ASK BETH

Teens need healthy eating habits

By Elizabeth Winship, Globe Correspondent, 8/26/2003

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Dear Beth:

I guess I'm responding to a response in the column, but it was so nice to hear someone talk about self-image for teens. I also had an eating disorder for five years and am fully recovered. I find it so disappointing that almost everyone I talk to is on a so-called ``diet.'' Now that fat-free food is the rage, our bodies are going out of whack. At 90 pounds, I was so unhealthy. Now that I have a little fat on me, I have color in my skin and more energy, and I simply feel better. What happened to moderation?

NICKI J. FROM RALEIGH

Glad you joined the discussion! You are so right. Moderation is the answer, but it's actually fairly difficult for many to achieve. Junk food has been institutionalized in our society. Soft drinks are more readily available than juice or milk. Snacks that offer little nutrition can be purchased anywhere, while one must search for tasty fruit and vegetables. Even our schools serve up and sell junk food. It's a huge challenge for young people to learn to eat healthily. The percentage of adolescents who are overweight has tripled since 1980. (Currently 9 million are overweight.)

The fat-free rage was out of whack. If you just read the headlines, it sounds as if the pendulum has swung from "fats are bad" to "fats are back." But it's really more complicated: There are healthy and unhealthy fats. New research is showing that people who cut out all fats or eat very low-fat diets often eliminate unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats containing important elements that protect against heart disease. On the other hand, trans fats and partially hydrogenated fats, which are essentially hardened fats, actually increase the risk of heart disease. Also, people on low-fat diets often replace fats with more carbohydrates. Refined carbohydrates such as sugar, white bread, white rice, and white pasta break down [into] glucose rapidly and add calories.

Dr. Walter Willett from the Harvard School of Public Health, who analyzes diet and nutrition, said in an interview for Eating Well (winter 2003): "Farmers have known for thousands of years that the way you fatten up animals for the table is, first of all, to restrict their physical activity and, second, to feed them carbohydrate diets. In some sense we've created a whole national feedlot on this low-fat, high-starch diet."

What isn't complicated is what to do. Cut way down on junk food. Eat moderately. Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and protein - in the form of nuts, beans, lean meats, eggs, fish, and low-fat dairy products - and use unsaturated and polyunsaturated oils such as olive, canola, or other vegetable oils. Regular exercise is also important.

Beth can be reached at askbeth~globe.com.

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