YUMM-O!

You’ve probably heard people say “If it tastes good, it must be bad for you,” right?  It saddens me to hear people label food as “good” or “bad.” Eating and enjoying food is a wonderful pleasure of life!

Our body uses hunger to tell us it is time to “refuel,” and then we get to choose what food to eat to fill up the “gas tank.”  The bonus for us? We enjoy the taste of food while we satisfy that need for fuel, and we feel better when we are no longer hungry. Nature made this cycle a pleasurable one so we will do it again and keep our bodies alive.

In our land of abundance, we have lots of food readily available and it is easy to fill up on a variety of foods, some containing more nutritional value than others.

However, as Spiderman’s uncle said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

We are the ones who have that power and responsibility for our food and beverage choices, many times a day, day after day.  Nutrition information is a tool, not a weapon to make us feel guilty or bad about our decisions. Knowing the “recommendations” for variety and moderation can help us optimize our health without giving up the joy of eating!

In the hospital cafeteria we have seen “diet” trends come and go. In the ’90s, everybody wanted “low fat,” with some people taking it to an extreme level, trying to eat no fat at all. That can lead to vitamin deficiencies, which show up as hair loss and dry scaly skin.

Then came the low-carb diets, and they do produce rapid weight loss at the beginning due to loss of “water” weight.  These diets tend to be very restrictive, cutting out entire food groups, which can result in nutrient deficiencies and lack of enjoyment.

So the slow approach of variety and moderation still wins the long-term race (think tortoise and the hare). Sorry, there’s still no magic quick fix out there. That advice won’t win me a book deal, but it’s the true path to a balanced life!

“My Plate” shows a general guide for food choices to meet your nutrition needs (see “choosemyplate.gov”). For most meals, try to eat a variety of healthy options, including a fruit, a vegetable, some protein, lower fat dairy, and a whole grain starch. If you can’t eat all those items at one time, try to make them priority choices for snack times.  If you are hungry for some foods with less nutritional value, enjoy them in moderation as part of a balanced approach to life.

I’ve included a recipe from the Sunflower Café – enjoy!

Wishing you good health,
Rhonda Horsch, MS,RD,LD, Director of Dietary
Newton Medical Center

ITALIAN PASTA SALAD