I have a hard time resisting the quizzes that pop up in mainstream books and magazines. I took one the other day that I found in the Reader’s Digest “Long Life Prescription” book by Sari Harrar and Debra Gordon. The topic heading asked whether my diet was making me old. I think I flunked. I’ve always been conscientious about what I eat and I thought I was the most health conscious person in the family. However, if the scores that I racked up were any indication, I may not be doing as good as I thought I was.
The first question was fine because I really do opt for oatmeal or high fiber cereal with low fat milk for breakfast. I like dairy products so no problem there. I also know enough about osteoporosis, bone density issues, and compression fractures to make sure I get plenty of calcium. What about whole grains? I don’t like brown rice but have discovered marvelous breads that have 6 grams of fiber in each slice. I was pretty proud that I had dairy and fiber pretty well covered.
That sounds pretty healthy don’t you think? Unfortunately as the questions probed deeper I had to admit to a few shortcomings. I must admit that my fruit consumption is limited to the occasional apple, a glass of orange juice or a banana, which doesn’t quite cut it, so I only gave myself a 2 (on a 1-3 scale). What about vegetables? Well, V-8 juice is good when I think about it, and I try to fix a salad and a vegetable for dinner, but not always, so I could only credit myself with a 2 here too.
Who would think beverage choices would make a difference? Of course the optimal choice would be water. I do a glass drink a glass of milk once or twice a day, but seeing that milk wasn’t once of the choices, I had to circle the coffee or hot tea category, and again that one is only a 2. I am trying for some 1’s here.
I like my chicken grilled or done on a rotisserie (but oh, the skin is so good). I do know enough to avoid the battered and fried version, but am not quite noble enough to go for the sliced (without skin) mixed in with salad greens. So, I could only give myself a 2, again.
I even failed the vitamin test. I have a weird sensitivity to vitamin C so taking a multivitamin is out of the question. Vitamins are not a part of my life (I get busted to a 3 on this one).
I have to admit that my grocery cart is not always chocked full of unprocessed foods, such as fruits, vegetables, eggs, juices and raw meats. I don’t do all boxes, cans, jars and precooked meals, so feel I don’t feel too guilty. I do end up with a mix of fresh foods, some packaged and even some frozen foods, but not good enough to earn me a 1.
We are pretty lame about formal sit down dinners too. We are often guilty of eating in front of the television or with a book in hand. I am somewhere between a 2 and a 3 in this department.
What about snacks (of course we eat snacks)? I try to go for a handful of nuts but a piece of candy or a few chips might sneak in from time to time. Sigh, I gave myself a 2.
You have probably figured out by now that you get high points for scoring 1’s so I am not too pleased. When I tallied things up I found that I fell into the modestly healthy (but not doing much to prevent disease or add healthy years to my life) category. Really not good enough, so I guess that I have to take this eating thing a little more seriously. My diet is too low in fruits and veggies. I do okay with whole grains and calcium and try to buy things with no added salts and no added sugar. Do, I feel tired and moody…maybe, I don’t know. I hope it isn’t too late to do better. Does anyone else have this problem?
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