Active Low-Carber Forums
Atkins diet and low carb discussion provided free for information only, not as medical advice.
Home Plans Tips Recipes Tools Stories Studies Products
Active Low-Carber Forums
A sugar-free zone


Welcome to the Active Low-Carber Forums.
Support for Atkins diet, Protein Power, Neanderthin (Paleo Diet), CAD/CALP, Dr. Bernstein Diabetes Solution and any other healthy low-carb diet or plan, all are welcome in our lowcarb community. Forget starvation and fad diets -- join the healthy eating crowd! You may register by clicking here, it's free!

Go Back   Active Low-Carber Forums > Main Low-Carb Diets Forums & Support > Low-Carb Studies & Research / Media Watch > LC Research/Media
User Name
Password
FAQ Members Calendar Mark Forums Read Search Gallery My P.L.A.N. Survey


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1   ^
Old Tue, Feb-10-04, 15:02
gotbeer's Avatar
gotbeer gotbeer is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 2,889
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 280/203/200 Male 69 inches
BF:
Progress: 96%
Location: Dallas, TX, USA
Default "Eat to your health's content"

Eat to your health's content

Though most adults don't bother, it's really important to eat more veggies and fruit

By Gary White, NYT Regional Newspapers


http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/p...ATTERS/40209001 (This link contains a sidebar article wherein Katz attacks Atkins and SB by name. - gotbeer)

Christina Witwer, a student at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Fla., was hit with a sudden pop quiz one afternoon. Asked how many servings of fruits and vegetables she eats each day, Witwer considered briefly and answered:

''Probably none.''

''I'm a college student, and I'm always on the go,'' the slender Ohio native said while walking from campus to a job. ''I don't get a chance to eat properly.''

It's not that she dislikes food that grows on trees or from the ground; she simply prefers the kind that comes in shiny bags. She believes she has probably been influenced by her mother, whom she described as ''kind of a junk-food person herself.''

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 26 percent of Americans eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day. That means more than 135 million Americans, or 74 percent, are not getting the minimum daily amount of fruits and vegetables recommended.

So Witwer and her mom are not alone. The statistics, however, are a cause for concern. Studies cite a reduced risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers as reasons to eat a plant-heavy diet.

''It's real achievable if you just get in the habit of doing it - having fruits and vegetables at home and taking them to work with you,'' said Susan Kistler, nutrition director for the Polk and Hardee County Health Departments in Florida. ''It just takes a little planning.''

The National Cancer Institute has for years recommended that Americans eat at least five servings of fruits and/or vegetables a day. The Five A Day Campaign is a partnership among the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and other groups.

Dr. David L. Katz, a professor in the Yale University School of Medicine and the author of ''The Way to Eat''(Sourcebooks Trade, $22) says Americans have long fallen short of the recommendations. The recent popularity of low-carbohydrate diets, such as that developed by the late Dr. Robert Atkins and the South Beach Diet, has only exacerbated the problem.

Katz, a nutrition columnist for O: The Oprah Magazine, points to several factors in Americans' failure to eat more fruits and vegetables:

Most people don't understand the importance of plant-based foods.

Some fruits and vegetables can be expensive, especially when out of season.

Fresh produce has a relatively short shelf live.

Vending machines in schools and offices make processed food much more readily available.

The taste of a store-bought peach isn't as predictable as that of a Doritos chip.

Fruits and vegetables can taste bland or worse if poorly prepared.

Through the Prevention Research Center at Yale, Katz is working to devise a nationwide survey commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that will in part assess the reasons so few people meet the recommendations for eating fruits and vegetables.

''To be perfectly honest, nobody can tell you what they all are,'' he says.

Even for those who strive to eat healthy diets, the minimum threshold of five servings a day can seem daunting. Gene Moiles and his wife, Joyce, retirees from Michigan who spend their winters in Lakeland, say they try to include fruits or vegetables with every meal. Joyce, 78, who prepares the meals, mentions green beans, peas, apricots, grapes and applesauce as staples of their diets.

Even so, Gene, 81, estimates he eats only three to four servings a day of plant foods.

''That is a lot,'' his wife says of the five-a-day guideline.

But Kistler, the nutritionist, insists it's easier to meet the guideline than most people realize. For one thing, she said, we tend to overestimate the size of a serving.

An extra-large red delicious apple or a robust banana might actually count as two servings. A cup of salad greens or a half-cup of carrots delivers another full serving. In general, a piece of fruit the size of a tennis ball counts as one unit.

''It's really not a whole lot compared to what most people really eat,'' Kistler says.

Kistler suggests eating fruits or vegetables at every meal, starting with a glass of orange juice or a banana with breakfast. She recommends eating fruits, such as raisins, for snacks and desserts. In general, she advises clients to cover half of their plates with fruits and vegetables at each meal.

''Another way that has been shown to work for some people is to take in maybe an apple, pear and a peach to work and line them up on their desk and before going home at night making sure to eat all of them,'' Kistler says. ''So they're there as reminders, and you're not going to the vending machine.''

Finally, Kistler says some might not realize that beans and other legumes are classified as vegetables.

Katz, the Yale University professor, agrees that getting plenty of plant-based foods is easier than most people think. Noting that the five-a-day guideline should be considered a minimum for good health, he said he consumes 15 to 20 servings a day of fruits and vegetables.

While nutritionists focus on quantity, Kistler said it's also important to pursue variety. She advises clients to sample liberally among the different color categories of fruits and vegetables:

Blue-purple: including blackberries, blueberries, raisins, purple grapes, dried plums and eggplant.

Green: including green apples, kiwi fruit, green grapes, pears, broccoli, green beans, cabbage, celery, romaine lettuce, spinach and peas.

White: including cauliflower, onions, potatoes, garlic, bananas, brown pears and mushrooms.

Red: including red apples, tomatoes, cherries, cranberries, red grapes, pink and red grapefruit, red pears, strawberries, watermelon, beets, red onions, red potatoes, radishes and raspberries.

Yellow-orange: including cantaloupe, lemons, grapefruit, yellow apples, oranges, mangoes, peaches, tangerines, carrots, pumpkins, corn, sweet potatoes and squash.

Even with the abundance of fruits and vegetables available in grocery stores, some people prefer the convenience and longevity of frozen or canned items. Nutritionists say there's nothing wrong with that.

Kistler said processed vegetables can be nutritionally superior to fresh vegetables because the former are preserved almost from the point of harvest. Her one caveat about processed foods involves canned fruits, which often are stored in sugary liquids.

Katz said some nutritionists have pushed for a return to home-economics classes in schools so that students can learn how to cook vegetables - something they don't seem to be learning at home.

''I think most people don't appreciate how much wonderful flavor fresh produce can add to their diet,'' Katz says. ''Some of the world's great cuisines are almost entirely vegetarian.

''I think we're missing the boat if we think of eating vegetables as a chore. Our mission is not to get people to be healthy by eating food they hate. I think we can have good taste and good health, too.''

(Gary White writes for The Ledger in Lakeland, Fla.)

Last modified: February 09. 2004 1:04PM
Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #2   ^
Old Tue, Feb-10-04, 16:02
Angeline's Avatar
Angeline Angeline is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 3,423
 
Plan: Atkins (loosely)
Stats: -/-/- Female 60
BF:
Progress: 40%
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Default

Quote:
Dr. David L. Katz, a professor in the Yale University School of Medicine and the author of ''The Way to Eat''(Sourcebooks Trade, $22) says Americans have long fallen short of the recommendations [of fruits and vegetable]. The recent popularity of low-carbohydrate diets, such as that developed by the late Dr. Robert Atkins and the South Beach Diet, has only exacerbated the problem.


This can be entirely laid at the feet of the popular media who insist on portraying a sensationalized version of the Atkins diet: An all you can eat fest of meat, eggs, bacon and cheese. As you well know, this is entirely false
Reply With Quote
  #3   ^
Old Tue, Feb-10-04, 19:39
Angeline's Avatar
Angeline Angeline is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 3,423
 
Plan: Atkins (loosely)
Stats: -/-/- Female 60
BF:
Progress: 40%
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Default

Reply With Quote
  #4   ^
Old Wed, Feb-11-04, 05:50
tekgoddess's Avatar
tekgoddess tekgoddess is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 45
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 195/176/120 Female 5'2
BF:39%
Progress: 25%
Location: Texas
Default

Omg that cartoon article is funny! Especially these 2 lines:
Kumquats sound like porn
Thought local "farmers market" run by the Mafia
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Anybody been on Montignac Method "Eat Yourself Slim"? tachi77 Food Combining 12 Mon, Jul-12-04 04:21
"Eat meat, lose weight - everybody's doing it" gotbeer LC Research/Media 4 Thu, Oct-16-03 20:05
"Eat fat, get slim: recipes for Atkins dieters" gotbeer LC Research/Media 0 Thu, Sep-11-03 11:50
what's with "eat right 4 your blood type"? hugo General Low-Carb 7 Tue, Aug-27-02 13:22


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:36.


Copyright © 2000-2024 Active Low-Carber Forums @ forum.lowcarber.org
Powered by: vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.