The Essentials of Good Nutrition

In today’s busy environment there is always so much to do and so little time to do it. With so little time to get everything done that we feel we need to, it is inevitable that we will cut corners or take short cuts in order to cram in everything we need to do.

Diet is no exception. Now that we no longer have to go out and hunt or gather or grow our own food there are literally thousands of different options that our modern society has provided to us when it comes down to food and most of the quick options are also those that are the least healthy. Grabbing a packet of crisps or a bar of chocolate, chucking a meal into the microwave to be ready to eat in 5 minutes or dialling the local takeaway may be very quick but they’re not particularly healthy as these foods are crammed full of sugars, fats and salts which are aimed more at making the food taste great instead of the manufacturers also ensuring that the food is nutritious and healthy.

Everybody is unique and so each person’s dietary requirements are going to differ from everybody else around them due to genetics, lifestyle, physique and overall health but there are some broad guidelines that we would all be wise to follow i.e. ensuring that we eat lots of fruit and vegetables and whole grains, minimising our intake of fat and drinking plenty of water. These basic guidelines should be factored in when planning your tailor made dietary plan.

Eating a variety of different foods each day will ensure that your body will take on board all the nutrients it requires. You should restrict the amount of animal derived products tat you consume as these are normally high in saturated fats and should eat oils, fat and sugary foods sparingly.

Deciding that you’re going to eat healthily really isn’t enough. You need a plan to ensure that you have something to refer to and also to stick to. If you write out a dietary plan then you are more likely to see the diet through than if you decide, on the spur of the moment to eat healthily, as it is too easy to stray if you have nothing to guide you.

Eating should be pleasurable but shouldn’t be detrimental to your health. Eating healthily can still mean having a varied and interesting diet but it means educating yourself as to what constitutes a healthy diet and then planning it out so that all your dietary requirements are catered for through foods you actually enjoy eating.

Whilst sugary, fatty foods are not particularly good for you, you should not cut these food stuffs out entirely. Factor them into your dietary plan as a treat and something to work towards. This is because it is vital that you have realistic goals. If you have an unrealistic dietary plan you may keep to a raw vegetables diet for 2-3 days but will quickly grow tired of it and will fall back into bad habits!

Learn your nutritional need and then give some thought to what changes you should make to your existing diet. It’s a good idea to write down these changes.

Make direct and simple statements that you can act on, such as, “I want to eat less sugar and more complex carbohydrates”: “I want to eat less saturated fat”. Also, write down why you want to make these changes (“have more sustained energy; “cut my risk of heart disease”). Finally, set specific goals, writing down what you want to accomplish: two or three more servings of vegetables each day; more whole grains; fish instead of steak twice a week, and so on. Chart your progress and reward yourself for success.

Goodbye to All That
The majority of fatty and sugary foods – and those delicious dessert that combine the two – need to be on you No or Well, maybe just a little, lists. Sweets are simple sugar, often called empty calories as they provide no nutrition. Fat tends to accumulate in places we don’t really want it; in addition to extra bulges. It may clog our arteries and lead to life threatening heart disease.

Another thing to keep in mind if you’re reassessing your diet is the timing of your meals. Nutritionists say that when you eat is more important than most people might think.

For one thing, it’s been shown that if you don’t eat for more than four to five hours your blood sugar dips, leading to irritability, fuzzy thinking, tension and tiredness.

Nutritionists advise eating regular meals, starting with a good, filling breakfast. They say you should have your largest meal around the middle of the day. For supper have a small, light meal, leaving your stomach relatively empty when you go to sleep.

Don’t forget the fibre
The experts recommend that you consume 20-30 grams of fibre every day. To accomplish this, you’ll need about five servings of fruit and vegetables, as well as half a dozen servings of grains.

Cut your Cholesterol.
Do you think you’re young and active enough not to worry about cholesterol? Well, then you’d better think again. If you eat a typical British diet, high in the saturated fats the body converts into cholesterol, you may be on the road to serious health problems.

Cholesterol is a thick, stick gunk that eventually builds up on the lining of your arteries and obstructs the flow of blood. When the blood supply to your heart is sufficiently blocked you may have a heart attack; if the blockage is to the artery that feeds the brain, you may have a stroke.

The cholesterol content of food is not as crucial in raising blood cholesterol  as are the levels of saturated fat. Even so, to be on the safe side it’s best to go easy with such high cholesterol foods as eggs and shrimp.

Some people have a genetically determined tendency towards high cholesterol levels. If you’re in that category, you need to be extra vigilant in sticking to the guidelines.