Characteristics of a Healthy Diet

 

Characteristics of a healthy diet

A nutritious diet has five characteristics; first is adequacy where "the foods provide enough of each essential nutrient, fiber, and energy" (Sizer & Whitney, 2012, p. 10).  The second characteristic is balance where "the choices do not overemphasize one nutrient or food type at the expense of another" (Sizer & Whitney, 2012, p. 10).  Calorie control is the third characteristic where "the foods provide the amount of energy you need to maintain appropriate weight-not more, not less" (Sizer & Whitney, 2012, p. 10).  The fourth characteristic is moderation and occurs when "the foods do not provide excess fat, salt, sugar, or other unwanted constituents" (Sizer & Whitney, 2012, p. 10).  Finally, the fifth characteristic is variety where "the foods chosen differ from one day to the next" (Sizer & Whitney, 2012, p. 10).

A healthy diet should include whole foods such as: fruits, vegetables, poultry, fish, and nuts; low-fat dairy products such as: low fat milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese; and whole grains such as: breads, pastas, oatmeal and quinoa.  Consuming adequate amounts of water is also very important to make sure that the body is hydrated. 

Food portions should be within the recommended daily food allowances, and there are numerous tools and tips that one can follow to ensure that they are eating the right portions of food.  Food diaries are a great way to ensure that you are consuming a variety of different foods in your diet and serve as an accountability tool to reduce intake of unhealthy foods.  Other portion control tips include eating on smaller plates, taking more time to chew food, comparing meat ounces to playing cards, and understanding the information on nutrition labels. 

Challenges associated with choosing the right foods

There are many challenges associated with making the right food choices.  A lack of nutritional education, busy lifestyles, and the abundance of fast and processed foods are just a few challenges that many Americans face.  Many Americans feel that they are eating healthy, when in fact they are not; processed food items typically showcase misleading health statements on their packages and can confuse or trick consumers.  Americans may understand that fast food is not optimal, but understanding exactly what the ingredients are within the food may deter consumers from choosing it as a meal option.  Furthermore, Americans may be confused on how to read nutritional labels, including the serving size and ingredients.  Many of the processed foods that are readily available at the supermarket today contain artificial ingredients which make planning a healthy meal very difficult (Sizer & Whitney, 2012).  Healthy eating habits are not culturally supported, and many Americans are actually encouraged to eat more at restaurants as the serving size of entrées have increased significantly over the last decade. 

In order to be healthy, you have to choose it, it is not simply something that just happens.  An individual needs to understand what specific challenges affect their eating habits and actively seek solutions to these problems.  For example, if you have a busy lifestyle, shopping ahead of time and planning meal options for the week can be a doable solution to maintain a healthy diet.  Americans should seek to educate themselves about the quality of food that they are consuming, and the health risks associated with fast and processed foods.  If shopping at the grocery store is overwhelming, a consumer can stay on the outer skirts of the grocery isles; the fruits and vegetables are typically located on one side of the grocery store, while whole grains are on the opposite side and low-fat dairy and fish and poultry products can be found on the back isle. 

For the healthy conscious person, sifting through all of the available information on what is healthy can be confusing; many fad diets (such as Adkins) can misinform consumers which can be "confusing or contradictory" (Hackett, 2012).  An important part of creating a healthy society is that health messages are "clear and consistent" and a study by the Institute of Grocery Distribution's Industry Nutrition Strategy Group suggests that these messages should be sent out by the government (Hackett, 2012).  The messages that are sent out to consumers through business should be "relevant, appropriate, and consistent with the Government's messages" so that consumers have a higher knowledge and awareness on the aspects that constitute a healthy lifestyle  (Hackett, 2012). 

With the current obesity epidemic that plagues our country, government involvement is absolutely necessary at this point.  A clear message needs to be communicated to consumers and Americans should better understand what a healthy diet looks like. 

Factors that drive our food choices

There are many factors that influence food choices; each day consumers choose what to eat, how to eat it, and with who to eat.  Consumers use on sociological, psychological, philosophical, and physical avenues to make decisions about food, and can have a large impact on the diet of an individual (Sizer & Whitney, 2012).  There are many cultural and social meanings that are attached to food, and sharing ethnic food is an avenue that individual's use to share their culture (Sizer & Whitney, 2012).  On the other hand, the convenience of food is a high priority for many Americans, and many individuals spend the majority of their money on easy to prepare or fast food (Sizer & Whitney, 2012).  Other factors that drive food choices include: "advertising, availability, cost, emotional comfort, habit, personal preference, positive or negative associations, region of the country, social pressure, values or beliefs, weight, and nutrition and health benefits" (Sizer & Whitney, 2012). 

References:

Hackett, R. R. (2012). The IGD Best Practice Guide to communicating to consumers about a healthy, balanced diet. Nutrition Bulletin, 37(1), 67-71. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1111/j.1467-3010.2011.01944.x

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2012).  Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies, MyPlate Update (12th ed.).  Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.