Tips for healthy eating for the national nutritional month For your health – republic times

By Dr. Graham A. Colditz

Siteman Cancer Center

March is the national nutritional month, which causes me to ask me how often this column focuses on the connections between what we eat, and our health and our well -being.

The short answer is: a lot. Over the years, it was quite rare that we did not address the food in one way or another.

What we eat can play a small role in a state or a larger role in a different role, but the general message was that the selection of healthier foods and drinks is one of the best things we can do for our health.

This can not only help us live longer, but also help to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, dementia and cancer. A healthy diet can also help us keep weight gain in control, which brings many additional advantages.

Admittedly, it can be difficult to know what “healthy eating” means exactly in a time of non -stop news and social media influencers.

The good news is when we take a step back, the basics of a healthy diet are fairly easy – and they have not changed much in recent decades.

Overall, the main focus is on eating healthier food from plants and at the same time lowering food with high sugar and unhealthy protein. Try:

Choose more fruit and vegetables – Make fruit or vegetables part of every meal. While fresh options are great, frozen and many versions in doses are also a good choice as long as they are low and unsweetened.

Choose more whole grain products – Many nutrients and health advantages are withdrawn from whole grains when processed for food such as white rice and white bread. Try to choose 100% whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, oatmeal and other foods with the name “whole grain” or “100% whole grain”.

Choose more healthy drinks – Choose healthy options to stay hydrated, including unsweetened tea and coffee, bubbling water or simple water with a splash of lime juice. Soding soda and similar drinks are associated with weight gain and obesity. And many coffee drinks specialties may have added many calories and sugar.

Choose more healthy fats and oils – Try to choose options such as rapeseed and olive oils that are higher in healthy unsaturated fats instead of cooking saturated fats with butter, lard or other oils.

Limit fast food and other processed foods – Although comfortable, fast food and processed foods are usually calorie, salt and unhealthy fats. We don't have to avoid it completely, but cutting back is the healthiest choice.

Limit red and processed meat – The selection of healthier protein options such as chicken, fish, beans and nuts is healthier than the selection of red and processed meat.

Limit alcohol – zero is best – Alcohol has many risks, including increasing the probability of developing several types of cancer. So it is the healthiest choice overall. Alcohol-free versions of beer and other drinks can be good alternatives-and something that I have enjoyed recently.

It is quite remarkable that one of the more powerful tools that we have to improve our health and reduce the risk of many illnesses every day.

It is not always easy to put healthy eating into practice, but we don't have to do everything at once. Small changes to one or two areas can make a difference and we can build from there.

It is not a race; A step-by-step trip with healthy foods is driven.

Dr. Graham A. Colditz, deputy director of prevention and control at the Siteman Cancer Center at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, is an internationally recognized provider of cancer prevention and creator of the 8ighttways® to prevent cancer Series.