Jane Brody offers healthy do's and don'ts: fiber, exercise and no fad diets

Following her Statler Auditorium lecture, Feb. 5, New York Times Personal Health columnist Jane Brody '62 signs a copy of one of her books for Meghan Fitzpatrick '05. Robert Barker/University Photography

By Susan Lang

When it comes to healthy eating, too many people miss the "big macs," science writer and author Jane Brody told an audience of Cornell students and staff Feb. 5 in the Statler Auditorium.

"So many people worry about the wrong things, such as additives, herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers instead of worrying about the 'big macs' of good nutrition," said Brody, a 1962 alumna of Cornell, the New York Times Personal Health columnist and author of nine books. In her lecture, "The Relationships between Food, Diet and Health," she said those "big macs" of good nutrition are the kinds and amounts of protein, fats and carbohydrates we eat.

Most college students, she said, feel invulnerable and think nothing of drinking lots of coffee and getting little sleep. And they don't notice any physical toll of lunching on candy and soda. "But your body pays a price," said Brody, who got a B.S. degree in biochemistry from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and a master's degree in science writing (1963) from the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism. "Hidden damage is occurring all the time and chances are that the damage will surface at unexpected moments when you least expect it."

The keys to a healthy life, she said, are not deprivation, denial and diets but moderation, variety and plenty of exercise.

"Exercise takes time in the short run but in the long run it makes time because you are more efficient and energetic. ... You can do more in less time with less effort," said Brody, who walks with friends at 6 a.m., swims after work, plays tennis and skates. Pound for pound, she said, muscle burns more calories than fat and muscle takes up less room so, although gaining muscle may not reduce weight, it reduces your size.

Exercise should be as much a part of our daily life as brushing our teeth, said Brody, who at 61 weighs less than she did at 16 or when she married. If you choose what you like to do, then the exercise is fun, she said, and can enrich life with new circles of friends.. And, in addition, exercise controls your weight (even burning extra calories hours after exercise), makes the heart more efficient, builds up bones and improves sleep. "But most important, exercise helps reduce stress, nervousness, boredom, hostility and anger," Brody said, and since stress can compromise the immune function, exercise greatly improves your chances of resisting illness.

In addition to committing to an exercise plan you enjoy and can stay on, Brody said:

• Forget dieting. "You go on diets just to go off them."
• Eat well most of the time, with whole grains and lots of fruits and vegetables. "Broccoli is the single most healthful food I know of."
• Don't clean your plate in restaurants. Today's portions are huge, she said, so don't overeat; take home leftovers.
• Forget fad diets: the Atkins high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet does not lead to lasting weight loss and is bad for the heart, she said: "Where does all that fat and cholesterol go? Atkins doesn't know because he has not ever studied it."
• Drink lots of water. That's not a myth, she said.
• Keep meat lean and in small portions.
• And plan your meals right side up. That means, she said, have big breakfasts, medium lunches and smaller dinners, not the upside down way most Americans eat.

"Nobody can and nobody will take better care of you than yourself," Brody said. "Start with changing just one meal a week, if you like, and each day, don't think whether you are going to exercise today, but how."