Forget Myths, Folklore and Magic Bullets: The Best Approach to a Healthful Lifestyle Is the “Total Diet”

Don’t eat after 8 p.m. Avoid carbohydrates, even fruit. A piece of cake on your birthday will ruin your diet. Right?

Not exactly. There are no bad foods, no good or bad times to eat and no magic bullet for maintaining a healthy weight. The fact is, it’s your total diet approach that matters in living a healthful lifestyle.

March is National Nutrition Month®, the perfect time to take a fresh look at the big picture. The theme for National Nutrition Month 2008 is Nutrition: It’s a Matter of Fact and the American Dietetic Association reminds consumers to focus on the total balance of foods you consume, rather than any one food or meal.

No single food or meal makes or breaks a healthful diet. Your overall pattern of eating is the most important focus. A wide variety of foods can fit within this pattern, if consumed in moderation, in appropriate portions and combined with regular physical activity. No one food or type of food guarantees good health, just as no single food is necessarily detrimental to health.

It doesn’t matter if you eat after 8 p.m. What’s more important is how many calories you ate the entire day, not when you ate them and splurging on cake and ice cream during a party isn’t going to ruin a healthful eating plan. Pay attention to the portion of your treat and enjoy it in moderation, exercise a little longer the next day or plan ahead to save calories, like skipping your morning latte.

Develop an eating plan rich with fruits, vegetables and whole-grains for lifelong health. Too often, people adopt the latest food fad rather than focusing on overall health. Get back to basics consult a registered dietitian and use the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid as your guide to healthy eating.

A registered dietitian can help you look at your total diet and learn the balance and moderation needed for success, and can dispel the myths and legends that get in the way of healthful eating. To locate an RD near you, visit the Find a Nutrition Professional page.

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