Healthy Eating

A balanced diet is important to maintain health and a sensible body weight. No single food will provide all the essential nutrients that the body needs to be healthy and function efficiently. The nutritional value of a person’s diet depends on the overall mixture, or balance, of food that is eaten over a period of time, together with the needs of the individual. A diet that includes a variety of different foods is most likely to provide all the essential nutrients.

What are the Essential Nutrients?

We need energy for our bodies to function properly but the balance between carbohydrate, protein and fat must be right for us to remain healthy. Too much fat can lead to excess weight, obesity and serious health conditions such as heart disease and cancer. Too little protein can lead to problems with growth and repair within the body. Eating sugary foods or drinks too often without appropriate dental hygiene can result in poor dental health and even contribute to heart disease.

We need to consume enough vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre for good health. A variety of different foods, and in particular plenty of fruits and vegetables, will help to ensure that we get the right mix.

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Is my Diet Balanced??

All foods can be part of a healthy diet - you won’t have to give up your favourite food. What’s important is achieving the right balance and the right variety of foods. The Eatwell plate is a food guide produced by the Food Standards Agency to help people to understand and enjoy healthy eating. https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/image/eatwell-guide_0.jpg

The Eatwell plate is divided into five food groups: bread, other cereals and potatoes; fruit and vegetables; milk and dairy foods; meat, fish and alternatives; and foods containing fat and sugar. It shows the proportion and types of foods needed to make up a healthy diet. Foods from the largest groups should be eaten most often and in the greatest amounts and foods from the smallest groups should be eaten less often and in the smallest amounts.

The key message from the Eatwell plate is the importance of a balance and variety of foods in the diet for good health. As can be seen, most of our meals should be based on fruits and vegetables and starchy foods, with smaller amounts of meat, and dairy products. Foods that are high in fat and sugar should be eaten infrequently and in small amounts.

In addition, the government issues these eight tips for good health:

? Base your meals on starchy foods

? Eat lots of fruit and vegetables

? Eat more oily fish

? Cut down on saturated fat and sugar

? Try to eat less salt - no more than 6g a day?

? Get active and try to maintain a healthy weight

? Drink plenty of water?

? Don’t skip breakfast

Putting it into Practice

It’s important to make gradual changes to your eating habits. Don't be tempted to make drastic changes overnight. Small, day-to-day changes will have a much bigger and more long-lasting effect.

Try some of these tips:

? When planning a meal, start with moderate amounts of carbohydrate rich foods like wholegrain bread, pasta, rice, noodles, cereal, oats, or fruit and vegetables. Then add lean meat, poultry or reduced fat dairy products for protein. This way you can be sure of getting adequate carbohydrate, protein and nutrients. Try to fill half your plate with vegetables at your evening meal.

? Choose mono or poly-unsaturated margarine spreads on your bread, rolls and muffins and avoid any hydrogenated fats (trans- fatty acids).

? Find ways to be more active. Make walking the dog or that visit to the gym a regular thing. Incorporating small amounts often is just as beneficial as one long session.

? Snack on fresh fruit and vegetables in between meals.

? Use a calorie counter combined with a daily steps app as a guide to help you keep tabs on your daily/weekly/monthly intakes.

? If you drink alcohol, stay hydrated by introducing a non-alcoholic spacer between drinks, such as plain mineral water. Try to have two alcohol free days per week as a regular daily intake of alcohol can be toxic to liver.

? Enjoy the sweetness of fruit such as strawberries, mangoes, dates or figs the next time your sweet tooth strikes.

? Leave the salt shaker in the cupboard and start experimenting with herbs, spices, lemon and lime-juice or mustards to add flavour to your meals and try the salt reduced version of some of your favourite foods.

? A tub of reduced fat yoghurt makes a handy snack and is a great way to boost your calcium intake.

??Start the day with an iron-rich meal - use an iron fortified breakfast cereal, and then add a piece of fruit rich in vitamin C to help your body absorb the iron better.

The above is just a short overview of eating well - I cover this and many other topics in my Keynotes and Workshops. If you are interested in what I can offer towards the wellness of your business - please contact me today - and I'd love to have a chat.

Be well

Dorian

https://www.drdoriandugmore.com/