American Medical Association Family Medical Guide - American Medical Association [30]
If you have a high cholesterol level and a family history of heart disease, your doctor will probably suggest that you avoid or limit foods high in saturated fat and trans fats (see page 38), exercise regularly, and maintain a healthy weight. If you have a family history of diabetes or are overweight, your doctor will recommend increasing your physical activity and losing weight. If you have a family history of colon cancer or some other cancers, your doctor will recommend reducing your consumption of fat (especially animal fat), increasing your consumption of fiber-rich foods, and increasing your level of physical activity. Depending on your risk factors and your age and gender, the doctor will also tell you what screening tests you need regularly.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend a diet that is low in fat (especially saturated fat and trans fats) and high in fiber-rich whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. Children under age 2 need breast milk or higher-fat dairy or soy milk or formula to ensure proper brain development. But, after age 2, they should make the transition to low-fat foods. Try to eat at least five half-cup servings of vegetables and fruits and six half-cup servings of grain products and legumes each day. It also is important to eat a wide variety of foods to make sure you are consuming as many essential nutrients as possible. When applying healthy eating principles, consider your diet over several days, but choose wisely meal by meal. Choose low-fat, high-fiber foods more often and use low-fat cooking methods such as broiling and grilling instead of frying.
You don’t have to eliminate your favorite high-fat snacks, desserts, or fast foods altogether. If you occasionally indulge in pizza, a burger, or a dish of ice cream, enjoy it. Just try to eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low-fat foods at your next few meals, a concept known as “fat budgeting.” Healthy diets do include certain fats—such as monounsaturated fats—to make you feel full and to provide essential fatty acids.
In fact, some fats are beneficial, improving cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of heart disease. These protective fats come primarily from vegetable oils such as olive, canola, and soy (unsaturated fats); fatty fish such as salmon (omega-3 fatty acids); and some margarines (plant sterols). Other sources of good fats include nuts, seeds, and avocados.
Consume sugar, salt, and alcohol in moderation. Sugar causes tooth decay, and sugar-laden foods such as soft drinks, candy, and pastries contain lots of calories but few nutrients. Many sugary desserts are also high in saturated fat or trans fats. In addition, many fat-free desserts and snacks have replaced fat with sugar and actually have more calories than their full-fat alternatives. You can easily fill up on such foods and exceed your calorie quota, leaving little room for nutritious foods.
Consuming foods that are high in salt (sodium) can elevate blood pressure in salt-sensitive people and also can promote calcium loss from the bones, leading to osteoporosis (see page 989). Although not everyone is salt-sensitive (there is no test to determine if a person is sensitive to salt), your body needs only a very small amount of sodium (fewer than 500 milligrams a day). You can easily exceed the recommended daily allowance for sodium (2,400 milligrams a day), even without adding salt to your food. Processed and commercially packaged foods—including canned soup, pastas, and