By Harvard Health

Snapshot of the American Diet: Foods Out of Balance

As a nation, we aren't eating as if our hearts and health depended on what we put into our stomachs.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, the average American gets too little of the foods that promote cardiovascular and general health and too much of those that detract from it.

The service compared daily per-person food consumption with recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Its report shows that Americans eat more refined grains and added sugar and fat than is deemed healthy, and not enough whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fish.

A Diet Out Of Balance

For years, research into connections between diet and the heart have focused on nutrients and other components of food, like cholesterol, fats, salt, and others. But we eat foods, not nutrients. The USDA study joins a small but growing trend into looking at foods and dietary patterns.

Power To Plants

If you already meet or beat goals set by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, congratulations. You've taken a big step toward safeguarding the health of your heart, your brain, and the rest of you. If your diet needs some tweaking, or a major overhaul, here are some suggestions. Since eating should be about pleasure, not deprivation, we'll focus on delicious foods you can choose in place of less healthful options.

Adding more plant foods is one of the best changes you can make.

They take a while for the body to digest, and deliver fiber, phytonutrients, and healthful fats.

Vegetables and fruits

Let vegetables and fruits be a highlight of many meals and snacks instead of an afterthought. Think they are too much work? Buy precut or frozen vegetables. Too bland? Try roasting vegetables with olive oil or serving them with a savory sauce. Make salads brimming with fresh greens and colorful additions like red peppers, orange slices, or dried cranberries.

Have fruits and vegetables on hand for snacks.

Most important, eat in living color -- mixing red, orange, yellow, green, and purple fruits and vegetables gives you the full spectrum of health-promoting phytonutrients.

Grains

Another great switch is to exchange foods made with highly refined grains, like white bread and corn flakes, for whole grains. Have oatmeal for breakfast. If you prefer cold cereal, try one of the many whole-grain choices popping up in your grocery store's cereal aisle. Whole-grain breads and pasta are other options. And there's a world of whole grains beyond brown rice, like cracked wheat, barley, and spelt.

Protein choices

There are many delicious ways to get the protein you need other than red meat.

Chicken and turkey are good alternatives, since they're lower in saturated fat and cholesterol. Just two servings a week of baked or broiled salmon, sardines, mackerel, trout, or other fatty fish can help keep a healthy heart in good shape and protect one that may be in trouble.

Have some nuts every day, whether it's a handful of almonds as a snack or a peanut butter sandwich (on whole-grain bread, of course!) for lunch. And think of beans as a miracle food rather than a "musical fruit," as the old ditty goes. Cook them as a side dish, sprinkle cooked beans on salads, blend cooked beans into soups as a thickener, or mash them for dips or sandwich spreads.

Less sugar

The American diet is awash in added sugar. Some of it is hidden in sweetened breakfast cereals, yogurt, and other foods. Much of it comes from soda, fruit drinks, and other beverages. If water doesn't satisfy your need for fluid, try switching to a reduced-sugar or sugar-free beverage

Mediterranean Diets

If you're a do-it-yourselfer, you can make healthy changes here and there as you see fit.

If you like direction, trying out a Mediterranean-type diet can help you make all the changes listed above, and then some.

Go to the source, Ancel Keys' 1959 classic book, "How to Eat Well and Stay Well the Mediterranean Way," or try a more modern version like "Your Heart Needs the Mediterranean Diet," by registered dietitian Emilia Klapp.

And keep in mind that diet, though important, is just one part of keeping your heart in shape.

To cover all the bases, add in exercise, not smoking, keeping your weight under control, and reducing stress.

[ Also: Drinking Coffee May Be Good for You ]

The American Diet - Foods Out of Balance - Healthy Diet

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