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the ’’side dish” or flavoring added to grains and vege tables. The MILK group contains all the milk products you might expect: milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream. A serving of each of these would be 1 cup of milk (preferably skim or low-fat) or yogurt, 1/2 cup cottage/farmers cheese, 1-2 ounces of hard cheese, or, 1/2 cup ice cream or fro zen yogurt. Here again, we need to eat 2-3 servings of milk products every day. That could be equivalent to 1 cup of milk spread over the day in your coffee, and 1-2 slices of American cheese on your sandwich at lunch. Milk products are essential for our body’s calcium needs, in order to build healthy bones and prevent osteoporo sis (bone fragility). Finally we come to the tip of the pyramid. This por tion contains foods such as FATS, SWEETS, SALTY SNACKS. These foods are to be eaten sparingly, and are not to substitute for servings in the other food groups. Fats include butter, margarine, cream, oils, animal fat, and shortenings. Sweets include non-diet sodas, sugar, honey, candies, cookies, cakes, and pies. You’ll note that I do not mention ice cream. Despite its sugar content, ice cream is a good calcium and protein source. However, it also contains quite a lot of fat, and so you would not want to make it the major source of your daily milk intake. Salty snacks are exactly the ones you might imagine: potato chips, pretzels... These also tend to be high in fat content. Fatty, sweet and salty foods can be especially dangerous for people with cer tain chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and hypertension. An item that is not on the list, and should be used only sparingly, is alcohol. The latest research seems to indicate some benefits to moderate use of alcohol (no more than 1-2 drinks a day). It seems to increase what has been called the ’’good cholesterol” in the blood, the “HDL” component in blood plasma. However, the risks of over-imbibing in alchohol are so great, that great caution is taken when advising people to drink. If there is any family history of alcoholism (put differently — of high alcohol intake), it is better to avoid this route of increasing the HDL. It would be far wiser to take up exercise instead, which provides this and other benefits. So what have we learned so far? A healthy diet will be primarily made up of grain foods, with a healthy helping of vegetables and fruits. It will be supplemented by a relatively small amount of meats and/or beans (see meat group above) and milk products. Oils will be used sparingly in cooking, perhaps in the quick-sauteing method called “stir-frying”. From what we know, the best oils to use would probably be olive, canola, or sun flower oil. Otherwise food can be steamed, to maintain the most nutrients and add the least fat. We will limit sweets to fresh or dried fruits, and on occasion allow ourselves a cookie or piece of pie. We will avoid potato chips, but instead munch on freshly popped corn with out added butter or oils, and lightly salted (if at all). Instead of feeling like “diet martyrs” (which can push us to give up healthy foods altogether) we will allow our selves some “top of the pyramid” foods once a week or month in moderate amounts. That way we don’t say “never” to a food we like, but allow ourselves a treat in moderation. MODERATION and VARIETY have always been to key words in describing a healthy diet. Where does this leave our Ukrainian diet? Highly intact, with some adjustments. Our affluent society has enabled us to have certain foods on a regular basis which were not so common in the land of our parents. Kovbasa, solonyna (bacon fat), liver, etc. were primarily foods available after slaughtering a fattened animal. These foods were eaten primarily on special holidays, such as Easter, after a long fast. Considering the high fat content of these foods, it may not be incidental that the custom of breaking the Lenten fast with a shot of vodka went along with easting these foods. Our fore fathers may have unknowingly prevented exorbitant rises in the “unhealthy cholesterol” (LDL) that might other wise compromise one’s health when eating these foods. Otherwise during most of the year the Ukrainian diet consisted mainly of grains, breads, vegetables and fruits. Just look at the cabbage or potato pyrohy. Or cabbage with dried peas. Or borshch. Meat was the exception, not the rule. Fats were not always available in great abundance to everyone. Sweet, baked goods were also used as treats for celebrations and holidays, not for daily deserts. In summary, if we look closely at the Ukrainian diet, we can find ways of eating healthy, and yet not totally forsake some of the beloved cured meats and baked goods. We can also adapt some recipes to lower-fat ver sions, and chose to eat more whole-grain breads and cereals in order to provide the fiber that we need in our diets. Instead of frying in butter or lard, we can saute in olive oil. Eating healthy does not have to mean giv ing up something, it can also mean learning about new flavors, new foods, simpler ways of cooking. It can also mean enjoying treats to their fullest, without guilt, once in a while. Good health and lower weight does not have to mean repeated dieting. It could and should mean a gradual change and modification of our diet according to the new pyramid scheme. To your health! About the author: Olha Shevchuk O'Quinn has a Ph.D. in Human Nutritional Sciences from Cornell University, and a Master’s Degree in Psychology. She is currently complet ing her second Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the New School for Social Research. Dr. O’Quinn has worked extensively in Nutrition Research, has published original work, and lectured in academic and community settings on the topic of Nutrition and Health. She is planning to start her private Nutrition Consultation Practice in the near future. 22 ’’НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, СІЧЕНЬ 1996 Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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