Guest Op-Ed: Tips for National Nutrition Month

BY CATHERINE ABATE

Some welcome news came on the cusp of National Nutrition Month. The Obama administration announced significant reforms of nutrition labeling to educate consumers better so they know what they’re putting in their bodies each day.

That announcement dovetailed with a federal report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing a stunning reduction in the obesity rate of young children. Both display encouraging news, because addressing health and fitness issues early on produces a lifetime of benefits.

As a nonprofit that provides access to primary care for our city’s underserved communities, Community Healthcare Network is on the frontlines of this unrelenting war on obesity. We’re taking our efforts to the streets this month to inform people as they shop – and eat.

An alarming proportion of unhealthy foods stock the shelves of corner delis across our city. While these small businesses are the lifeblood of vibrant neighborhoods, the choices many folks make are packing on the pounds.

This month, we encourage New Yorkers to put down those salted Wise potato chips and instead make some wise decisions about their health. Here’s our top 10 list of the calorie culprits at the corner stores:

• Don’t saddle up to the breakfast bar. Breakfast bars (granola, protein and energy bars) can have more sugars than breakfast pastries and candy bars.
• Quenching your thirst. Gatorade and enhanced vitamin drinks usually don’t have vitamins and contain unnecessary salts and sugars.
• The low-down on “low fat.” It normally means high salt and higher sugar.
• When the chips are down. No-cholesterol potato chips are fried in vegetable oil; cholesterol is irrelevant.
• Don’t butta la pasta. Tri-color pasta doesn’t mean anything other than it’s dyed pasta.
• Separate wheat from the chaff. Make sure “wheat” bread contains “whole grains.”
• Fruitful? More like full of sweeteners. Some smoothies and fruit juice are loaded with sugar and fattening yogurt.
• When Greek and regular yogurt are not chic. Avoid with added fruit/fruit syrup. And, the frozen kinds usually pack in more sugar and far less protein.
• Down the wrong trail. Avoid mixes with added chocolates (which add in tons of extra calories and sugar) and watch portions.
• Low price, but hidden costs. Processed foods are easy to grab on-the-go, but boxed muffins and snacks, chicken nuggets and processed meats contain tons of sodium, sugar and unhealthy preservatives.

Consumed over the years, the above ingredients are the recipe for an unhealthy future. Seem overwhelming? Not if you start with some simple changes. So here are 10 healthier picks: sweet potatoes, avocados, plain Greek yogurt or regular plain yogurt, trail mix (without the add-ins!), whole grain bread, natural nut butter, light air-popped popcorn or pretzels, cottage cheese, fruit and eggs.

We want to ensure that all New Yorkers have the tools to develop better habits within their means. Starting with small changes, what they put on their plates can make a huge difference.

Catherine Abate is the president/CEO of Community Healthcare Network.