With this column I will be completing an overview of my acronym for good nutrition – BLESS. Let’s review: B – eat BETTER; L – eat LESS; E – eat EARLY; S – eat SLOWLY; and today, S – eat SIMPLY SMART.

My daughter Amy, who proofreads my columns before I submit them, reminded me the other day of something I told her when she was just a little girl and I a young mother – that a certain snack food was “healthy” because the first ingredient was refined enriched flour. Oh, my. Obviously, I had some notions about nutrition in those days that were not sound.

Thomas Edison (1847-1931), often considered America’s greatest inventor, made this bold declaration: “The doctors of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.” Today, researchers have determined that an unhealthy diet contributes to many chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, osteoporosis and some cancers. There is also evidence that there is a correlation between nutrition, especially deficiencies, and the onset and progression of dementia.

Nutrition is a science, but it does not require a laboratory or Einsteinesque intelligence to master the basic facts in order to benefit your own health and that of your loved ones. I suggest investing in one book that covers the fundamentals. Keep it simple – guidelines you can understand and put into practice. Check the credentials of the author (should be an expert in the field of nutrition, not a celebrity that has shed a few pounds) and avoid books that are trying to sell a product, as it may just be a sales pitch.

Make it your goal to become smart about nutritional issues by researching topics such as:

• The hundred healthiest foods – keep a list and make them your mainstays. Some of the common foods listed: apples, cucumbers, oats, pinto beans, salmon and walnuts.
• Which condiments should you limit or avoid? These are often overlooked as nutritional hazards. For example, one tablespoon of soy sauce has 37 percent of the daily allowance of sodium. Check out the labels on mayonnaise, ketchup, Sriracha sauce and mustard. Surprised?
• The fifty-plus names for sugar in ingredient lists (including fructose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, and corn syrup). The American Heart Association recommends no more than nine teaspoons per day for men and six for women; yet the average American consumes about 20 teaspoons every day; a 12-ounce serving of cola has about 10 teaspoons.
• Alternatives to resorting to a fast-food lunch. You do not have to spend hours slaving in the kitchen to eat well. In fact, sometimes the more you cook and add ingredients, the less healthy the outcome. A serving of fresh fruit, a wedge of low-fat real (not processed) cheese and a handful of nuts or a homemade bran muffin counts as a nutritionally sound meal.

Thankfully, I have learned a lot about nutrition since I told Amy that refined, enriched flour was a good thing. I hope I have piqued your interest concerning the food choices you make for yourself and your loved one and that you will continue to learn and put into practice guidelines for healthy eating. May God BLESS this food to our use.

Caring Quote: “It’s easy to buy into some pretty popular nutrition misconceptions – myths and half-truths that ultimately find us making far fewer healthier food choices than we realize.” Samantha Heller, MS, RD, NY University nutritionist