'Balance' is the key word in new dietary guidance for heart health

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The latest word on heart-healthy eating is "balance.一份新的报告鼓励人们考虑更广泛的饮食习惯，而不是狭隘地专注于单一的食物. Rather than one-size-fits-all rules, it leaves room for personal preferences.

“重点是饮食模式，而不是特定的食物或营养素。. Lichtenstein, who led the writing committee for the American Heart Association scientific statement. "And it's not just about what people shouldn't be eating. The focus is really on what people should be eating, so they can customize it to their personal preferences and lifestyles."

该指南于2006年更新，于周二发表在美国心脏协会期刊《线上电子游戏飞禽走兽》上. 该建议与联邦膳食指南一致，但强调了降低心脏病风险的最新研究.

该报告试图消除一种观点，即心脏健康的饮食就是添加一种蔬菜或维生素, 利希滕斯坦说, Gershoff营养科学与政策教授，波士顿塔夫茨大学心血管营养实验室主任. 而不是, 它强调了人们在一天或一周内所吃的“全套”食物的重要性.

"If we increase our intake of one thing in our diets, we tend to decrease our intake of something else,她说. “一种饮食成分的增加和另一种饮食成分的减少都会产生独立的影响. 真正重要的是所有对心血管健康影响最大的东西的平衡."

A heart-healthy dietary pattern, the report advises, includes:

– achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight.

– eating a variety of fruits and vegetables.

– choosing whole grains rather than refined grain products.

– choosing healthy sources of proteins, mostly from plant sources (legumes and nuts); regularly eating fish and seafood; substituting nonfat and low-fat dairy products in place of full-fat versions; and for people who eat meat, choosing lean cuts rather than processed forms.

– using liquid plant oils instead of tropical oils (coconut, 棕榈和棕榈仁)和动物脂肪(猪油和黄油)或部分氢化脂肪.

– choosing minimally processed over ultra-processed foods.

– minimizing foods and beverages with added sugar.

– choosing foods with little or no added salt.

– limiting alcohol, if you already consume it, and not starting if you don't.

– adhering to the guidance regardless of where food is prepared or consumed.

而不是 of offering calorie counts, the guidance acknowledges that everyone's needs vary, Lichtenstein说:. During adulthood, for example, energy needs decrease with every decade. “如果你经常运动，你在饮食方面就会有更大的灵活性."

And when balancing how much and what you eat, said report co-author Maya Vadiveloo, “我们的目标是确保所有这些卡路里都算数，并且你正在食用营养丰富的食物."

Americans' eating habits have changed, 说Vadiveloo, 金斯顿罗德岛大学营养与食品科学系助理教授. "Decades ago, people would eat out, and it would be a treat." People might have set aside thinking about their health.

现在, 人们不仅可以选择快餐，还可以选择外卖包和杂货店的预制食品, fast-casual and sit-down restaurants, 她说. "It's much more of a regular part of almost every person's dietary pattern.“无论身在何处，人们都需要考虑自己吃的是什么.

但利希滕斯坦说，心脏健康的饮食习惯不应被视为惩罚性的.

"You can eat what you enjoy,她说. 但有时, you just have to choose "a little more carefully, consider frequency and adjust serving sizes."

新指南强调了将食品和营养教育纳入学校的重要性, 从小就开始, Lichtenstein说:. “这将确保孩子们有基本的事实，并在他们成长为独立的成年人时可以利用这些事实。, 做出自己的选择."

声明还承认存在错误信息和系统性问题，比如种族主义, 社区隔离, 粮食不安全和有针对性的营销——这些都可能成为坚持心脏健康饮食模式的障碍. 该报告称，制定消除这些障碍的政策是“公共卫生的当务之急”.

Meanwhile progress can happen individually, one small step at a time.

例如, Lichtenstein说:, 经常吃预加糖全脂酸奶的人可以分辨出含糖量较少的无脂或低脂酸奶. 经常吃饼干的人可以改吃含全谷物和低钠的饼干. 或者有人可能会把一顿饭的意大利面或白米饭的份量减半，多吃一份蔬菜.

Vadiveloo还建议了一些简单的替代品，比如用全麦面包代替白三明治面包. "Maybe one meal a week you're using beans for your protein source, or maybe one time you're switching a processed meat for fish."

What you choose to eat is only one part of heart health, Lichtenstein说:. Just keep in mind, "it's not all of one thing and none of another. 这是你在饮食和生活方式方面的选择之间的平衡."

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