Naturally Nutrient Rich...Putting More Power on Americans' Plates

The nutrition community is focusing increased attention on Naturally Nutrient Rich, a new look at the well-established "nutrient density" principle that gives consumers relevant advice on how to make better dietary choices to fit their lifestyles.  An article in the March/April 2005 edition of Nutrition Today, "Naturally Nutrient Rich...Putting More Power on American's Plates," summarizes the findings from the 2004 symposium in Washington D.C., which brought together a coalition of experts to examine the scientific evidence supporting the principle and its relevance to consumer nutrition guidance.

The renewed approach to nutrient density, i.e.,  to choose naturally nutrient-rich foods first, emphasizes the importance of choosing more colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lowfat and nonfat dairy foods and lean meats to get the most nutrition out of calories for better health and weight management.  This actionable nutrition advice supports the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid which encourages consumers to maximize the nutrients they consume while staying within calorie levels.

Further research continues to explore the methods and approaches for developing quantitative scoring or indexing systems for ranking individual foods within each food group based on nutrient density.  Such indices would allow consumers to assess the total nutrient package of a food. Though the Naturally Nutrient Rich concept is still in a state of refinement, the authors suggest that health professionals begin teaching this important concept which can help consumers make small changes toward improvement.

Citation:
Naturally Nutrient Rich...Putting More Power on Americans' Plates. Zelman K, Kennedy E. Nutrition Today 40(2):60-68, March/April 2005.

To read the abstract, go to
Naturally Nutrient Rich...Putting More Power on Americans' Plates.

LOW-CARBOHYDRATE DIETS MAY PROMOTE REDUCED ENERGY INTAKE AND RESULTING WEIGHT LOSS

Though some studies show that people lose weight more quickly with low-carbohydrate diets than with diets restricting calories and fat, the cause of the rapid weight loss is unclear.  In addition, the effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on blood glucose levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes remains unknown. A Temple University School of Medicine study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, examined 10 obese patients with Type 2 diabetes who were fed their usual diets for 7 days followed by a low-carbohydrate diet for 14 days.  Results showed a spontaneous 33% decrease in energy intake (3111 kcal/d to 2,164 kcal/d), which completely accounted for the weight loss of 1.65 kg in 14 days.  Weight loss was not due to loss of body water.  In addition, the subjects experienced normalized gluclose levels, improved insulin sensitivity, and decreased triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

Citation:
Effect of a low-carbohydrate diet on appetite, blood glucose levels, and insulin resistance in obese patients with type 2 diabetes. Boden G, Sargrad K, Homko C, Mozzoli M, Stein TP. Annals of Internal Medicine 2005 Mar 15;142(6):403-11.

To read the abstract, go to
Effect of a low-carbohydrate diet on appetite, blood glucose levels, and insulin resistance in obese patients with type 2 diabetes

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