Educate Your Health

No one food plan is magical and there is no such thing as healthiest diet. Our diet may consist of foods that we like and indulge in once in a while.   However for long term purpose, we should adopt certain strategies like :

• to include eating foods from all the food groups (grains, vegetables & fruits, meats preferably white and reduced sugar and fats) although not necessarily at every meal,
• learn to purchase ingredients from different sources as far as possible,
• avoid processed foods as much as possible even when preparing your meals,
• to reduce intake of sugars like soft drinks (including those marketed as “low sugar”),
• and reduce caffeine in your choice of beverages and its frequency. Try taking tea or your coffee without sugar or milk!  It’s healthier.

 We should also stress more on the DOs than DON’Ts in our diet and our way of living.   Never skip meals!  If you eat on a regular basis, 3 times or preferably more frequent smaller meals as well as exercise regularly, you will be alright. For individuals who are elderly or experiencing some health conditions, please avoid refined sugar and processed foods in your diet.  They are your enemies!  I will explain why this is so important in my next article.

I was with a group of 12 year olds today teaching them about nutrition amongst other things.  They were forthcoming to confess that they don’t consciously eat fruits and vegetables.  I was told their schools teach them practical guides under healthy eating but evidence is showing that even as the education system is proactive in this aspect, it will be an uphill task influencing children to make conscious effort to eat right. 

As food eating habits are forged from young to adulthood, the influence from early to middle childhood environments are very important and must be harnassed.  Parents and caregivers who are the most influential people to develop children’s food preferences, patterns of food intake, eating styles and physical activity patterns, must be taught how to change children’s health status. 

Well, if you are a parent reading this blog now, please take heed this message.  You are your children’s eating role models.  If good eating habits are inculcated early in their lives, then your children will be conscious about how food choices are directly related to nutrition and health problems.  Do visit my blog again to learn abut how we can overcome this challenge.  If you have any success stories to share, I’d be most glad to hear from you.  Cheerio!

What are the basic healthy eating principles of a nutritionally sound diet?  First there must be variety, wholesome food and able to cater to an individual’s diet needs that may vary depending on the individual’s situation. 

We must choose food from a variety of sources everyday because through variety, there is less opportunity to exclude some essential food groups.  Many are not aware of this important diet principle.  Therefore eating many different types of nutritious foods is essential. 

Different types are likely to result in a diet that receives adequate amounts of nutrients for good health.  Even foods in the same food group may have different nutrients and it is important to consume a variety within each food group.  For example, bananas are rich in vitamins B and strawberries are rich in vitamin C.  Eating food coming from different sources can be beneficial.  For instance, insoluble fiber like wheat helps to prevent constipation whereas soluble fiber like oats has been associated with lower risk in blood cholesterol.  Other dietary fiber like vegetables such as broccoli, brussels, cabbage and cauliflower are believed to assist in the prevention of a number of cancers.  

Wholesome food is food made from whole ingredients.  We should take wholegrain bread as it contains more goodness of the entire grain.  As a general rule, the less processed a food is, the better.  We should try to avoid processed foods as much as possible because of the preservatives, colors, flavors and additives it contains.  

Besides these principles to a nutritionally sound diet, we need to consider other factors affected by an individual’s lifestyle choices, genetics and environment.  Simply eating all food groups may not guarantee a balanced diet.  The nutritional requirements of an individual may be impacted by age, health and lifestyle choices, medication, quality of food consumed and most importantly of all, the degree of an individual’s digestion and absorption.

Whilst it is imperative to eat wisely, JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association 2002; 287: 3127-3129 by Robert H. Fletcher, MD, MSc; Kathleen M. Fairfiled, MD, Dr PH, Harvard University, highlighted that that most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone. Thus it may appear prudent for everyone to take a good multivitamin daily to promote optimum nutritional status. Although there have been arguments for and against the use of supplements, there are enough substantial circumstances to warrant the use of good quality multivitamins to supplement an individual’s diet. These may additionally help to assist an individual’s nutritional requirement to its optimal level.