In January 2005, the U.S. government released its latest version of the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” Issued every five years, the edition reports on and clarifies scientific evidence to help the public make healthy food and lifestyle choices. While these guidelines govern federally sponsored food and education programs, they are only suggestions to the general public. All of us need to take responsibility for ourselves not only to read the findings, but also to implement the suggestions in our diet and behavior. For martial artists, good nutrition is a crucial component of body and mind training.
The first and most important area of dietary guidance is the “encouraged foods.” These are foods that research has found to be beneficial to health, and therefore the panel has recommended that they be the base of a healthful diet. These foods are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products. Each of these foods provides numerous health benefits, with no negative effects. These foods are what we call “real food”: whole fruits and vegetables (they taste great, no need to weigh them down with sauces or sugar), whole grains (whole wheat breads, brown rice, whole grain pasta), and low fat milk products (low fat yogurt and low fat milk… add real fruit rather than sugary syrups).
The flip side of these recommendations is the foods that should be avoided. According to the guidelines, you should eliminate most trans fatty acids. These are fats that occur in partially hydrogenated oils. You should also decrease your salt consumption, most of which usually comes from packaged and prepared foods. You need to become a label reader to follow these recommendations; otherwise you could be consuming much more salt and trans fatty acids than you realize.
The guidelines also recommend eating fewer sugary foods. A healthy diet allows for approximately eight teaspoons of sugar daily. Consider that a can of soda contains about 17 teaspoons! Also remember that many processed foods contain added sugars. (We’re still waiting for this information to be displayed on labels!)
And finally, the guidelines significantly increase the amount and type of exercise recommended. To maintain health and prevent weight gain in a healthy adult, it is important to include at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise “on most days.”
The actual report detailing the dietary guideline recommendations provides many valuable tools as well as comprehensive information on these and additional topics. You can find the 2005 report here – http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/default.htm
Eat healthfully, train hard, and live well!