 If
I eat the recommended 7 to 10 servings of vegetables and fruits a
day, will I get enough vitamin C?
 Eating the amounts of
fruits and vegetables recommended in the latest health pyramid and dietary guidelines
of the federal government makes it fairly easy to meet the recommended dietary
allowance (RDA) for vitamin C. However, if your selection of
produce is too limited, it is still possible to be deficient
in this important vitamin, especially if you are trying to lower
your calorie intake. Reducing your calorie intake to lose weight
might push your vegetable and fruit consumption to the lower
end of the recommended ranges. Consequently, it is still a good
idea to eat at least one good source of vitamin C each day. Good
sources include fruits such as cantaloupe, star fruit, grapefruit
and its juice, honeydew, kiwi, oranges and their juice, papayas
and strawberries. Vegetables with high amounts of vitamin C are
broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, peppers and tomato
juice.
Where
is alcohol in the new pyramid nutrition recommendations?
Alcohol is
not included as an independent food group within MyPyramid (www.MyPyramid.gov),
the new federal nutrition pyramid, because it doesn’t fill
any nutritional needs. If appropriate, you can include moderate amounts
of alcohol within your diet as part of “discretionary calories,” according
to the new pyramid. Discretionary calories are the calories that
might remain after you meet all of your nutritional needs and
consume enough to maintain or reach your healthy weight. Most
sedentary adults have between 150 to 300 of these extra calories
to spend on higher-fat foods, sweets, or alcohol a day. Because
active adults burn more calories, they can eat between 200 to
450 calories from such foods and still maintain their weight.
Since there are at least 100 to 150 calories in each alcoholic
drink, even a moderate use of alcohol (one drink for women and
two drinks for men a day) can make it tricky to stay within your
day’s discretionary calories. Since drinking alcohol beyond
moderation can also increase your risk of cancer, controlling
calories is just one good reason to restrict your use of alcohol.
|
 What
foods contain carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates
include both sugars and starches. Sugars are found in sweets, such
as cookies, candy and soft drinks, as well as in sweeteners like
sugar, honey, corn syrup and the commercial sauces that contain
them. Fruits, juices and milk products also contain natural sugars.
Starches, on the other hand, are found in grain products, such
as bread, cereal, pasta and rice, and dried beans. Vegetables concentrated
in starches include potatoes, corn, peas and winter squash. Most
vegetables, however, contain only small amounts of these carbohydrates.
Nuts and seeds contain modest amounts of carbohydrates, too. As
you can see from this list, foods with carbohydrates can range
from items that have no real nutritional value (except calories)
to plant foods loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals.
Since we need carbohydrates to fuel our body, a plant-based diet
can build our energy levels at the same time that it improves our
health. If you are diabetic, you need to regulate your intake of
carbohydrates throughout the day. If you are trying to control
your weight, keep in mind that eating more calories than you burn – no
matter what their source is – can defeat your efforts. You
should be particularly careful about eating too many nutrition-poor
carbohydrates, like cookies and soft drinks.
Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN
American Institute for Cancer Research
AICR’s Web address is www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International. |
