Eat, drink and be healthy!

Mention the word ‘diet’ and it’s bound to draw a multitude of responses. From groans, regrets and resistance to enthusiasm, passion and positivity.

It seems just about everyone has an opinion about one they have tried at one time or another. The Mediterranean, the Paleo, the No Fat, the No Sugar, the Keto, 16/8 intermittent fasting, Atkins low carb, Blue Zones diet …. the list goes on!

My musings today aren’t intended to make you feel bad or to advocate for one diet over another. But from my three decades or so of interest in this area, I would like to share with you what I have discovered.

Let’s clear the air from the very start—I don’t like the word ‘diet’. For me, ‘diet’ sounds short term, unfair, unrealistic and restrictive, a bit like the experiences of the character of Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, patiently plotting his eventual jailbreak.

I prefer to call what I practise the “healthy habits of eating and drinking”. It’s been the way I have now lived for years, and it’s provided countless benefits along the way. Here follows what I am confident can help you, too!

It’s quality over quantity

I cast my mind back to my youth. I was a scrawny kid and my stature didn’t provide the hallmarks for what I wanted to do, and that was to play rugby.

My mother, bless her cotton socks, would serve me up a full plate of bangers and three vegs for dinner in the hope my muscles and bones would blossom, and I would grow to be the juggernaut I so dreamed of being. Unfortunately, this along with Corn Flakes for brekky and Devon and Tomato Sauce sandwiches on white bread for lunch did little to help trigger a growth spurt. I would find myself experiencing low concentration, energy lapses and constant hunger. I would train hard in latter high school years but wasn’t progessing.

As I finished school and hit early adulthood, I began reading up more on nutrition. I came to the realisation that it wasn’t the amount of food I was consuming that was going to help me; it was the type of food. Foods that possess a low GI, low fat and low sugar.

Out the door went sausages, potatoes and white bread sandwiches, and in came a truckload of protein sources and vegetables (quality carbohydrates) I’d never really tried, some I’d never even heard of! Avocado, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, garlic, brussels sprouts, red cabbage, kale, German turnip and Swiss chard —all of these are scientifically proven to provide essential minerals and vitamins for good nutritional balance and to help fight disease.

The beauty with such an array is that it has provided forced variety with such vegetables in season at different times of the year.

When it comes to meat, I’ve reduced my intake throughout my life, and my tendency is to consume white meat. It’s not that I’m against red meats, it’s just that I find fish and organic chicken is more palatable and digests more efficiently for me. It possesses all the health benefits I’m looking for, protein and Vitamin D, not forgetting the Omega-3 fatty acids of fish which help to combat inflammation and mental health, and improve hydration, brain and visual function.

The most significant change, however, was the adoption of plant-based protein items. Legumes (chickpeas, lentils, four bean mixes), tofu and tempeh, specific nuts (almonds, cashews, peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios), and seeds and grains (hemp seeds, chia, quinoa). Each are great sources of protein, iron, calcium and Vitamin B12. Legumes, in particular, have been a favourite as they are very cheap to buy. I have found this to be much less load on my system, and it stood out, in a good way.

Pause before eating … and drinking

Like many, I possess a sweet tooth (Tim Tam’s being my nemesis!), and I love a good coffee. Unfortunately, in times when I’ve been stressed, disorganised or sleep deprived, I have been guilty of ‘comfort consumption’ of poor quality processed and sugar laden foods and copious cups of caffeine, falsely telling myself “it’s fuel”, which I didn’t actually need.

Sure, they have given me a quick boost of energy in my hour of need, but it’s been followed by an equally fast thud back to earth within an hour of consumption.

Before going to the fridge, I now take a moment to pause. I ask myself questions like, ‘what am I going to consume?’, ‘Why do I want to consume it?’ and ‘what are the consequences likely to be from it?’.

I also take note of how much (AKA portion control) and how often I am eating. It has been proven to be far more beneficial to graze on an amount of food the size of your fist every 2? to 3 hours, for it not only allows the body to digest the smaller portions adequately, but is known to keep the metabolism cranking and to become more efficient.

Having a glass or bottle of water nearby, and sipping on it every 15 to 20 minutes also helps keep me consistently hydrated throughout the day. There’s a good ‘rule of thumb’ of trying to maintain a daily total of 25-30 mL per kg of body weight. So for me at 100kg, I strive for 2.5 – 3.0 litres per day.

Adopting these approaches has changed my attitude and my purpose of what I consume and, in turn, altered my mood, mindset and energy levels for the better.

Things that appear ‘healthy’

There are plenty of foods and drinks that portray to be fun, hip and healthy. Orange juice, low fat yoghurt, salad dressings, sports drinks, most breakfast cereals, even the trendy acai bowl.

But beware, all is not as well as it seems. While they have some minor health benefits, they are loaded with sugar. And we all know what that can do! I’m a big advocate of reading labels, and knowing what I am buying and about to consume. You’d be surprised, sadly, in too many cases, what is advertised as healthy, isn’t so.

Chew, chew and chew again

I always thought it was a ploy by my Nan at the dinner table, but there is actually evidence to support her logic. Thinking she was just trying to slow me down to finish my meal at the same time as everyone else, she would tell me to chew each mouthful some 30 times.

But I have discovered there is substance to her speak.

According to expert research, chewing on average that amount of times with each plane coming into land has multiple benefits. It breaks food down, it’s the right amount of saliva to the food to support the digestive process, allowing the body (via the stomach wall) to absorb a higher level of nutrients, to digest and metabolise.

In closing

I have learned that the key to healthy eating and drinking is all about taking important steps. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the big picture. But starting small, and knowing that it’s all the little things that add up to be the best overall benefit was the best approach for me; it allowed me to make slow but positive choices and changes, and I worked it from there.

While I never reached the heights of a dazzling sports career, there have been countless other benefits to the more purposeful approach I have taken to healthy eating and drinking.

I am more alert, more energised and more focused when I’m at work. And efficiency in my job has allowed more time for the things that matter the most to me where my family and friends take centre stage.

References and further reads

The 14 Healthiest Vegetables on Earth: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/14-healthiest-vegetables-on-earth

Essential fatty acids and skin health: https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/health-disease/skin-health/essential-fatty-acids

Effects of chewing on appetite, food intake and gut hormones: A systematic review and meta-analysis: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031938415300317

49 Vegetarian Dinners Even The Pickiest Eaters Will Love: https://www.delish.com/cooking/g1486/healthy-vegetarian-dinner-recipes/