Simple Advice for 2021
Peggy, from Evans, GA. asks:
“Dr. Karp, how about giving us some good nutrition advice “in a nutshell,” to begin the New Year?"
Happy New Year, everyone! Nutrition advice in a nutshell? Usually, that’s pretty difficult to do because nutrition science is such a complex subject. However, here is one sentence that summarizes some important nutrition ideas:
“Eat a variety of plant-based foods in moderation and enjoy what you eat.”
Sounds simple, don’t you think? Let’s take a look at this sentence, a bit more carefully.
First of all, eat your food, don’t drink it. For 2021, pull back on all those liquid drinks, those super drinks, those shakes and those smoothies. Part of the way your body tells you “I’m full” involves the amount of time you spend chewing your food, swallowing your food and the amount of time it takes you to eat. All those built-in controls are lost when you chug-a-lug a blueberry/yogurt/pomegranate super smoothie.
The next important word is, “variety.” By variety, I mean that each day, at each meal and each snack, you need to increase the number of different foods you eat. I do not mean increasing the amount of food you are eating. Rather, decrease the portion sizes and increase the variety. For example, instead of meat, potatoes and a veggie, a dinner with more variety might be a tossed salad or vegetable medley, baby potatoes with red and green peppers and salmon, topped with mushrooms. Even a simple snack can and should have variety. Although most people do have variety at dinnertime, breakfasts and lunches tend to get into boring nutrition routines. For breakfast, instead of a breakfast bar, how about a bowl of cereal with fruit and a glass of juice? Variety of foods is a key concept when it comes to good nutrition. It is the only way of insuring that you are getting all the nutrition your body needs.
Next, we come to the concept of “plant-based? In 2021, the scientific evidence is pretty overwhelming that a plant-based diet leads to lower risks of all those chronic diseases that haunt the modern world. When you do have meat, make sure it is lean and simply a part of the meal, not a major portion of your meal. If you are trying to save money in 2021, eat more plants and less animals. When you buy plants, don’t feel you have to buy “designer,” more expensive plants. For example, brown rice is cheap and nutritious and a fraction of the cost of quinoa or other more expensive “millennial” grains.
Another important word in that little bit of nutrition advice is the word, food. Time and again, the scientific evidence point to the importance of eating food, rather than taking supplements. Unless you have a specific, targeted reason to take a supplement, don’t. As an example, if you have limited sunlight exposure and low Vitamin D blood levels, you would be a candidate to take a Vitamin D supplement. On the other hand, if you are taking a Vitamin D supplement because you heard it might lower your risk of COVID, cancer or any number of other diseases and conditions, then don’t. Don’t apply general recommendations, meant for a population of people, to your own, individual life. Look at your own, specific nutrition issues, instead.
How about the word, moderation? Today, most Americans do not have a realistic concept of what the term, moderation, means when it comes to food. So, for example, suggesting to someone to be moderate in the use of salt and sugar gets lost in the translation. Moderate in salt is impossible if you are eating out often. Fast food and restaurant food tend to be high in sodium. Remember that you cannot control the salt content of what you eat if someone else is preparing it. A good resolution would be to cut down on the number of times you eat out during the week. Moderate in sugar means having soft drinks, cakes, cookies, candy only infrequently, not part of an everyday routine. Moderation also means that portions sizes need to be smaller than you think. A moderate piece of meat or fish, for example, should be about 3-4 oz., about the size of a deck of cards.
Most importantly, enjoy what you eat. Eating is one of the basic pleasures in life. Americans seem to think that feeling guilty about what you eat is a normal part of living. Stop being such a food phobic and enjoy your meals. Mealtime should be a time to feed both your body and your soul. Have interesting conversations during our meals. Turn meals into a wonderful social time, not just an eating time. By the way, this is much easier to do once your kids are grown.
What’s the “no-nonsense nutrition” advice to begin the year? During the year, reflect on these important nutrition words: variety, plant-based, moderation and enjoyment. Keep these words in your mind as you live life in 2021.
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Have a question about food, diet or nutrition? Post or private message your question on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/AskDrKarp) or email your question to [email protected] If your question is chosen for a column, your name will be changed, to insure your privacy. Warren B. Karp, Ph.D., D.M.D. is Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pediatrics, Oral Biology and Oral Diagnosis at Augusta University. He has a Ph.D. in biochemistry from The Ohio State University and a D.M.D. from The Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University. He is an elected member of The American Institute of Nutrition (Federation of Societies of Experimental Biology), The American Society of Clinical Nutrition and is past president of the Georgia Nutrition Council. He has served as Director of the Nutrition Consult Service at The Dental College of Georgia, for over twenty years, appointed to the Governor's Obesity Taskforce and served as Vice Chair of the Columbia County Board of Health. He is also a jazz musician. You can find out more about Dr. Karp and the download site for the public domain eBook, Nutrition for Smarties, at www.wbkarp.com Dr. Karp obtains no funding for writing his columns, articles or books and has no financial or other interests in any food, book, nutrition product or company. His interest is only in providing freely-available, evidenced-based, scientific nutrition knowledge and education. The information is for educational use only; it is not meant to be used to diagnose, manage or treat any patient or client. Although Dr. Karp is a Professor Emeritus at Augusta University, the views and opinions expressed here are his and his alone and do not reflect the views and opinions of Augusta University or anyone else.