I heard this phrase for the first time a few months ago while watching The Dr Oz Show. It was said by a registered dietitian who was discussing the eating patterns of the morbidly obese. I was struck by the power of the phrase & the sheer economy of words.
Unfortunately, this phrase doesn't just apply to the morbidly obese. It's also an accurate categorization of one of our nation's biggest health problems. Specifically, that Americans are certainly, "well-fed" (i.e. not starving) but they don't eat "well". Despite all this over consumption -- most of us are woefully undernourished.
The fact is that there is very little nutritional value in most of the things we as a nation eat on any given day.
Consider that every year the average American eats:
- 29 lbs of French fries
- 23 lbs of pizza
- 24 lbs of ice cream
- 53 gallons of soda
- 24 lbs of artificial sweeteners
- and 2.7 lbs of sodium (47% more than recommended)
Our bodies are designed to be fueled by "nutrient dense" foods. Nutrient dense means that pretty much every calorie in whatever you're eating has value in fueling you for sustained energy and/or enhancing health & wellness.
Unfortunately, more often than not food production in this country is about the systematic process of decreasing the nutritional value of food while increasing the number of calories in a given food while increasing its calorie count. Hence the term "junk food".
The good news is that eating better doesn't have to be an overwhelming process. It is really the result of making smarter choices every day -- one meal at a time. Here are two rules that can help guide better food choices in almost any situation.
1) Eat Close to Nature. The closer that any given food is to its natural source (i.e. being something you could identify as created by Mother Nature) the healthier it typically is for you. The more production involved, typically the worse the nutritional bang for your caloric buck (i.e. calories added and nutrition removed).
2) Eat the Rainbow (I'm not talking about Skittles here). When following Rule #1 try to eat food (fruits and veggies) with a wide variety of colors (particularly dark leafy greens and red/orange fruits and veggies). Foods that are more vibrant in color tend to have better nutritional value.
Geralyn Coopersmith is an exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer with over 20 years of professional experience. She is the National Director of The Equinox Fitness Training Institute (EFTI) and the author of Fit and Female: The Perfect Fitness and Nutrition Game Plan for Your Unique Body Type. She has appeared on The Today Show, The Dr. Oz Show and The CBS Morning Show and she has been quoted in national magazines including: Elle, Shape, Self, Fitness, Health, More, Women's Health and many others.
