Published: January 25, 2006 01:28 pm      

Healthy nutrition means a colorful plate

New Year’s resolutions to lose weight have already begun to fail for many. However, dietary experts with the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center say colorful changes on the play can point to healthy and lasting weight loss.

If people will avoid fad diets and “color their plate” with a good variety of foods, they can lose weight and get or stay healthy thanks to the extra vitamins and minerals some foods pack, said Karen Funderburg, a registered dietitian, assistant professor and chair of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Oklahoma College of Allied Health.

Funderburg urged adding more so-called functional foods, or foods that provide health benefits beyond nutrition to the diet. Functional foods are usually rich is one or more type of phytochemicals, natural chemical compounds in food that act much like vitamins and minerals. She cautioned that functional foods should not be eaten alone, but as part of a normal, healthy diet.

“Some people are calling these foods ‘superfoods’,” she said. “No food in isolation can work wonders, but consciously adding a variety of functional foods to your diet may contribute to your health and provide protection from disease.”

Functional foods are primarily plant foods, so fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains, she said. Many of these foods contain antioxidants and other nutrients that some nutrition experts can slow aging or disease. Of course, she added, these foods should be steamed, poached, baked or eaten raw without fattening sauces or dips.

Many of these functional foods include foods with flavonoids (red grapes, black and green tea, apples and blueberries), vitamin C (orange juice, broccoli, grapefruit and red peppers), Vitamin E (nuts, avocados, oils and olives), and carotenoids (carrots, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes and corn).

By coloring the plate, Funderburg said it means to ensure there are multiple types of food in a variety of colors on the plate: the dark green leaves of romaine lettuce are better than the pale leaves of iceberg lettuce and the orange of sweet potatoes have more nutrients than white potatoes. People should also look at colors such as cherries, strawberries and blueberries. The exception, she said, is garlic, which is also considered to be a functional food, but is not especially colorful itself or usually eaten by itself.

“Health claims are regulated by the FDA, but products are now being labeled as functional foods,” she said. “Oatmeal was the first and the chocolate industry has certainly taken the message to heart.”

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) said in its position paper on functional foods that, “functional foods, including whole foods and fortified, enriched, or enhanced foods, have a potentially beneficial effect on health when consumed as part of a varied diet on a regular basis, at effective levels.”

The ADA is supporting additional research into functional foods. In the meantime, the organization recommends people eat a varied diet that includes five servings of fruits and vegetables a day with as many whole foods as possible.

As to specific functional foods, Funderburg listed several with specific properties:

• Oats: soluble fiber in oats can help lower total cholesterol, but it does not reduce the HDL cholesterol. For the benefit, she said a person needs to eat 1-1/2 cups of oatmeal, 1 cup cooked oat bran cereal or 3 cups of Cherrios brand cereal per day.

• Soy: Soy is recommended to promote heart health. The soy can come from soy beans, soy milk, soy nuts, tofu or soy powder, she said.

• Tea: Tea leaves contain polyphenols called catechins which some literature supports as heart healthy. For the best benefit, Funderburg said the tea should be brewed.

• Grapes: Grapes contain a variety of antioxidants and have shown to reduce LDL cholesterol, inhibit the stickiness of platelets (possibly preventing plaque build-up) and promote the relaxation of blood vessel walls. The research was on 2 cups per day consumption.

• Nuts: Research has shown that eating nuts can help lower the risk of heart disease and nuts have a beneficial impact on blood lipids when eaten in moderation. In addition, she said, nuts are high in monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, protein, fiber and phytochemicals.

• Tomatoes: Both tomatoes and tomato products are high in lycopene, an antioxidant, and may help the body protect itself if tomatoes are eaten several times a week.