Do you want to know the new dietary recommendations for Americans?
Katherine Hobson wrote an article entitled, Dietary Advisory Committee: American Public Overweight, Undernourished for the Wall Street Journal health blog about this very topic.
The Advisory Committee makes dietary recommendations every five years. The findings were a little bleak (surprise, surprise).
The bottom line: The majority of Americans are eating a lot of food but not getting adequate nourishment. In other words, they are consuming a lot of food that doesn't give their bodies much benefit. We need minerals and vitamins to help us move, have a strong immune system, work, sleep, have a sex drive, etc. The way Americans are eating (in part) is leading to obesity as well as a variety of other health problems.
On a positive note, I'm proud to say that mindful eating scored well in their report, according to Hobson's article. Mindful eating is mentioned as a helpful way for people to control their weight.
So why did mindful eating fare well in this report? Mindful eating is not a fad diet. It teaches people how to be more aware of their food intake -- understanding why they are eating rather than what they are eating. Most of the food people consume that doesn't provide real nutrition happens when they eat because they are bored, stressed or simply unreflective. Think about sitting in front of the TV mindlessly snacking on chips.
Read the Wall Street Journal report here. It recommends what you should be eating in place of too many processed, high fat foods like chips, candy, sodium filled foods and so on. Keep in mind that whenever you tell people specifically what they should be eating it causes a heated debate. What is considered "healthy" varies a lot depending on who you ask.
Click here to learn more about mindful eating and why it can help you manage your weight: www.eatingmindfully.com
By Dr. Susan Albers, psychologist and author of 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food, Eating Mindfully, Mindful Eating 101 and Eat, Drink & Be Mindful.