Diet.
Noun. a: food and drink regularly provided or consumed; b: habitual nourishment; c: the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason; d: a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one's weight
Verb. a: to cause to take food; b: to cause to eat and drink sparingly according to prescribed rules
Diet. It’s probably one of the most dreaded words in a woman’s vocabulary. For many of us, it seems that our lives run in three phases when it comes to "the big D": we are currently on a diet, thinking about going on a diet, or we just fell off the diet wagon.
Whether it’s counting calories, fat grams, points, carbohydrates, or carrot sticks, most of us are familiar with, as the definition said, the “regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one’s weight.”
Did you catch the use of the word “weight” in the definition of diet? Weight is probably the second most dreaded word in a woman’s vocabulary, as in overweight or obesity. The two terms are intrinsically linked together. Eat too much and you gain weight. If you gain weight, you go on a diet. It’s a vicious circle, or that is to say, it’s a vicious circle if you accept this definition of the word diet. Personally, I like the original Greek definition much better.
While it may come as a surprise to some, our generation of youth loving, Baywatch-babe-wannabes did not invent the word diet. The term first appeared around the 13th century. Believe it or not, the term had nothing to do with losing weight and everything to do with how you lived your life. According to Merriam-Webster, the word diet comes from the “Greek diata, literally, manner of living, from diaitasthai, to lead one’s life.” Think about it for a minute and consider the possibilities. Dieting shouldn’t be about beating yourself up over what you can and can’t eat. It should be about living and how you want to live your life. The food you consume--your diet--should be reflective of the lifestyle you want to live. In other words, diet is simply a tool to enable you to live the life you want to live.
When it comes to your heart health, diet--meaning the foods you consume--is particularly important. A really great diet can go a long way to not only improve your heart health, but your overall health as well. Many other risk factors for heart disease such as obesity, high blood pressure, and cholesterol levels can be controlled simply by eating the right diet. When it comes to your heart health, there are some simple guidelines you can follow:
* Fiber: consume 25-30 grams of fiber each day. Good sources include whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables.
* Sodium: consume less than 1,500 mg each day. Sodium, or salt, contributes to high blood pressure, a known risk factor for heart disease. Note: some of the research indicates that 2,400 mg of sodium per day can be consumed.
* Cholesterol: limit cholesterol intake to no more than 300 mg per day, or 200 mg per day if you have high cholesterol or are taking a cholesterol lowering medication.
* Alcohol: When it comes to alcohol, think moderation. Limit consumption to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.
* Fats: Total fat intake should be no more than 25-35 percent of your total caloric intake; saturated fats should be limited to seven percent and transfats to no more than one percent.
* Dairy products: Consume low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
At the end of the day, eating a heart healthy diet benefits you in many ways: lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, weight loss, improved energy, and much, much more. I think that’s what the Greeks meant all along. Don’t “diet”--that is, don’t “eat and drink sparingly according to prescribed rules.” But, do “diet” to “lead one’s life.” Now that’s a definition we can all live with!
Sources:
Merriam-Webster Dictionary, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diet
Eat a Heart Healthy Diet, American Heart Association, 08 Feb 2010, http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1510
Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations, American Heart Association, 21 May 2010, http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1510
Introduction to the Heart Healthy Diet, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, http://www.nhlbisupport.com/cgi-bin/chd1/step1intro.cgi