Protein - Experts recommend obtaining about 12% to 15% of
your calories in the form of protein. Most Americans eat much more protein than
is required. Most Americans would improve their health by obtaining more of
their calories from non-meat proteins since meat tends to carry large amounts of
saturated fats.
Carbohydrates - The American Heart Association recommends
obtaining 50% to 55% of daily calories in the form of carbohydrates, with a
an emphasis on increasing sources of complex carbohydrates. Populations with
high intakes of carbohydrates--60% to 75% of daily calories--enjoy a very low
incidence of coronary heart disease. Most Americans would benefit by reducing
their intake of simple carbohydrates (sugar) and increasing their intake of
complex carbohydrates (pasta, whole-grain cereals, breads, legumes, vegetables,
and fruit).
Total Fats - The American Heart Association says that
total fat intake should be less than 30% of total calories. Most Americans are
getting closer to 40% or more of their calories from fat.
Saturated Fats - According to the American Heart
Association, most Americans obtain 12% to 18% of their total calories from
saturated fat. The AHA recommends getting no more than 10% of daily calories
from saturated fat. Much of this comes from eating baked goods containing
coconut oil, palm oil, or cocoa butter. Just because a food’s advertising says
100% vegetable oil does not mean it is low in saturate fat. Palm oil gets
approximately 79% of its calories from saturated fat, making it higher in
saturated fat than any animal fat source.
Fiber - Most authorities recommend a fiber intake of 15
to 35 grams per day. Experts
recommend obtaining your intake of fiber from a wide variety of fruits,
vegetables, breads, cereals, and pastas. Most experts do not recommend getting
your fiber from pills.
Cholesterol - The original American Heart Association
guidelines suggested an intake of 100 mg of cholesterol per 1,000 calories. The
AHA has since adjusted its recommendation to "no more than 300 mg day" to bring
it in line with the guidelines established by the National Cholesterol Education
program. Dietary cholesterol appears to have the biggest impact on blood
cholesterol when consumed with saturated fats.
Sodium - The American Heart Association suggests reducing
sodium intake to approximately 1,000 mg per 1,000 calories, not to exceed 3,000
mg total. The human requirement for sodium is only about 200 or 250 mg per day,
but most Americans consume 4,000 to 5,000 mg of sodium per day. Populations who
consume lower levels of sodium than Americans have a lower incidence of high
blood pressure. Approximately 20% of persons with high blood pressure could
sizably reduce their blood pressures by limiting their sodium consumption.
n
