I love the title of Chapter 7- Life is Too Short for Fast Food. In this chapter, Dr. Bob gets to the heart of healthy eating, what it means exactly and how to achieve good health through our food choices. And, as you might guess from the title, not many of them have to do with fast food !
Dr. Bob describes healthy eating as "the Mediterranean Diet", or the "Informed Choice Plan", which includes colorful fruits and vegetables, fish, whole grains and monosaturated and polyunsanturated oils. Specifically, the following amounts are recommended:
- 5 to 7 servings of fruits and vegetables per day
- 2 servings of whole grains per day
- Nuts and legumes (beans) at least twice per week
- Fish two times per week
- Limited portions, and nutritionally redeeming (non processed) foods
I especially liked the encouraging advice that small, gradual changes over time can really add up to a some major benefits over one's life. Making small changes over time doesn't seem as overwhelming as changing one's entire way of eating! How difficult do you all think it is to follow these guidelines ?
Chapter 8 discusses alcohol- defining what "a drink" is, and how much drinking is considered moderate. I found it interesting that moderate drinking seems to provide more health benefits than non drinking or drinking too much. Dr. Bob defines moderate drinking as 3 to 14 drinks per week- more than that can lead to problems. However, consuming moderate amounts of alcohol can reduce blood clotting, blood pressure, and improves HDL cholesterol. So, enjoy your glass of red wine with your Mediterranean dinner, and your health will benefit!
Next week, we'll wrap up the book club and discuss the final chapters, 9 and 10. Enjoy!
Dell - a Lumen