The menu today is more varied than ever, but a healthy diet can be hard to find.

For millennia, we human beings survived and thrived by living mainly off the flora and fauna within reach: freshly plucked fruits, greens, whole grains, wild game, local livestock. But a few decades ago, that began to change.

Today, our eating habits differ dramatically from those of our ancestors. Most foods within our grasp have been processed, packaged, or handed to us from a drive-through window. We’re eating more while exercising less. Much of what we eat is high-fat, high-calorie, high-sodium, or low-nutrition—and we’re plagued by obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases linked to an unhealthy diet.

What happened to our food? Even more important, how can a human being thrive, not just survive, on a modern Western diet?

What We Eat
Among the key changes, today’s diet features an abundance of these:

• Processed food products. Foods have been salted, dried, and fermented since ancient times. But processing today has risen to entirely new levels, with canning, refrigeration, freezing, refining of whole grains, and the use of modern food additives and preservatives.

  Processing has clear benefits, such as an extended shelf life, improved food safety, and the ability to ship food farther or present it more attractively. On the downside, nutrients such as fiber or vitamins may be lost in processing. To make foods more enticing, ingredients such as sodium, trans fats, and other additives make their way into recipes. When we eat some of these substances regularly or in large quantities over time, we can increase our risk for chronic disease.

• Added caloric sweeteners. High-fructose corn syrup, sugar, and other caloric sweeteners make up a sizeable share of the calories we consume today. The amount in our diet has increased greatly just in the past few decades. Much of it comes from soft drinks.
• Fortified and “functional” foods. Food manufacturers have added certain nutrients to their products that our modern diet is lacking. Some labels promise heart disease protection or a boost in energy or bone density, for example. In addition, the packaging of many products boasts that they lack certain unhealthy ingredients: “No trans fats!” or “No cholesterol!”

Some 12 percent of our food spending goes to products claiming they’re “all natural.” But the federal government doesn’t regulate the term “natural” for most products.

How Much We Eat
Portion sizes of our foods have increased markedly in recent decades. We pile food high on our plates. We may finish a soda, candy bar, or bag of chips without noticing that the can or package contains two or more high-calorie servings. Some of today’s most economical eating choices are found in fast-food restaurants, where meals often come in “super” sizes.

The problem is that the more food we have in front of us, the more we tend to eat, no matter how unappealing the food or how full we feel. For example, one study found that moviegoers who were handed huge buckets of stale, two-week-old popcorn ate one-third more than those given smaller (but still huge) containers of the snack.

Where We Eat
Not so long ago, home-cooked meals around the dinner table were a central social event in the home. Today, we commonly:

• Eat on impulse while doing something else. While we’re sitting in front of a television set, at a computer, or in a car, we’re focusing on other things and paying little attention to what or how much we eat.
• Eat in fast-food restaurants. Many of the hefty portions there are high in fat, sugar, and sodium.

Food Awareness
Food remains one of the great enjoyments of modern life. The challenge we face is that nearly everything in today’s eating environment— from television commercials to food labels to huge restaurant portions and tasty, highcalorie snacks—seems designed to incite us to buy more, eat more, and load on the pounds.

The good news is that more and more American consumers now know the value of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products, and low in saturated fat and trans fats. Nearly three in four consumers say they consider the importance of wholesome, nutritious meals when they shop for food and beverages.

In the end, being an educated consumer is what counts most for your health. You need to read the labels, try to make choices that are truly healthy, serve nutritious meals, and enjoy all the sensory pleasures of good food without filling up.

Healthy Eating Advice
Here’s how to cut through the maze of modern food choices and change your eating habits for the better:

• Spend time shopping the aisles of your supermarket where fresh whole foods are stocked. Such foods are unprocessed or are processed and refined as little as possible. For example, look for fresh fruits and vegetables (especially leafy greens); lean meats, fish, and beans; and skim or low-fat milk products. Eating a balanced diet of foods naturally low in fat and calories and rich in fiber and nutrients can keep you from overdoing other, less healthy choices.
• Follow this advice from the American Dietetic Association: Fill half your plate with vegetables; one-fourth with lean meat, poultry or fish; and one-fourth with grains. Include a glass of fat-free or low-fat milk, plus fruit for dessert. Visit www.mypyramid.gov for information.
• Limit the amount of food you eat. Using a smaller plate can give you the sense you’re not depriving yourself. Be aware of portion sizes. When you eat alone, try to choose packaged foods that contain a single serving, not multiple servings.
• Be wary of foods bearing nutrition claims. Always weigh the highlighted claims against all the nutrition facts on the label. For example, an “all natural” or “no cholesterol” product may still have soaring levels of sugar, fat, or sodium. “Multigrain” doesn’t necessarily mean “whole grain.”
• Avoid sugary drinks, including sodas, and try to limit added caloric sweeteners in your diet.
• Change your relationship with food. Instead of filling yourself up to fill an emotional gap, or eating while multitasking, take time to savor the flavor, texture, and color of the foods you eat. Stop eating before you feel full. Make eating a social occasion. Choose one place to sit down and eat at home—but don’t eat in front of the television or at the computer.

By Polly Turner, a feature writer for Vitality.

© StayWell Custom Communications. Information is the opinion of the sourced authors and organizations. Personal decisions regarding health, diet, and exercise should be made only after consultation with the reader’s own medical advisers. This material may not be reproduced for redistribution without written permission from StayWell Custom Communications.