Healthy Diet
Healthy Food
Healthy foods are foods that provide the nutrients the body requires to function well and to improve your overall health.
The seven main groups of nutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water.
These can be obtained from eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, spices, beans, seafood, meats, poultry, nuts, seeds, staples, dairy and drinks.
It is important to incorporate these in a well balanced daily diet.
Snacks
Consuming food or drinks between meals is referred to as snacking. Snacking itself is not necessarily bad for your health.
A healthy snack between meals can in fact decrease your hunger, give you a boost of energy, and keep you from overeating at meal times. However it is important not to eat unhealthy snacks or consume more calories than your body needs as the excess energy will be stored as fat which would lead to gaining weight.
It is therefore possible to substitute all unhealthy snacks for healthier ones and keep an eye on the calories being consumed. These snacks can include things like nuts, fruit, vegetables, hard boiled eggs, cheese, whey protein shake, or even some canned tuna or salmon.
Water
The human body is primarily composed of water, so staying hydrated is crucial to your physical health. Water is the purest form of hydration so staying properly hydrated helps the body's cells to function more efficiently.
Water can help quench your thirst, has no sugars and no calories. It helps flush toxins from the body, decreases cravings for food, aids digestion, assists with healthier skin, and protects your vital organs.
Adults should aim to drink between 1.5 litres to 2 litres of water a day, but this does depend on factors like humidity, temperature and exercise.
Reduce Salt Consumption
Excessive amount of sodium, increases the risk of high blood pressure, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease, kidney failure and stroke.
Most people get their sodium through salt, so the best way to reduce salt intake can be done by:
Buying and eating fresh produce rather than processed foods
Checking sodium levels on food labels
Choosing lower sodium content foods
Not adding salt to your food
Avoiding salty snacks
Remove salt and salty sauces from the table to avoid temptation
Use herbs and spices instead to add flavour to foods
Remember that sodium is found naturally in a variety of foods, such as meats, seafood and milk, so it is possible to consume too much salt if one is not too careful.
Reduce Sugar Consumption
Sugar is simply a carbohydrate and it can be found naturally in fruit, vegetables and milk in the form of sucrose, fructose, glucose or lactose.
These consumed directly from the fruit, vegetables or milk have little effect on your blood sugar and are considered to be healthy.
It is the refined sugars, or free sugars, however which are processed to extract the sugar from these sources that are unhealthy.
Consuming excessive amounts of sugar can contribute to type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease, unhealthy weight gain, and tooth decay.
Sugar intake can be reduced by reading food and drink labels and avoid;
Sugary foods
Sugars sweets and snacks
Sugary beverages
Sugary sauces
Adding sugar to foods or drinks