There are many claims and
counter claims regarding a healthy diet. Nutrition has become complicated and
more and more a science. Yet the basis of a healthy diet is simple and easy to
follow without getting involved in the science. If you want to delve more into
the technicalities of food and nutrition etc, good, but here I try to keep to
basics.
The healthy diet should be
based on the foods provided by nature: fruits,
Vegetables, grains, legumes,
nuts, seeds, dairy products, eggs, fish and meat. The use of meat and diary
products should be restricted to a smaller portion of your meal and even missed
out some days.
The healthy diet should be
limited to:
- about 15% protein (meat,
dairy products, eggs, beans, peas, lentils, soya etc.)
- about 20% fat
(polyunsaturated - nuts, seeds, oily fish and/or monounsaturated - olive oil)
- about 65% carbohydrate (the
bulk of the meal from fruits, vegetables,
grains, rice, pulses,
cereals, bread, pasta, etc).
As well as the content of the
diet the rules for a healthy diet are simple. Food should be
- Fresh and natural
- Nutritious (organic if
possible)
- Tasty, varied and balanced.
A balanced whole food diet
without overeating is the basis for a long term healthy diet. But as I said
keep it simple. Don't worry too much if you are out for the day and have fish
and chips or burger and chips. Perhaps the next day you could make sure you
avoid heavy food altogether and have a fruit and vegetable day. It is generally
agreed today that there is a link between diet and disease and that diet and
lifestyle contribute to the diseases of today - high blood pressure, heart
disease, cancer, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, digestive problems and
many more. Also some nutrients, vitamins and minerals actually act to protect
from disease. The following are just a small snapshot of how nutrients can help
protect from disease.
Vitamin C - colds and flu,
cancer, high cholesterol levels
Vitamin D - Arthritis,
osteoporosis
Vitamin K - helps absorb fats
Calcium - arthritis, joints,
allergy complaints
Choline - (a B vitamin) -
atherosclerosis, stroke, high blood pressure
This means however, that it
is vital to ensure a good intake of nutrients from a wide and varied source to
help protect your health. We are all different and what suits one person does
not necessarily suit another. But most basic dietary needs are the same for
all. A balanced diet is necessary whatever our personal likes and dislikes.
There are common rules for the nutrition diet:
- reduce calories going in
(eat less) and increase calories going out by exercising more.
- eat lots of fruit and
vegetables (including as snacks)
- avoid fats in the diet
- eat a wide variety of foods
- only eat when you feel
hungry
- take your time over eating
and chew food thoroughly
- ration what treats you
allow yourself
- drink plenty of water
- walk more often and try to
take additional exercise
- try using smaller plates
and portions of food
- have a low calorie starter
such as soup or a salad
- plan meals and their
content including snacks
- take healthy snacks with
you to avoid buying unhealthy snacks when out
- Try to learn more about
food and nutrition (this book is a start)
- stay positive and allow
yourself a treat without feeling guilty
The basics of the healthy
diet then may look like this:
Breakfast - cereals and or
fruit
poached or scrambled eggs on
wholemeal toast
Lunch - vegetables (salad) +
protein
Dinner - vegetables + starch
+ protein
Snacks - fruit, raw
vegetables, nuts and seeds
Drinks - water, green tea,
fruit and vegetable juices, herbal teas
Part of a healthy diet today
should include some sort of supplement. As we have seen even a good diet can
lack some nutrients due to poor soils and artificial growing conditions. Plus
other everyday things like storage, cooking etc which further depletes already
lower levels of nutrients. So a
good multi-vitamin, extra
vitamin C and a Omega 3 fish oil supplement is recommended to ensure and
enhance your nutrition uptake - but not as an excuse to carry on eating the
wrong foods.
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