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Balanced Eating a nutritionally sound diet assures that, with few exceptions, all essential nutrients are provided in the diet. Eating a low-fat diet high in produce, whole grains, and dairy products cuts the risk of:
Health professionals also believe that a nutritious diet can have a positive impact on:
In creating your eating plan, use the food pyramid. Essential elements of the food pyramid include: Fat: no more than
30% of calories from fat; 10% from saturated fat Generally, people who follow the USDA recommended diet may not get enough of some essential vitamins and minerals for many reasons. Even with a nutritious diet, make sure your intake of these essentials is at the recommended levels. Getting enough calcium helps prevent osteoporosis and consequently, reduces fractures. It may help lower blood pressure. Calcium needs vary. Post-menopausal women Get as much calcium from your diet as possible, and any remainder from pills, as necessary. If you are lactose intolerant, be sure and talk with your doctor about whether you're getting enough calcium through your diet. back to Essentials Vitamin D improves the absorption of calcium. It may help prevent arthritis and certain cancers. After age 50, the ability to synthesize vitamin D from sunshine declines. People at high risk of osteoporosis including post-menopausal women not on estrogen, and men over age 65 should have their blood level of vitamin D tested. Deficient individuals may need a megadose from the doctor, and then daily supplements of 400 to 1,000 IU. People over 50 who get little sunshine or seldom consume fortified milk or fatty fish should consider similar daily supplements. back to Essentials Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause serious neurologic disorders. Even borderline low levels have been tentatively linked with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, depression and cognitive impairment. Up to one third of people over age 50 don't produce enough stomach acid to extract and absorb vitamin B12 from unfortified foods. After age 50, either take a modest daily supplement or consume B12 fortified foods - namely breakfast cereal. back to Essentials It's hard to follow lean diet guidelines and get the amount of vitamin E that's been linked with disease protection. Consider taking a daily supplement containing no more than 200-400 IU. Research is beginning to show that this level of supplement probably protects against coronary disease and thromobtic (clot-related) stroke, may boost immunity, help prevent cancer, ease arthritis pain, and slow the progression of Alzheimer's. People taking anti-clotting drugs such as Warfarin (Coumadin, Panwarfin) should avoid vitamin E pills. To learn more about nutrition's role in combating heart disease and diabetes, check out these Healthworks web sites:
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