Seeing food differently

Michael Merschel American Heart Association News

Most of us probably think we have a pretty good idea of what a "balanced diet" looks like. And a lot of us may be wrong.

"I don't love the term," which can give people an outdated or oversimplified idea of what healthy eating looks like, said Dr. Matthew Landry, an assistant professor of population health and disease prevention at the University of California, Irvine. Some people he's counseled as a dietitian think a balanced meal means "balancing the good and bad foods." That idea troubles him.

"We wouldn't tell someone that they can smoke a couple of cigarettes just as long as they get 60 minutes of exercise during the day," Landry said. Finding balance in your diet also is more than just adding up numbers, said Dr. Shilpa Bhupathiraju, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

"If I tell you, 'You should eat so many milligrams of a certain nutrient,' you'll be like, 'Well, what does that mean?'" she said. Even for an experienced nutritionist like her, that's tough to envision.

But a healthy approach to eating doesn't have to be complicated, they said. Here's their advice.

Focusing on nutrient-dense foods is a healthy way to start, Landry said. That is, when deciding what to eat, ask, "Does that really have a lot of vitamins and minerals, or does it not?"

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate graphic is generally a good model, he said. Simply put, if you envision your meal filling a plate, half of that plate should be vegetables and fruit. "We should have some kind of grain on there — ideally some whole grains," he said, and then a protein, ideally plant-based.

"That's probably a pretty balanced kind of diet," he said. American Heart Association dietary recommendations also call for choosing low-fat or fat-free dairy products; using liquid plant oils rather than tropical oils and partially hydrogenated fats; choosing minimally processed foods instead of ultraprocessed foods; and limiting added sugars and salt.

It's natural to look for shortcuts to correct an imbalance. But there's no substitute for healthy eating, Bhupathiraju said, and you can't buy balance in a pill.

"Wouldn't that be great?" she said. "I would be out of a job."

But a healthy eating pattern is about more than any single nutrient, she said.

Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, for example, provides not only vitamins and minerals but helpful fiber, which is important for heart health.

Some people might benefit from certain supplements, Bhupathiraju said, but only after checking with a health care professional.

In general, Landry said, it's best "to get a healthy plate first, and that can be a way that we get all the vitamins and minerals and nutrients that you'd need."

Finding fresh produce can be tough in communities where options are limited or budgets are tight. Planning can help.

"Look for sales, coupons and market promotions," Landry suggested. "Try to purchase in bulk when possible, especially for nonperishable items."

Keep in mind that with fruits and vegetables, "canned and frozen options can be just as nutrient-dense as compared to fresh versions," he said.

In-season produce can be more affordable, Bhupathiraju said. And while gardening is not an option for everyone, she and her family grow some of what they eat.

"It's a great way to get the kids involved and for knowing where your food came from," she said.

There's no one way to do a balanced diet, Landry said.

"I come from Louisiana, so I like to have fish as one of my proteins," he said. That could mean grilling some salmon or tilapia and serving it with some quinoa with roasted vegetables and perhaps a spinach and avocado salad.

"And that's a very simple kind of balanced plate," he said.

You have options. Some people prefer apples, and some might go for guava, but "a fruit is a fruit, in any culture," Bhupathiraju said.

In Indian culture, the healthy oils of choice might be sesame, while in the Mediterranean region, it's olive oil.

"The basic principles remain the same," she said, meaning healthy choices abound.

The idea of balance in a meal goes beyond what you're eating, Landry said.

"It's not all about the food," he said, but also how you approach your meals.

When counseling people on making healthy changes to what they eat, he encourages them not to focus on a number on a scale but to think about how eating well makes them feel better.

"We shouldn't lose the joy that we get from eating a good meal," he said.

Bhupathiraju is a proponent of eating as a family, "which means putting your screens away," she said. And she encourages involving kids in the preparation process.

"When you're cooking together as a family, that's when it becomes more fun," she said.

Preserving summer's goodness

Barbara Intermill Tribune News Service

After a long, hot summer, we're finally feeling the chill of fall. So the rush is on to get the last of the apples off the two trees in our yard before frost hits. I enlisted the help of my grandkids with an enticing off er of a prize to the one who bagged the most apples. It worked.

My neighbors have also been encouraged to pick as many apples as they can reach. And there will still be plenty to feed a few resident squirrels and the cute little bunny that has made itself at home under our shed.

To me, nothing beats the taste and texture of freshly picked anything — especially apples. According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one of my small but mighty apples provides almost 4 grams of dietary fiber plus important amounts of calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and other nutrients. All for about 75 calories.

Apples are one of the most common fruits around the world, according to a 2022 in the Journal of Food Science. And these researchers provide evidence to suggest that an apple a day may truly keep the doctor away. Besides supplying natural energy, apples contain nutrients and other natural substances that encourage normal growth, bone health and resistance from disease.

Even the type of fiber in apples is "a-peeling" — pardon the pun. Most (about 70%) of an apple's fiber is the soluble type in the form of pectin. This type of fiber is known for its help with digestion as well as aiding in the control of blood sugars and cholesterol. Apples are also rich in what scientists call "bioactive compounds," which work to prevent chronic inflammation that can lead to diseases like heart disease and cancer.

Now, how best to preserve the healthful yumminess of these sweet, crisp beauties until my tree brings forth more apples next year?

I can start by keeping them cool. Apples last several times longer when they are stored in cold (not freezing) conditions rather than at room temperature, according to the Iowa State University Extension. Storing them in a perforated bag will also help preserve their taste and texture.

My neighbor makes applesauce with the fruit she gets from our trees. I'm not that energetic, so I slice and freeze them instead. And to keep them from browning, here's what the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia suggests: Dissolve 1⁄2 teaspoon ascorbic acid (aka vitamin C) in 3 tablespoons water. Sprinkle over the fruit, and toss. Apples can also be blanched in boiling water for about a minute to stop the browning process.

I mix my apple slices with a bit of sugar and cinnamon before sealing them in a freezer bag. Makes great apple crisp. Or apple bread. Let the season begin.

Southwest Montana Health Care Directory