Unhealthy food choices have serious health consequences

Published 1:30 am Saturday, April 8, 2017

Think your food choices don’t matter to your health or in preventing diseases? Time to think again!

The quality and quantity of your daily food intake determines your overall health and even trumps your genes when it comes to controlling your risk factors. A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association confirms that almost half of all deaths from heart disease, stroke and Type 2 Diabetes are caused by poor diet.

What eating habits did they look at? Diets that were high in sodium, sugar sweetened drinks, processed meats and red unprocessed meats — and low in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, seafood and fish, nuts and seeds, and polyunsaturated fats (replacing carbohydrates or saturated fats).

Here’s what they found when they compared these dietary factors with those of people whose dietary choices were optimal: Nearly one in two — 45 percent — of all U.S. cardiometabolic deaths in 2012 were related to unhealthy dietary factors.

Healthy eating is one of the most profound things you can do to prevent and control your risk factors for chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 Diabetes and even some types of cancer.

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension — DASH — is a proven dietary pattern that can help you do that. It’s ranked one of the best diets, year and after year by US. News and World Report. Take the accompnaying Rate Your Plate quiz and start your journey to better health today.

Kim Larson is a registered dietitian nutritionist, founder of Total Health, www.totalhealthrd.com, and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics.