Healthy diet a matter of balance
By Bettina Levecke (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-05 10:13
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Many foods are quickly branded unhealthy because they are high in fat, sugar or salt. But it is often consumers' eating habits that are unhealthy, not the foods they eat.
For one thing, harming one's health depends on the amounts consumed. And some products that are supposedly beneficial, such as vitamin pills, sometimes carry risks.
Many people take expensive vitamin pills and dietary supplements in the belief that the substances do their bodies good. But as Alfonso Lampen, director of food safety at the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in Berlin, notes, "Very few people need supplemental vitamins. Their vitamin requirements are generally met."
What is more, the widespread assumption that vitamins are universally healthy is false. "It's the dose that makes the poison. Too many vitamins can harm the body," Lampen says.
A study found, for instance, that smokers who took beta-carotene, a pro-vitamin that the body can convert into vitamin A, were at greater risk of developing lung cancer. And though folic acid supplements help prevent birth defects of the brain and spinal cord when taken by women before pregnancy and in its early stages, excessive consumption of the supplements by the elderly can increase their risk of cancer.
Instead of popping vitamin pills, health-conscious people would do better to follow a golden rule of the German Nutrition Society (DGE): Eat fruit and vegetables at least five times a day. "A balanced diet normally gives the body everything it needs," remarks Brigitte Neumann, a German home economist.
An unbalanced diet increases the risk of nutritional deficiencies. "If you're unsure whether your diet is balanced, consult with a nutritional specialist or have a complete blood count to check for a nutrient deficiency," advises Britta Klein, who works for a consumer information service in Bonn.
People who like foods such as chips, potato crisps and pizza can easily consume too much fat and salt. "Our taste buds are accustomed to a lot of salt. Most people eat too much salt, which causes high blood pressure and resulting disorders," Lampen says. Hence it is a good idea to cut down on table salt for seasoning and to eat less processed food.
Saturated fats and trans fatty acids, also known as trans fats, are harmful to arteries as well. These fats are often found in processed foods. "It's OK to eat chips once in a while," Neumann says. But chips, sausage, high-fat sweets and baked goods should not be part of a person's daily diet.
Mankind has known about nature's healing powers for centuries. Peppermint tea can relieve headaches and camomile tea is a stomach ache remedy. However, many people wrongly assume, that plant substances are totally harmless, Lampen says. This is not always so.