Control: Eat Right
Most people aim to live healthier lives and enjoy it. Yet we don’t! But a good place to begin to take control is by thinking about what we eat. In my family we have a saying, “Fat free? You mean flavour-free!” But eating smart doesn’t mean being restricted to boring, tasteless, indigestible foods: it’s a matter of balance and moderation; it’s about enjoying a wide variety of foods from all the food groups.
Balance in diet is an easy goal to attain. The majority of people have a diet not necessarily harmful or too out of balance, so for most it doesn’t require a huge transition to eat more healthfully and to be healthier. It is simply a matter of refining one’s diet, and the changes are simple.
balance and variety
The healthy eating pyramid is a visual example of the old concept of the five food groups. The design of the pyramid shows the different proportions of each food group we should consume, with fruit and vegies at the wide base and fatty foods like chocolate and ice-cream at the peak.
The pyramid does not suggest one should totally eliminate these foods from your table but, rather, that we should be conscious of the amount of each type of food we eat. The pyramid is a useful start to understanding food portions and the need for variety in diet. Dietitians suggest we should be eating a little of at least 30 different foods a day.
A goal of 30 foods a day sounds hard to achieve, doesn’t it? But add up what you consume already, as I have, and you may find yourself not so wide of the mark.
Certainly, 30 foods doesn’t have to be a difficult goal. A fruit salad for lunch or dessert could contain up to 10 foods (including dissolved sugar, if in a can), a multigrain bread could have seven, which quickly boosts your total, as will a bowl of vegetable soup. Then there’s the butter, spreads, a glass of milk (or even a piece of chocolate or biscuit).
So when you think about it, it really wouldn’t be difficult to include a few more foods into your daily dietary intake.
regular meals important
Another key to eating smart is having regular meals at regular times.
Each person needs three meals a day. Skipping meals or having long breaks between eating promotes such poor dietary habits as unhealthy snacking and overeating at mealtimes. It is also important to be conscious of what constitutes a meal as compared to a snack.
According to the 1995 National Nutrition Survey (ABS) nearly 25 per cent of Australians skip breakfast. Most vulnerable are high school students to young adults who need it most. Breakfast can affect weight control, blood sugar, performance and mood. We need to eat a healthy breakfast to get the most out of our lives.
plant-based foods
With so much of today’s food being highly processed, it takes a conscious effort to get back to plant-based foods. Without them, we miss out on the benefits of fresh food.
Many Western diets don’t provide the chemicals or fibre obtained from plant-based foods, making it easier to succumb to Western diseases ranging from constipation to cancer. Dietitians encourage a diet of two fresh fruits and five vegetables every day.
healthful living begins
in the supermarket
Remember that healthful living begins with what we put into our shopping trolley in the supermarket aisle. Consumer awareness—knowing some of the marketing tricks of supermarkets—also helps us buy healthier and more economically. The contents of our trolley should reflect the food pyramid, with less processed food and more plant-based foods.
Healthful eating suggests you just shouldn’t venture down some aisles.
hydration
A piece on healthful living isn’t complete without mentioning hydration. Water should be our staple fluid. Thirst is often mistaken for hunger, and a lack of water causes fatigue, inefficiency and many other longer-term complaints. Drinks such as fruit juice are important, but should not replace water as our main source of hydration. The Adventist Lifestyle Study* reveals that not drinking enough water can be as damaging to one’s heart as smoking cigarettes.
upsizing
“Would you like fries with that?” is a cliché in many fast-food outlets. Yet it is a reality. Retailers want us to buy more. Just as common is the upgrade, which for a few extra cents it’s possible to dramatically increase the size of your meal or what it includes. Note, it almost always includes a huge a huge calorie increase, such as in the addition of fries, an ice-cream or a carbonated beverage.
So upgrading has a surprising nutritional cost. While the price increases only moderately, the fat and calorie intake increases dramatically with upsizing. As we eat more takeaway food, upsizing our meals can mean “upsizing” ourselves.
For example, an upgrade at the movies from a medium to a large popcorn means an extra 1160 calories—three days worth of saturated fat! Supersizing a family meal purchase means supersizing not only yourself, but your kids as well—a problem afflicting our nation.
what then?
Basically, your average diet isn’t too bad; improving it is just a matter of refining a little, not a lot, over time, and the changes are quite simple. So, shop with a pyramid in the back of your mind, choosing plant-based foods, adding a wider variety and limiting personal intake. To this add plenty of fluids, making water your first choice, and then enjoy your modified diet in regular meals.
It’s a big step toward a healthier, longer life for minimum effort.
* The Adventist Lifestyle Study was conducted over 12 year in North America.
Taking Charge of Your Health programs are happening right around the
country. For more information or to find out where to register, check the Taking Charge of Your Health web site: www.takingcharge.com.au/health
A Taking Charge of Your Health
four-volume DVD set is available
from Adventist Book Centres (ABC) for $A54.95 ($NZ65.95). For information about your nearest ABC, check out: www.abc.org.au
| This is an extract from April 2004
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