Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
This week on Health Watch, we’re talking about how you can improve your diet to include more vital nutrients. Although the majority of the adult population in the United States is overweight, most people aren’t getting enough nutrition in their diets.
Lona Sandon, a registered dietitian at UT Southwestern Medical Center, says one reason for this is that Americans eat too many pre-prepared packaged foods that are loaded with trans fats and refined flours. That keeps us from eating foods such as vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, whole grains and wheat germ, which are all good sources of vitamin E. That’s the vitamin that’s essential for heart health – and the one that 95 percent of Americans don’t get enough of. Snacking on nuts instead of potato chips or crackers will help you meet your vitamin E needs, and nutrition experts recommend eating at least three servings a day of whole grains.
Visit http://www.utsouthwestern.org/patientcare/medicalservices/nutrition.html to learn more about UT Southwestern’s clinical services in nutrition.
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January 2008
Health Watch is heard Monday through Friday nationwide on ABC Satellite Radio. Call your local radio station and ask if they carry the program.
