Shining a light on healthy eating

Published 5:33 pm Saturday, February 20, 2016

American Heart Month is a time that, as a dietitian, I have the opportunity to shine light on food choices shown to decrease risk for heart disease.

These research-based recommendations are wonderful, accurate resources in the prevention of heart disease. However, how the recommendations are viewed plays a key role, and can sometimes, unfortunately, lead to misguided perceptions of health.

Recommendations for preventing disease are just that; they are designed to be a guideline, and not necessarily hard and fast rules. When they are incorporated as rules with the mentality that you are “not allowed” to have a certain type of food, this may lead to a form of disordered eating, such as following the guidelines too strictly in such a way that it has a negative impact.

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To clarify a common point of confusion, there is a difference between eating disorders and disordered eating. Disordered eating includes various types of unhealthy relationships with food, but is not as severe as an eating disorder.

An eating disorder refers to a diagnosed mental illness which consumes the individual’s thoughts and life. Disordered eating can often lead to an eating disorder. An eating disorder is not “just a phase.” The consequences of an eating disorder can lead to severe physical and emotional health issues, including heart disease and death. You may be surprised to know that eating disorders have the highest mortality rate (number of people that die from it) of any mental illness.

There are several misconceptions regarding the treatment of eating disorders, one being that the focus of treatment is food itself. In reality, eating disorders are almost always about much more than just the food, and are accompanied by a lot of mental and emotional distress. Feb. 21-27 is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week, and the theme this year is the importance of early intervention and screening.

For more information on eating disorders, the National Eating Disorder Association offers multiple resources at www.nationaleatingdisorders.org, including a screening tool available at www.mybodyscreening.org.

So, with all of this information in mind, how can you make healthy choices during American Heart Month and beyond? Here are a few tips:

Listen to Your Body: Your body has cues for hunger and thirst that may take practice to recognize if you have been ignoring them for a while. It might mean eating more or less, depending on the day, and may be helpful to pay attention to your body in how you’re responding to stress, as well.

Savor Each Bite: The more you enjoy your food, the more likely you are to actually taste it, and decide whether or not you truly like it. This makes the eating experience more pleasant, and will also help you to slow down and listen to your body.

Enjoy the Experience: Many forms of social gatherings are organized around food, as food is a way people are often able to connect. Food may be a main highlight of the celebration, but focusing on it too much might take you away from enjoying the experience of a birthday party, graduation or holiday.  Be sure to engage with those around you and appreciate the special occasion. Recognize the context of where you are and the purpose of the event.

Overall, health and wellness includes not just your body, but also your mind. In terms of eating healthy, some foods are obviously going to offer more nutritional value than others. However, a big part of whether or not a food is healthy to eat is more defined by when, why and how much is consumed. During this time of raising awareness for both mental and physical illnesses with National Eating Disorder Awareness Week and American Heart Month, we have a chance to check in on our eating habits and mentality surrounding food. Because, after all, eating can be both nutritious and enjoyable.

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Truffles

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Truffles

Peanut Butter and Pretzel Truffles

Makes 20 truffles

All you need •½ cup natural peanut butter

•¼ cup finely chopped pretzels

•½ cup chocolate chips

All you do 1. Combine peanut butter and pretzels in a small bowl. Chill in the freezer until firm, about 15 minutes. Roll the peanut butter mixture into 20 balls (about 1 teaspoon each).

2. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper and freeze until very firm, about 1 hour.

3. Roll the frozen balls in melted chocolate. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

Make Ahead Tip: Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Source: Eating Well