Six tips for good nutrition

You may want to look to food instead of a pill to help with your weight-loss resolution, but don't immediately throw away the bottle.

Under the scrutiny of research, supplements are proving less effective than fans had hoped for shedding weight, but a nutrition expert says the pills are a reasonable option if you're missing key nutrients in your diet.

"In a land of plenty, we don't think we have problems with malnutrition but we do," says Sarah Blackburn, a registered dietitian and professor at Indiana University in Bloomington. "Folks limit themselves all the time, and as a result do not make wise food choices, thinking they will correct it later."

A nutritional deficiency may manifest itself in a medical problem, thus she encourages people to work with their family physician or a dietitian to determine the best course of treatment.

In your plans to lose weight, Blackburn offers the following suggestions:

•  Look to food, particularly fruits and vegetables. The goal for fruits and veggies is five servings a day, which is about 2.5 cups of each. A 10-ounce, bottle of orange juice, for example, is about 2.5 servings.

•  Remember the "oldies but goodies." Sleeping eight hours a day, eating a nutritionally balanced diet and exercising regularly is the triad for good overall health promotion and disease prevention.

•  Know dietary recommendations. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 supports vitamin B-12 for people older than 50; iron and folic acid for women of child-bearing years; and vitamin D for older folks, especially those with dark skin.

•  Don't get too much of a good thing. Large doses of some supplements, such as vitamin A, are toxic. Blackburn recommends that vitamin and/or mineral preparations have the minimal levels as recommended by the recommended daily allowance.

•  Consider cost and quality. The cost of a vitamin or supplement does not indicate its quality. Information about potency is included on a supplement's UPS label, which follows recognized processing standards.

• Get expert help. If you need to find a registered dietitian to help, check the American Dietetic Association.

For more information

•  U.S. Office of Dietary Supplements

•  U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

•  U.S. National Library of Medicine

•  Natural Products Association

Source: Indiana University
Reference: Newswise

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