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Delving Into Diets
Diets. We know them well. They’ve been around for years and will continue to be the topic of conversation for generations to come. Every day there seems to be another diet plan in the news, touting all sorts of facts and benefits to motivate millions of Americans to start something new.
There’s the Atkins Diet, the Zone Diet, Pritikin and Ornish plans. There’s the South Beach Diet, Jenny Craig, and even one called the “Blood Type” diet. We also have the 3-Apple-a-Day Plan and the familiar grapefruit diet, plus countless others vying for our attention.
If you are on a diet, it’s truly your decision and prerogative to choose a program that meets your needs. Hopefully, you’ve talked it over with your doctor and you’re following a plan that is sensible and safe. This is especially true if you’re diabetic or have other conditions that need special attention.
I’ve always advised my patients to be realistic about weight loss and not jump on every new diet bandwagon that comes along. Don’t let savvy advertising and peer pressure persuade you to undertake something drastic or expensive, especially when it comes to the many diet pills out there on the market. They’re dangerous and can cause all sorts of health problems—even death.
Choose by Color
It’s important to know your body and learn more about metabolism and nutrition. There’s plenty of information out there, especially today with the Internet. A good place to start is the American Heart Association’s Web site: www.americanheart.org. There you’ll find sensible and sound advice for the entire family.
Increasing your knowledge of food is definitely a smart way to approach any diet plan. It makes the entire process more interesting and actually can be a lot of fun when it comes to meal planning and shopping.
One book you might want to check out at your local library or order from your favorite bookstore is What Color is Your Diet? by David Heber, M.D, Ph.D., director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. He says, “Most Americans eat far too few foods with any color in them. Instead, we tend to eat a high-fat, highly processed ‘beige diet’ full of snack foods and refined grains (bread, cake, pastries) that don’t fit the requirements of our genes. The average intake of fruits and vegetables is only three servings a day, when it should be seven to eleven servings a day.”
This is a great read. Heber has coded plant foods into seven colors, all of which have different health-protecting qualities: red, red-purple, orange, orange-yellow, yellow-green, green, and white-green. It’s important to “colorize your diet” to protect your DNA by eating at least one serving of a fruit or vegetable from each color each day. The darker the colors, the more antioxidants you’ll find.
Once you read the book, you’ll be more aware of what’s on your plate. Just last night my wife, Cappy, counted a rainbow of colors in the salad alone: dark green spinach, red onions, blueberries and oranges, with red raspberry dressing. We also had steamed acorn squash and fresh asparagus with our salmon. Throughout the day we had blackberries on our cereal, apples and snow peas with a sandwich at lunch, and a banana for an afternoon snack. Lots of color, lots of nutrients.
Roadside Stands
You might also want to do Internet searches for foods like blueberries and ingredients like ginger, garlic and cinnamon. The searches will lead you to food commissions or associations that offer all sorts of information, food history and recipes.
As you shop at the grocery store, look at the array of colors. It’s amazing, especially when you know more about the nutrients these power-packed foods provide. This can really be fun as you travel the country, stocking up groceries for your RV. There’s nothing like fresh produce from local farmers’ markets and roadside stands to whet your appetite and help you stay on a good diet. As you plan your travels, do a bit of research on the availability of seasonal fruits and vegetables by asking the local chambers of commerce and state departments of agriculture. It’s also a good idea to read the food section of a newspaper throughout each season. Many a time you’ll find all sorts of information on local food festivals, tastings and special events.
Here are a few more books you might want to read: The Food Pharmacy by Jean Carper; Food: Your Miracle Medicine: How Food Can Prevent and Cure over 100 Symptoms and Problems, also by Jean Carper, and Foods that Harm, Foods that Heal: An A-Z Guide to Safe and Healthy Eating by Reader’s Digest.
It just makes sense to know more about your body and the foods you eat. Being on a diet doesn’t have to be dismal or boring. It can be a positive experience, especially as you travel and try new things.
Here’s to your health!