Healthy eating
What we put into our body reflects how we look and feel on the inside and out. Have you heard of the saying ‘you are what you eat’?
If you overload on junk such as crisps, chocolate, fizzy drinks and fast food, it will show in your skin, hair and of course, your shape and size. Your skin will look greasy and spotty and you will feel bloated and eventually gain weight – perhaps even resulting in obesity.
At the same time, not eating enough can be just as bad. If you are constantly counting the calories, skipping meals or finding excuses not to eat, you could be suffering from an eating disorder. Your body will become skeletal like and in girls, periods will stop.
Obesity and anorexia can cause severe damage to the body’s internal organs and, in extreme cases, death. It’s important that you develop good eating habits now, or it will make it more difficult the older you get.
Getting the balance right
You don’t have to stop eating food you enjoy – you just need to get the balance right and perhaps try new healthy foods that you may not have tried before. It’s all about moderation.
Take a look at the 5 main food groups below and discover how each food type fuels the body. By following the guidelines, you’ll always maintain a healthy weight and have that feel good factor.
1. Carbohydrates (Bread, cereals, potatoes, rice, pasta and noodles)
Carbohydrates are also known as starchy foods. These foods are your body’s main source of energy and should make up a third of our diet.High fibre versions of these foods like wholemeal bread and pasta, brown rice and wholegrain breakfast cereals are better for you.
These foods contain a type of fibre (called insoluble fibre) that helps to keep bowel movements regular and will prevent you getting constipated. High fibre foods are also more filling and are digested more slowly, helping to reduce the urge to snack between meals - so they help you to maintain a healthy weight.
The way in which we treat these foods can also change how good they are. Here are some tips to keep your carbohydrates healthier:
• Avoid having fried starchy foods – such as chips or fried bread too often.
• Try not to add too much fat to starchy foods, for example having thickly spread butter on bread.
• Limit rich sauces and dressings such as cream or cheese sauce on pasta.
• When increasing fibre in the diet, increase your fluid intake by drinking plenty of water to avoid getting constipated.
2. Fruit and Vegetables
These foods are full of fibre, vitamins and minerals and low in calories. You should eat at least 5 portions every day and they can be fresh, tinned, frozen, cooked, dried or juiced. It is important to eat a variety of these foods as different coloured fruit and vegetables contain different vitamins and minerals. A good way to remember this is to ‘eat a rainbow’ every day!
3. Protein (meat, fish, eggs, soya, pulses, beans, nuts, seeds)
Protein helps to build and repair the body. Meat, fish and eggs are high in protein. Pulses, nuts and seeds are lower in protein.
Health professionals recommend that 10 to 15 per cent of your daily diet is protein based so you should include it in one or two meals every day.
4. Milk and Dairy (milk, cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais)
This food type is essential for calcium intake which strengthens your teeth, bones, muscles and nerves. As you get older, your bone density decreases which can cause the brittle bone disease, osteoporosis. It is vital that teenage girls in particular, ensure they have enough calcium in their diet to ensure healthy bones later in life.
The Department of Health recommend at least 700mg of calcium a day to ensure good health. So, a pint of milk, 2 small pots of yoghurt or 80g of hard cheese is enough. It doesn’t matter if it’s full fat or low fat – the calcium content remains the same for both.
5. Fats and Sugars (butter, lard, margarine, cheese, whole milk, vegetable oils)
You should opt for unsaturated fats rather that saturated fats. These include vegetable oils (sunflower, sesame, olive and soft margarine). They can also be found in some fish (mackeral, sardines, pilchards, salmon).
You should opt for unsaturated fats rather that saturated fats. These include vegetable oils (sunflower, sesame, olive and soft margarine). They can also be found in some fish (mackeral, sardines, pilchards, salmon).
Saturated fats can be found in butter, lard, cheese and whole milk and a high intake of these fats has been linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
Fats should make up no more than 35 per cent of your daily diet. Try to swap whole milk for semi-skimmed or skimmed and choose low fat spreads and vegetable oil instead of butter and lard.
Sugar can be found in cakes, biscuits, chocolate, pies and pastries. You should opt for healthy alternatives such as fruit.