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Healthy Diets from Around the World: The New American Diet
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Find out
what happens to the traditional American diet when Harvard researchers apply
lessons from around the world.
 It's as if famed
Harvard nutritionist Walter Willett, MD, Dr Ph, took a trip around the world. But
instead of collecting postcards or campy souvenirs, he amassed healthy eating
styles and strategies from across the globe.
From Greece and
southern Italy, he borrowed the liberal use of olive oil and a glass of wine
with dinner. From China and Japan, he picked up a reliance on plant-based
proteins, such as soy. From the Latin American countries, he adapted their
generous use of whole-grain foods and more active lifestyle. And instead of
putting his souvenirs in a traditional scrapbook, Willet used them to build a
new eating pyramid -- the new American diet - which he published in his latest
book,
Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy
Eating.
America is once
again a melting pot -- this time of eating wisdom and traditions from around the
world.
And it's about time.
Certain nutrition experts consider the traditional United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) Food Guide Pyramid outdated -- and others go as far as saying
that it may, in fact, contribute to the soaring rates of obesity in this
country.
Here's why: The
current USDA guidelines encourage large amounts of carbohydrates in the American
diet. They don't distinguish between types of fat. And they lump red meat,
chicken, nuts and legumes together.
By contrast, the
newly revamped eating pyramid created by Willett emphasizes white meat over red,
whole grains over refined, and plant oils over spreads made with saturated fat.
He says his pyramid, based on 20 years of research, could someday lower our
rates of heart disease and diabetes -- if enough Americans post it on their
refrigerator door.
How? Here's just one
example: Certain carbohydrates carry a high glycemic load, which means they
increase blood sugar levels in the body too rapidly. Whole-grain foods lead to a
slower and lower peak of blood sugar.
Traditional American
diets are filled with high-glycemic-index foods, which cause quick and strong
increases in blood sugar levels, and have been linked to an increased risk for
both diabetes and heart disease. "That's why it's healthier to separate
whole grains from other carbohydrates," Willett says.
Indeed, early
evidence shows that people who follow the new American diet do significantly
improve their health. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found
that men who followed the
new American diet lowered their overall risk of major
chronic disease by 20% and women lowered their overall risk by 11%.
So how do you start
if you're interested in following the new American diet? You don't have to jet
off to the Mediterranean or Hong Kong to learn this new style of eating. Just
follow these simple strategies, at home and out at restaurants:
- #
1 Move it and lose it: The New American diet puts weight control and
daily exercise at the broad base of its pyramid, neither of which are mentioned
in the traditional USDA model.
- A study, which
appears in the April 9, 2003, issue of The Journal of the American Medical
Association, shows why this is so beneficial. In it, Harvard researchers report
that women who avoid sedentary behaviors such as watching television more than
ten hours per week and incorporate a thirty-minute brisk walk into their day,
reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by 43% and obesity by 30% compared with women
with sedentary lifestyles.
- "Aim for 30
minutes a day of moderate physical activity on most days of the week and lose
just 10% of your body weight if you are overweight," says Kathy Berkowitz,
RN, past president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators and a
certified diabetes educator at Grady Health System in Atlanta.
- "These are not
overwhelming changes and can make a huge difference on your health and
well-being," she says. Moderate physical activity can include taking the
stairs instead of the elevator or parking a block further from the food store,
she says, "and it can be accrued throughout the day in spurts."
- #
2 Take out some insurance in a pill: For extra insurance that you are
getting all your nutrients each day, take a multivitamin every morning. The new
pyramid also encourages us to eat one or two servings of low-fat dairy products
a day -- and if you don't, take a calcium supplement to assure that your bones
stay strong.
- #
3 Substitute whole grains for refined grains: When the waiter asks if you
want white or brown rice, say "brown." When he asks what type of bread
you want your sandwich on say "wheat" or "rye" -- not white.
- Here's why: No
matter how you slice it, all breads are not created equally. "There has
never been any evidence that large amounts of starches are good for us, but the
base of traditional USDA pyramid comprises Wonder Bread, white rice, and
pasta," says Willett.
- "And now there
is good evidence that high amounts of starch can make insulin resistance
worse," he tells WebMD. Insulin resistance means that the body is losing
its ability to control blood sugar levels and is a sign that diabetes is not far
away.
- In the new pyramid,
people are encouraged to eat whole-grain foods -- brown rice, whole-grain
cereal, and whole wheat or rye bread -- at most meals. The pyramid puts refined
starches such as white rice, white bread, potatoes, and pasta at the top, right
next to white sugar.
 Whole-grain
ingredients to look for when choosing foods include:
 Whole wheat
Whole barley
Whole oats
Cracked wheat
Graham flour
- # 4
Color-code your plate: The traditional USDA pyramid does encourage eating
more fruits and vegetables, which is good, but potatoes are not a vegetable,
Willett stresses. "They are a major starch source."
- Use a simple color
wheel as your guide to the new American diet. Avoid white foods. Choose a
variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. For example, dark leafy green
vegetables like spinach and kale are rich in the vitamin folate, which may help
prevent colon cancer and heart disease.
- Bright red tomatoes
are rich in lycopene. Studies have found that men who ate the most tomato-based
foods (such as cooked tomatoes, tomato sauce, and pizza with red sauce) had a
35% lower risk of developing prostate cancer than those who ate the least amount
of these foods.
- When you are loading
up your plate, choose dark-green, leafy vegetables; yellow, orange, and red
fruits and vegetables; cooked tomatoes; and citrus fruits.
- Willett suggests
that you consume veggies in abundance each day and eat two to four servings of
fruit a day.
- #
5 Avoid red meat: The current dietary pyramid lumps together red meat,
fish, nuts, poultry, and legumes. Not a good call, according to Willett.
"There needs to be a distinction between unhealthy and healthy sources of
protein in a way that is clear to people," he says.
- In Willet's new
pyramid, nuts and legumes can be consumed one to three times a day, while fish
and chicken can be eaten two or fewer times each day. Red meat, however, should
be consumed sparingly, just once or twice a week.
- #6
Choose the good fats: Fat is not a four-letter word, Willett says. It's
true that saturated fats from butter, cheese, milk, and meats are unhealthy. But
there are real benefits from unsaturated plant oils, Willett tells WebMD.
- Monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fats found in nuts, avocados, fish, olives, and most plant oils
help lower "bad" cholesterol levels. Healthy fats include olive oil
and other plant oils such as soy, canola, corn, safflower, and sunflower oils.
For the new American diet, Willet suggests that these healthy fats should be
consumed at most meals. To get started, cook with olive or canola oil instead of
butter or margarine.
 Important fats to
avoid are the "trans fats," says Dana Greene, MS, a Boston- based
nutritionist whose work with overweight children puts her on the front lines of
the obesity crisis in the U.S.
Trans fatty acids
are created when an oil, such as corn oil, is hydrogenated so it becomes a solid
fat. These hydrogenated fats don't spoil quickly, so they're widely used in
cookies, crackers, chips, and other baked goods that you buy in the supermarket.
They're also found in many kinds of margarine and in most fried and fast food.
"Trans fat increases levels of 'bad' cholesterol in the bloodstream and
decreases levels of 'good' cholesterol," says Greene.
Remember, you don't
have to radically change your diet overnight. The best approach is to begin
making simple substitutions now, says Melanie Polk, RD, director of nutrition
education at the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C.
"Making a
change in the fat that you use, eating more whole grains, and emphasizing
plant-based foods such as beans, nuts, and vegetables are all changes that can
be easily made," she says.
Even better, their
health benefits are supported by research from around the world!
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Healthy Diets from Around the World:
Healthy Diets from Around the World: The New American Diet. Traditional American diet when Harvard researchers apply
lessons from around the world. Healthy eating
styles and strategies from across the globe. Emphasizes white meat over red,
whole grains over refined, and plant oils over spreads made with saturated fat.
Evidence shows that people who follow the new American diet do significantly
improve their health. Move it and lose it: Whole-grain
ingredients to look for when choosing foods include: Whole wheat, Whole barley,
Whole oats, Cracked wheat, Graham flour,
Color-code your plate,
more fruits and vegetables, dark leafy green
vegetables like spinach and kale are rich in the vitamin folate, which may help
prevent colon cancer and heart disease. Bright red tomatoes
are rich in lycopene. Choose dark-green, leafy vegetables; yellow, orange, and red
fruits and vegetables; cooked tomatoes; and citrus fruits. Nuts, avocados, fish, olives, and most plant oils
help lower "bad" cholesterol levels. Important fats to
avoid are the "trans fats,"
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