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Alphabet Soup: An
A-to-Z Guide to Favorite Foods
by Suzette Hill
originally published in Arthritis
Today
Want to feel great? Forget the gimmicks, bypass
the expensive supplements and get back to the basics with a nutritionally
balanced diet composed of healthy foods.
Each week researchers announce new findings on
the relationship between good health and essential nutrients, plant chemicals,
antioxidants and other compounds found in foods.
The types of foods we eat can help to reduce
our risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and
gallbladder disease, just to name a few, says Cindy Moore, director of
nutrition therapy at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland and
spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA).
Some of these same foods also may have the
potential to reduce pain and inflammation. But every food in this A-to-Z guide
serves up the essential nutrients that help to keep your health in top form:
Some are energy boosters, some are immune supporters and others are free-radical
mercenaries.
View this guide as food for thought rather than a
recommended shopping list. For example, bananas may not be on the list, but theyre
definitely part of a healthy diet. Nor did any empty-calorie junk foods make the
list, but they, too, can occasionally have a place at the table. All foods
can fit into a healthful diet, says Moore. Its a matter of looking at
the frequency and portion size of each of the different foods we eat.
Moore advises planning your diet to include as
many plant-based foods - whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes - as
possible. Start at the bottom of the Food Guide Pyramid each day and work your
way up with six to 11 servings of whole grains, five vegetables and four fruits,
adds Carol Henderson, PhD, a registered dietitian and assistant professor at
Georgia State University in Atlanta. Beans, nuts and low- or non-fat dairy and
animal protein sources come next, with three servings a day. Last and in
moderation, come foods high in fat, sugar and oil.
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