This week Bobbi Conner talks with Janet Carter about making small changes for a healthier eating plan. Janet is a Clinical Lipid Specialist and the Program Manager and Lead Dietician for the MUSC Children’s Health Wellness Works Program.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I’m Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. A healthy eating plan gives your body the nutrients it needs every day, and it also helps lower your risks for heart disease and other health conditions. Janet Carter is here to talk about the details. Janet is a clinical lipid specialist, and she’s the program manager and lead dietitian for the MUSC Children’s Health Wellness Works Program. Janet, what would an ideal healthy eating plan look like for adults and kids?
Janet Carter: It’s very important to focus on having a lot of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean proteins, including plant based proteins. If I were to suggest a named eating plan, the Mediterranean eating plan has decades of evidence to support its healthy benefits. The Mediterranean eating plan is rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, plant based proteins, healthy fats and can be tailored to everyone’s likes and dislikes. There’s a lot of online information about the Mediterranean eating plan, like daily meal plans and recipes that help families to follow this type of eating plan.
Conner: Can we still have some treats or splurges sometimes when we maintain this sort of healthy eating routine?
Janet Carter: Yes, of course. When it comes to healthy eating habits, perfection is not the goal. I often recommend what we call an 80/20 or 90/10 rule, which means that about 10 to 20% of the time, if you’re eating something that’s not so healthy, like junk food or fast food, it’s not a big deal as long as the rest of the time, 80 to 90% of the time you’re doing healthy things, your body will be very healthy.
Conner: What small changes or substitutions can we make to come up come up with a healthier way of eating.
Janet Carter: Well, you said it Bobbi, changes should be small. If we try to make large, drastic changes, that can lead to stress and frustration, which really is counterproductive to healthy habits. A great start might be to add in more vegetables and fruits to the day. Another great start might be adding ten more minutes to any amount of exercise that you’re already doing. Everyone is at a different starting point with healthy habits, so the key is to make just 1 to 2 small changes that can be built in that won’t lead to stress or frustration.
Conner: Janet, which foods are best to avoid or limit if our goal really is healthy eating.
Janet Carter: The foods that have the biggest negative impact on our wellness are ultra processed foods, deep fried foods, foods that are high in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar. But it’s always important to remember we don’t have to be perfect. We just need to be very mindful about what we’re having on a daily basis and try to stick to that 80/20 rule.
Conner: How important is reading each food label to really stick with healthy eating?
Janet Carter: Reading food labels is very important because it gives you a chance to see what you’re putting in your body. So, the first thing to look at on the nutrition label is the serving size. The purpose of the serving size is to specify the amount of food that the rest of the information on the label is in reference to. Then from there, the three components of the food that should be limited are the saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar. A good rule of thumb when looking at the nutrition label is to look to the right hand side with the percent daily value number, and if that number is 15% or higher, it’s considered high and you may want to look for an alternative.
Conner: Janet, thanks for these tips for healthy eating.
Janet Carter: You’re welcome.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I’m Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
