The couple, both in their 50s, gave up most of their staples. Gone were sugar, refined carbs, white bread, and the nightly bottle of wine. In 4 months, he lost 25 pounds and she, 12. The bonus: Their diet is now healthier than it has ever been, loaded with vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains. “We feel great,” says Linda. So imagine their consternation when they learned that despite their best efforts, neither was getting the RDA of essential nutrients like vitamins D and E, and Linda was perilously low on fiber. “I was really shocked,” said John on hearing the results of Prevention’s nutritional analysis of the couple’s 3-day food diaries. It’s enough to make a diet do-gooder check the pantry for a stray Chips Ahoy. But the Heagneys’ experience illustrates how difficult it can be to achieve the lofty goals of government experts, who issued revised dietary guidelines in January. A preliminary report by a distinguished group of nutrition scientists, released last August, found that most Americans weren’t even within striking distance of the old requirements for some vital nutrients, notably vitamins A, C, and E; fiber; and the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Moreover, these inadequacies may increase the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and a host of other diseases. Where do you stand nutritionally? Keep a 3-day food diary, as the Heagneys did, including Saturday and Sunday (the weekend is when everyone tends to backslide). Look it over: You should be eating at least 2 1/2 cups of vegetables of every hue, two servings of fruit (two whole fruits or 4 half-cup portions of sliced fruits), 3 cups of low-fat or fat-free milk (or an equivalent amount of low-fat or fat-free yogurt and/or low-fat cheese), and six 1-oz servings of grain products (make at least half of that whole grain cereals, breads, rice, crackers, or pasta) every day. (Note: This is based on a 2,000-calorie diet.) If you’re not eating this mix of foods, you’re failing Nutrition 101, as are most of your fellow Americans. Read on to find out how easy it really is to improve your grade and get more essential nutrients.

Essential Nutrients: Vitamin A

Women need 700 mcg, men need 900 mcg Grade: C About half of women (52%) and men (53%) don’t get enough. Why we’re falling short. We’re not eating enough deeply pigmented fruits and vegetables. Though at least one survey found that many Americans are eating the old minimum of five fruits and vegetables a day, one of those is fat-laden french fries and another is iceberg lettuce, notes Jane Higdon, PhD, a research associate at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Nutrientwise, the salad-bar staple is little more than crispy water. Retinol, or preformed vitamin A, is abundant in liver, eggs, and fortified foods such as milk. The dark pigments found in colorful fruits and veggies are especially rich in the carotenoids alpha- and beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A. What we’re missing. Vitamin A protects and maintains our eyes and the linings of our respiratory, urinary, and intestinal tracts, as well as the integrity of our skin. Eating carotenoid-rich fruits was linked to a 36% lower risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness among Americans, concluded a recent study at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. How to boost your grade. Replace tonight’s fries with one medium baked sweet potato (1,096 mcg) and you’re good to go–and then some. Consider having some of these darkly pigmented foods–alone or in combination–daily: carrots (671 mcg per 1/2 cup cooked), spinach (573 mcg per 1/2 cup cooked), kale (478 mcg per 1/2 cup), and winter squash (268 mcg per 1/2 cup). (You won’t get as much with an equal amount of raw vegetables.)

Essential Nutrients: Vitamin C

Women need 75 mg, men need 90 mg Grade: C About half of women (48%) and men (51%) get inadequate amounts. Why we’re falling short. This one surprises–and confuses–many experts because C is practically ubiquitous, and the RDA is so low that a cup of orange juice a day does it. Yet when an Arizona State University researcher tested vitamin C levels in college students, many were just this side of scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency disease that has been virtually wiped out for centuries. Again, the American disdain for fruits and vegetables may be the culprit. What we’re missing. Vitamin C literally holds us together. It’s necessary for the synthesis of collagen, the “glue” that binds our ligaments, bones, blood vessels, and skin. It also plays a role in synthesizing brain chemicals, metabolizing cholesterol, and neutralizing potentially damaging, highly reactive free radicals. (These by-products of normal metabolism are also generated by a high-fat diet, toxins, and pollutants.) A number of studies have found that higher intakes of vitamin C may protect the heart; and two published last year found that low levels of C in the diet increased the risk of gestational diabetes and arthritis. How to boost your grade. Orange juice is the no-brainer. At 61 to 93 mg per 3/4 cup, it can take care of most, if not all, of your C needs (and some of your potassium requirements) for the day. But to get all of that and some fiber, too, you might want to have the whole orange (a medium one has 3.1 g of fiber and 70 mg of C). Eating the earlier recommended five-a-day of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables could get you close to 200 mg of C daily. Great options to raise your C level: kiwifruit (70 mg per fruit), raw red or green bell pepper (142 mg and 60 mg per 1/2 cup, respectively), broccoli (51 mg per 1/2 cup cooked), strawberries (49 mg per 1/2 cup), brussels sprouts (48 mg per 1/2 cup cooked), and cantaloupe (47 mg per 1/4 medium melon).  

Essential Nutrients: Vitamin E

Women and men need 15 mg (equivalent to 22 IU of natural vitamin E or 33 IU of synthetic E) Grade: F Most women (93%) and men (86%) don’t get the recommended amount. Why we’re falling short. We all really have to work at getting enough vitamin E. “It’s in a lot of foods but in small amounts,” says Maret Traber, PhD, principal investigator at the Linus Pauling Institute. You’d have to eat a mixing bowl of raw spinach to get enough. A handful of almonds will do it, but it’s an awfully expensive solution, caloriewise. “Sunflower oil is another good source,” Traber says, “but many people don’t eat it.” What we’re missing. Vitamin E, like C, is an antioxidant, disarming free radicals and, thereby, protecting cells from damage. Vitamin E also plays a role in immunity, and recent research suggests that it may even help prevent the common cold: A 2004 Tufts University study found that taking a 200-IU supplement of vitamin E daily kept a group of elderly people from getting as many colds as their counterparts who were given a fake capsule. A 2002 Harvard University study looking at more than 76,000 women and 47,000 men reported that those who had the highest dietary intake of vitamin E had a significantly lower risk of Parkinson’s disease, a condition in which cells in a specific part of the brain suddenly begin to die, leading to tremors. How to boost your grade. No more breaks! Getting enough vitamin E is now as easy as pouring cereal into a bowl. Traber was “stunned” when she tested the absorbability of vitamin E sprayed on cereal. “The fortified cereal was far better absorbed than a 400-IU vitamin E pill. In fact, one bowl of cereal fortified with 30 IU of E raised blood levels of the antioxidant five times higher than the supplement did.” To get E from other foods, make your midafternoon snack an ounce of almonds (about 24 nuts, and at 7.3 mg, about half the RDA) if you can afford the calories (about 160), and toss an ounce (about 1/4 cup) of sunflower kernels on your dinner salad (6 mg, 165 calories). For good measure, make your own salad dressing with sunflower oil (1 tablespoon has 5.6 mg). A recent study found that having a little fat in salad dressing helps you absorb the nutrients from the vegetables and ferries vitamin E into your bloodstream. 

Essential Nutrients: Fiber

Women and men need 14 g of fiber for every 1,000 calories consumed, or 22 to 28 g for women, 28 to 34 g for men Grade: C About 50% of all Americans, men and women, don’t get the recommended amount. Why we’re falling short.“Studies show that the number one source of fiber in the American diet is veggies, specifically french fries, and grain from things like hot dog and hamburger rolls,” says Joanne Lupton, PhD, Regents professor at Texas A&M University. “These are not high-fiber products, but we eat a lot of them.” What we’re missing. It’s difficult to separate the effects of fiber–the indigestible part of fruits, vegetables, and grains–from the foods themselves because food also contains other nutrients and phytochemicals that protect against chronic diseases and obesity. Nevertheless, a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutritiongives fiber most of the credit, at least for cardiovascular protection: “Basically, fiber accounts for 80% of the benefit,” says James W. Anderson, MD, a professor of medicine and clinical nutrition at the University of Kentucky, who wrote the editorial accompanying the study. “The fellow travelers, all the other phytonutrients, account for the other 20%.” Last year, a flurry of research found that high fiber intake–specifically from cereals and beans–was linked to increased life span. “Whole gains or cereal fiber can lower your risk of heart disease by 30%,” says Anderson. How to boost your grade. Learn to roughage it. And to do that, there’s one thing you can’t live without: a really high-fiber cereal, the kind Saturday Night Livelampooned as “Colon Blow.” A 1/2-cup serving of Fiber One, for example, delivers 14 g, which is half the fiber most women need daily. Not crazy about the taste or texture? “Mix it with another cereal with a taste you like but which may not have as much fiber,” suggests Lupton. The other must-have food: fiber-rich beans. Have lentil soup for lunch and you’re adding nearly 8 g. A sandwich made with two slices of whole grain bread will get you 6 g or more. And start reading labels: Products labeled “high fiber” should have at least 5 g per serving. Add some fruits and vegetables (a small pear has 4.3 g and 1/2 cup of cooked mixed vegetables has 4 g), and even guys have done their duty for the day.

Essential Nutrients: Magnesium & Potassium

Women need 310 to 320 mg of magnesium, and men need 400 to 420 mg; men and women need 4,700 mg of potassium. Grades: D, F D for magnesium: More than half of women (66%) and men (64%) aren’t getting the RDA. And an F for potassium: Most men (90%) and women (99%) don’t get enough. Why we’re falling short. The foods in which these minerals are abundant–fruits and vegetables, grains, nuts, and dairy products–are typically not on the American menu. What we’re missing. In 1996, a world-class team of experts at Harvard, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Louisiana State universities found that a specific diet–one high in fruits, veggies, and low-fat dairy products; with moderate amounts of fish, poultry, and nuts; and low in red meats, sweets, and sugary drinks–lowered blood pressure by as much as 17 points in people with high blood pressure. And those results happened within the first 2 weeks the study participants were on the diet. (As a bonus, their cholesterol dropped, too.) The experts suspect that among other things, calcium, potassium, and magnesium are associated with blood pressure control. Studies have also linked these minerals with sometimes dramatic protection from diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis. For example, last year, researchers conducting the Honolulu Heart Program found that among the 7,000 men studied, those with the highest magnesium intake had a 45% lower risk of heart disease than did those who consumed the least. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Study, which involved nearly 10,000 men and women whose eating habits were charted for more than 2 decades, revealed that those who were eating a low-potassium diet had a 28% greater risk of stroke than those who consumed more potassium-rich foods. How to boost your grade. Got milk? You should, says Connie M. Weaver, PhD, distinguished professor and director of the National Institutes of Health Botanicals Research Center for Age Related Diseases at Purdue University. “If you do what it takes to get enough potassium and calcium, you’re likely okay with magnesium, too.” But watch the calories: You could get all the magnesium you need in 2 to 3 ounces of roasted pumpkin seeds, but at 148 calories an ounce, you’d be shopping for a bigger belt in no time. So consider having 1/2 cup of bran each day (114 mg of magnesium) and cooked spinach at lunch or dinner (156 mg per cup). For potassium, remember that sweet potato you’re putting on the menu for vitamin A? It also has 694 mg of potassium. Other high-potassium choices are white potatoes (610 mg per medium spud), white beans (595 mg per 1/2 cup), and bananas (422 mg per medium fruit).

Essential Nutrients: Calcium

Adults 50 and younger need 1,000 mg; those 51 and older need 1,200 mg Grade: C About half of women (54%) and less than half of men (41%) are lacking. Why we’re falling short.“We don’t have a lot of milk drinkers in this country,” explains Laura Armas, MD, a researcher at Creighton University’s Osteoporosis Research Center. “Unless you really like milk, you don’t have it at every meal. Plus, a lot of women mistakenly think milk makes them fat. There have been studies linking calcium to weight loss, but people aren’t aware of them.” What we’re missing. Calcium provides the building material for your teeth and bones. Banking calcium–by getting the RDA or more daily from the time you’re young–can help prevent osteoporosis, a crippling bone-thinning disease. The mineral also plays a role in the constriction and relaxation of blood vessels, contributing to healthy blood pressure. Newer studies even suggest that a higher intake of calcium may reduce your risk of colorectal cancer. A review of 10 studies involving more than half a million people, published last year by Harvard researchers, found that drinking milk seems to protect against this leading cause of cancer death. How to boost your grade. The best way: Have 3 cups of fat-free or low-fat milk a day. Those 24 ounces also give you about 300 IU of vitamin D, which your body needs for optimal calcium absorption. (Requirements for D are 200 IU for people ages 19 to 50; 400 IU for those 51 to 70; and 600 IU for those 71 and older.) “Low vitamin D is a risk factor for osteoporosis,” explains Armas. “If you don’t get enough D–even if you’re getting enough calcium–your body will start pulling calcium from your bones to keep blood levels normal.” Hate milk? You can get about the amount of calcium in one 12-ounce glass of milk from 8 ounces of fat-free yogurt or 2 to 3 ounces of low-fat cheese. An 8-ounce glass of fortified orange juice supplies about 35% of your daily requirement for calcium and 25% of your D needs.

Why can’t I just supplement?

More than half of all Americans take extra vitamins and minerals in a pill, but some experts say you can’t make up for some nutritional shortfalls this way. “If you take a supplement, you’re missing out on all the other good things you get from food,” points out Jane Higdon, PhD, a research associate at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. “For example, foods high in vitamin C, like broccoli and brussels sprouts, are also rich in phytochemicals that might help fight cancer. Those same foods contain fiber, folate, and potassium. What the latest scientific evidence suggests is that it’s not single nutrients that help us fight disease, but the synergistic effect of nutrients and nonnutrient chemicals found together in food.”

Get Your Fruits and Vegetables

Dieting? Don’t cut calories by eliminating the basics, such as fruits and vegetables. Instead, drop discretionary calories (that pat of butter on your toast). Here’s how to get the right mix of fruits and veggies, whatever your daily calorie count. Daily Fruits & Vegetables (Cups) Weekly Vegetables (Cups)

  • Other vegetables include pale greens, like endive; spaghetti squash; zucchini; cucumbers; and tomatoes.