(The Beacon)
By PHEs, Guest Commentary
The coming of spring heralds in the blooming of cherry blossoms, the beginnings of sunshine and the renewal of energy and excitement. Often this rejuvenated state of mind and environment lead to talk of goals and resolutions aimed at becoming a healthier person. Everywhere you go you can't help but overhear students talking about the upcoming summer season, health and unfortunately diets. So we thought, as your PHEs, we'd join the conversation with a couple ideas of our own.
More specifically, discussions relating to the idea of healthy eating and the belief that it equates to dieting or cutting down on calories. We'll admit that often, balancing our diets and including physical exercise in our daily routines in order to become healthier individuals does involve the idea of calorie intake. However, going on restrictive diets or avoiding 'bad' foods does not lead to a healthier person and can in fact have the opposite effect. We have all heard the saying 'everything in moderation' at some point in our lives, and it is indeed true of almost all things, including food and nutrition. There are foods that have more protein or calcium, and foods that contain more carbohydrates or vitamins, but if consumed in a balanced and proportional manner, there are no good or bad foods.
When most of us think of diet, we think rigid food plan with specific rules and parameters, often with a limit on calories or specific food groups. It is unrealistic in that it does not meet individual needs and instead focuses on the short-term, "suffer to get results" approach. In the end, the results are often temporary.
We'd like to pose the 'non-diet approach' as an alternative. The non-diet approach encourages listening to physical hunger and fullness cues rather than external rules or meal plans. It does NOT include lists of 'good' or 'bad' foods; all foods can be included in moderation. The result being a healthy weight or slow weight loss that will stay off, rather than a yo-yo pattern. It also acknowledges that healthy bodies come in a variety of shapes and sizes, rather than succumbing to societal ideals and unrealistic expectations, therefore leaving you feeling on top of your A-game!
To reiterate: any food or nutrient can be harmful in excess or damaging in its absence. Many of the problems associated with eating habits, such as heart disease or diabetes, are due to the over-consumption and absorbance of one type of food, often in exclusion to or at least in disproportion to others; it is the lack of balance in nutrients that hurts us, not the calories that come with it. Therefore, we should always think of physical health in terms of balance and nutrition. The goal is to avoid thinking of health in terms of calories and restrictive dieting, and instead to try and follow a more balanced diet chock full of protein, vitamins, minerals and yes, carbs!
If you'd like more information or have any questions, UP has its very own nutritionist available to all students. Contact Valerie A. Edwards at edwardsv@up.edu.
Sarah Croy is a junior German Studies major. Kellie Riper is a sophomore biology major. Vivien Pham and Hellina Gesese are senior biology majors. Junior Brianna Sherwood and Amber Lundin-Hartgraves are junior nursing majors. They can be reached at phe@up.edu.
