FOOD FOR THOUGHT: THE LAST DIET YOU WILL EVER NEED TO GO ON

Editor's note: Georganne syler is a guest columnist for Nutrition Month. Home economist Judy Lueders will return next month.

March is National Nutrition Month. To help publicize this event, Judy Lueders has agreed to share her weekly column with me.

Nutrition is in the news every day. An oft repeated theme is that Americans are becoming heavier and heavier. Unfortunately, this dire news is true.

A third to one half of all adult Americans are overweight to the point it poses a health risk for numerous conditions, such as heart disease and some cancers.

The good news is we know exactly what causes the obesity problem. Here's the answer: excess fat is stored when we consume more calories than are expended in daily living.

This is a simple answer, but it poses a difficult solution for most of us. In order to solve this problem, I would like to suggest that you adopt the following diet plan for the rest of your life!

* Start strong. Eat breakfast everyday. Skipping breakfast is strongly linked to obesity. The healthiest people eat regularly, but don't overeat because they have starved themselves by skipping meals.

* Curb your appetite. Drink a glass or two of water just before all meals. The water will fill you up and provide needed fluids for your body. No, I didn't say diet soda, coffee or tea. While each of these will fill you up, these beverages aren't as important to your body as water and they have some nutritional disadvantages.

* Stop counting calories. The best foods you can eat are complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables. These foods are all low in fat and low in calories. They are loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, all of which provide NO calories. The key is to make these foods the foundation of your diet.

The food guide pyramid shows us this graphically and suggests recommended numbers of servings. Remember to select grains, fruits and vegetables that are minimally processed or in a form as close to their natural state as possible. Examples: a whole apple rather than apple juice, 100 percent whole wheat products rather than refined wheat products, and lots of fresh, bright colored fruits and veggies. The more intense the color the more vitamins and phytochemicals they contain.

* Sit down. Allow yourself to eat only from a plate and only when you are sitting down at a table. It's too easy to overeat when you are munching out of a bag while driving the car or when standing in front of the refrigerator. Placing the food on a plate and sitting down makes us aware of what and how much we are consuming.

* Slow down. Your body doesn't register that it is full until 20 minutes after you start eating. Eat slowly enough that you don't overeat unknowingly. Behavior modification even suggests you count how many times you chew your food to force you to slow down.

* Move your body. Notice I omitted the "E" word for exercise! You don't have to exercise rigorously, but you have to move. Movement burns calories and improves fitness. As Americans, we are incredibly sedentary. Gadgets such as remote controls, phones in every room and garage door openers allow us to meet our every whim without moving our bodies.

Hundreds of research articles support the fact that to live a long and healthy life, we have to be active. The easiest, cheapest, and most versatile movement is walking. Park farther away from the store, walk around the block, take the stairs. All of these activities support your health and help balance the calories in from foods and calories out from movement.

* Don't give up. If you overeat one time, acknowledge it, and move on. Don't beat yourself up and give up on eating a healthy diet. Good health and good nutrition are not determined by one meal or one day's food intake. Start out again tomorrow and get back on the plan.

All foods can be part of a healthy diet. Eating a healthy diet does NOT mean never eating chocolate or cheesecake. It means you eat these things in moderation, not everyday and not in large quantities. A balanced diet includes room for some special treats. Remember, a treat is a treat because it is not an everyday event.

Following this plan should become a permanent part of your life. It is not a diet that you go on and go off. The word "diet" really refers to "what you eat" not something that you follow for a few days or weeks and then forget. Following these suggestions can make a big difference in your health and nutrition outlook for the rest of your life.

Georganne P. Syler, Ph.D., RD, is Assistant Professor, Department of Human Environmental Studies, Southeast Missouri State University.