Dig Into "Yes" Foods
If you’ve ever done any research into a healthy diet, you’ve probably heard over and over again that eating too many unhealthy, processed foods can lead to chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and even cancer.
Most guidelines are good at telling you what not to eat if you want to stay healthy and live longer. You might even feel a pang of guilt when you reach for a donut, or another french fry, or a sugary soda. How many times do you hear the nagging word “no” in your head as you put an item in your cart at the grocery store?
But did you know that those same chronic conditions are also caused by not eating enough of the right foods? By turning toward “yes” foods and away from “no” foods, you can actually eat well and stay satisfied, while adding years to your life.
New research and recommendations
Researchers recently examined the eating patterns of people from 195 countries across the globe. Their Lancet study found that in 2017, 11 million people across the world died from chronic conditions caused by suboptimal diets. On top of that, those who didn’t die shortened their lifespans by 255 million years, cumulatively.
In fact, not eating enough of the right foods (and too many of the wrong ones) is the leading risk factor for deaths around the world - even more than smoking.
Here are the three dietary choices that cause the highest numbers of chronic diseases that lead to death or shortened lifespans:
- Not eating enough fruit
- Not eating enough whole grains
- Consuming too much sodium
So how much of these foods should you eat? Authors of the study define daily “optimal” amounts as 250 grams of fruit (about 3 medium-sized fruits); 125 grams of whole grains (about a cup of cooked whole-grain pasta or rice and a whole-grain sandwich); and 3 grams of sodium (about 1.5 teaspoons of salt).
The bad news...
Globally, the study found that diets across the globe were suboptimal, with people eating far fewer nuts, seeds, milk, and whole grains than they should. Of course, they also found the correlation between early deaths and unhealthy foods - especially sugary beverages, processed meat, and sodium - to be clear. In particular, the global intake of red meat is 18% higher than it should be, and processed meat and trans fats in particular are too prevalent in high-income areas of North America.
...And the good
Not all of the findings in the study pointed toward a global trend toward poor nutrition. There were some exceptions to the suboptimal diets - people in central Asia eat plenty of vegetables, for example, and high-income populations in Asia Pacific countries get the right amount of seafood omega3 fatty acids. Legume consumption is excellent across most of the Caribbean, Latin America, South Asia, and parts of Africa.
Change Your Choices
The easiest thing you can do to influence your own wellbeing is to follow the top recommendations of the study: eat more fruit, more whole grains, and less sodium. Here are some of our recommendations:
Reflect
Take a brief quiz to learn how healthy your diet is now, including where you’re already making good choices.
You may also want to keep a food journal to record how many pieces of fruit and servings of whole grains you eat each day, as well as a note about how you feel as you adjust your food choices.
Discover
Try some new recipes, like short grain brown rice, breakfast smoothies, or baked trout with tropical salsa.
You can also look up recipes from the world’s healthiest regions and try them at home. Bean-centered dishes from the Caribbean and Mediterranean recipes are great places to start.
Change
When you’re ready, set a goal to help keep you accountable to your new plan. You can even select an friend to notify of your plans, so that you have someone to support you along the way.
The bottom line
Having a healthy diet doesn’t necessarily mean telling yourself “no” at each meal or snack. Try to say “yes” more by piling on more of the foods that move you toward wellbeing, especially fruit and whole grains.
* Researchers in the Lancet study defined “optimal” daily levels of each food group that might vary slightly from the USDA’s Choose My Plate calculations or other studies, because they are calculating the level of risk of specific diseases.
GBD 2017 Diet Collaborators. Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. The Lancet, April 3, 2019; DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30041-8.
