white flour or other refined, processed grains.
White flour is made from whole grains of wheat; during processing, part of the whole grain is removed, which decreases the nutrients and fiber. Generally, any wholegrain flour, such as wholewheat flour, is more nutritious than white flour. Whole-grain flour can be substituted for white flour in most recipes, although the taste and texture of your finished product will be a bit different. Even if you substitute 50 percent of whole-grain flour in a recipe,you’re still making a very good trade in terms of nutrition. Other whole-grain flours are made from oats, brown rice, quinoa, barley, buckwheat, amaranth, and spelt.
Added sugar is another carbohydrate to target. There are two main types of sugar, natural sugar and added sugar. Natural sugar is found in fruit (fructose) and milk and milk products (lactose). The sugar in these foods is just a small part of a healthy package that provides many important nutrients your body requires.
On the other hand, added sugar has no nutritional value, and most products that have added sugar are low in nutrients but high in calories. Some foods and beverages that are high in added sugar are easy to identify: soft drinks and other sweet beverages, candy, cookies, and desserts. But you’ll also find added sugar in some surprising places, including condiments (ketchup, barbeque sauce), salad dressings, canned baked beans, and even healthy-sounding nutrition bars.
I know that giving your diet a makeover will probably be challenging. One helpful strategy is to make a few small changes at a time, until your healthier choices have become habits; then, move on to a few more small changes. Another strategy that will help is to choose whole or minimally processed foods rather than highly processed food products (often found in boxes, cans, bags, and the freezer section). Although it can be tough, if you make and stick to a commitment to eat better, you’ll be rewarded with better health.
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