MEDICINE & HEALTH Eat, Drink AND <strong>Healthy</strong> BE ADVICE FROM HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL ByBill Johnson Americans seem obsessed with diets and losing weight. Bookstore shelves are stacked with such books – <strong>the</strong> Atkins Diet, <strong>the</strong> South Beach Diet, Dr. Phil’s Plan and a plethora of o<strong>the</strong>rs. Most have something in common: <strong>the</strong>y’re written and highly promoted as commercial ventures. One book that stands out from <strong>the</strong> rest is Eat, Drink and Be <strong>Healthy</strong>, <strong>the</strong> Harvard Medical School Guide to <strong>Healthy</strong> Eating. Dr. Walter C. Willett’s name is on <strong>the</strong> cover, although <strong>the</strong> book doesn’t result from his work alone. It was co-developed by <strong>the</strong> Harvard School of Public Health and results from decades of research on nutrition. Dr. Willett is chairman of <strong>the</strong> Department of Nutrition and a professor of nutrition and epidemiology. He is widely recognized for sounding <strong>the</strong> alarm about trans fat in processed foods – <strong>the</strong> manufactured fat that prolongs shelf-life but reduces “good” cholesterol and raises “bad” cholesterol in humans. He termed <strong>the</strong> phrase “stealth fat” because it was added to food products without our knowledge or being noted on <strong>the</strong> package labels. The rise in <strong>the</strong> amount of trans fats in <strong>the</strong> American diet parallels <strong>the</strong> rise in heart disease. The Harvard book is less glitzy than many o<strong>the</strong>r books about diets, even a tad scholarly. The extensive research gives it credibility. Dr. Timothy Johnson, medical editor for ABC <strong>New</strong>s, calls it “<strong>the</strong> best book on nutrition for <strong>the</strong> general public that I have read.” Dr. Ralph Paffenbarger, a professor of epidemiology at Stanford University Medical School, wrote: “Well-written and well-reasoned, this book identifies a total diet that affects satiety, meets <strong>the</strong> body’s needs for energy and nutrients, and prevents or delays some specific chronic diseases.” While many of <strong>the</strong> “diet” books promote rapid weight loss, <strong>the</strong> Harvard book promotes a healthful eating regimen for a lifetime.The most controversial conclusion is an attack on <strong>the</strong> traditional USDA Food Pyramid, which Dr. Willett says is simply wrong and offers advice not based on science. “At worst,” he says, “<strong>the</strong> misinformation contributes to overweight, poor health and unnecessary early deaths.” The USDA Food Pyramid is heavy on <strong>the</strong> bread, cereal, rice and pasta group of foods. The Harvard plan – called <strong>the</strong> <strong>Healthy</strong> Eating Pyramid – recommends that such foods (along with red meat, butter, potatoes and sweets) should be eaten sparingly. The Harvard plan recommends eating whole grain foods at most meals and plenty of plant oils (olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut, and o<strong>the</strong>r vegetable oils). It recommends “an abundance of vegetables,” fruits two or three times a day, nuts and legumes one to three times a day, fish, poultry and eggs up to twice a day. From Our Home to Yours! <strong>Happy</strong> <strong>New</strong> <strong>Year</strong>! SKY Mercede Realtor Associate 954-214-1501 smercede@bellsouth.net For All Your Residential and Commercial Real Estate Needs. NOW AVAILABLE: • 5/4 - 2 story house Coconut Creek • 2/2 Condo Boca • Gated • 2/1.5 Condo Boca • Gated • Gas Station with C store • Rest. with drive thru • 30,000 SF warehouse www.skymercede.com 84 JANUARY 2007 If you’re looking for a “crash” diet to shed pounds quickly, you’ll be disappointed in <strong>the</strong> Harvard recommendations. Essentially, Dr. Willett says almost any diet can cause you to lose weight. A more important question is whe<strong>the</strong>r it’s a healthful diet. Dramatic diets may take off pounds, but <strong>the</strong> weight loss is often only temporary. Dr. Willett warns that high-protein diets have not been carefully tested. “Such a diet,” he writes, “can pull calcium out of bones” and “a diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol may set <strong>the</strong> stage for heart disease even as weight decreases.” He advocates gradual weight loss and says <strong>the</strong>re’s no magic bullet or quick fix to healthful weight reduction. You need to develop a healthful way of eating that you enjoy and can sustain throughout your life. If <strong>the</strong>re’s an established diet that is somewhat of a model for what <strong>the</strong> Harvard research recommends, it is <strong>the</strong> Mediterranean diet, which Dr. Willett calls “a good place to start.” Of course, he also recommends exercise – 30 minutes a day. The book discusses many aspects of how our bodies process such food elements as proteins, selenium, calcium, sodium potassium, magnesium and vitamins. The strategy for a healthful diet is accompanied by a collection of suggested recipes. Dr. Willett summarizes his recommendations this way: • Maintain a stable, healthy weight; • Replace saturated and trans fat with unsaturated fats; • Substitute whole-grain carbohydrates for refined-grain carbohydrates; • Choose healthier sources of proteins by trading red meat for nuts, beans, chicken and fish; •Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits; •Use alcohol in moderation; •Take a daily multi-vitamin for insurance. This strategy, <strong>the</strong> Harvard researchers say, will enhance and leng<strong>the</strong>n your life. Eat, Drink and Be <strong>Healthy</strong> is in paperback published by Simon and Shuster.
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