Advice of the day: eat less

Michael Temchine for The New York Times

Finally, the federal government is making some legitimate, substantiated claims about what the American public should be eating.  Its recommendations: reduce processed foods, drink water above all other drinks, and fill half your plate with fruits and veggies.  Bottom line: eat less.
(Side note: the beige quality of the food in the picture above now really freaks me out).
The NY Times recently published an article (which you should read here) outlining the new dietary guidelines.  What really caught my attention about the article is that it points out that while the advice seems pretty obvious, food lobbyists have tried to keep the government from telling us to not eat their foods.  Lobbyists give lots of money to politicians, and food lobbyists (including restaurant chains, farmers, fast food joints, etc.,.) have had a powerful voice for many years.  But now, with obesity rampant and diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and heart disease on the rise, the government is stepping in to take control.  The guidelines for what the government recommends you should ate are here.

This table is so interesting:

Table: Obesity in America: then & now obesity then	obesity now
In the early 1970s, the prevalence of obesity was 5% for children ages 2 to 5 years, 4% for children ages 6 to 11 years, and 6% for adolescents ages 12 to 19 years.	In 2007–2008, the prevalence of obesity reached 10% for children ages 2 to 5 years, 20% for children ages 6 to 11 years, and 18% for adolescents ages 12 to 19 years.
In the late 1970s, 15% of adults were obese.	In 2008, 34% of adults were obese.
In the early 1990s, zero States had an adult obesity prevalence rate of more than 25%.	In 2008, 32 States had an adult obesity prevalence rate of more than 25%.

In the 1970s, 15 percent of adults were considered obese.  In 2008, that number is at 34 percent, or one out of three America adults.  Scary!

You can find more information about obesity from the Center for Disease Control, which includes a pretty awesome graph of obesity rates over the past few decades by state.  For example, in 2009, 21.4 percent of adults in Massachusetts were considered obese -- one out of five adults.

Information like this fascinates me, in part by how powerful lobbyists are at dictating what we believe is acceptable to eat, and it truly helps me feel confident in my own food choices.   And while I hate focusing on calories for anything, I think it's so important to realize that we eat too much, and in general, don't have much concept of what is an appropriate amount of food to eat.  But, I firmly believe that if a person focusing on eating fruits, veggies, nuts, protein, and some dairy, calorie intake won't be an issue.  I remember when Melissa, my CrossFit/nutrition guru told me about Primal eating, I looked at her in disdain and asked, "do I have to count calories?" She looked at me and replied, "if you eat right, you won't have to worry about it."  And so far, she's been right.  There's merit to understanding calorie control, but if you pick clean foods, everything should fall into place.

My advice:
1. Make at least half your lunch and dinner plate vegetables.  The more color, the better.
2. Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. It's a great way to make sure you're eliminating process foods from your what you eat.  (Blatantly stolen from Michael Pollan's "Food Rules.")

New food that I just discovered that I love: kale.  Check out my new favorite kale recipe, sans cheddar.

Food that makes me ill just thinking about it: deep dish pizza (this is a sad moment for me, but it's true!)

Have you tried to "eat less"?  What foods do you now love to eat?  Any foods that you can't tolerate anymore?