Download Healthy Eating

Healthy Eating
By: http://www.lesmills.com/midwest/healthy-eating/healthy-eating.aspx
Remember the traditional food pyramid? As kids, many of us began our food
education with this simple diagram of how to create a healthy diet. Start out
with a base of complex carbohydrates like bread and pasta, bang on a layer
of fruit and vegetables, then a smaller layer of protein and top with a small
triangle of fats and sweets. It's not a bad pyramid. Well, it's got most of the
right components, but its construction is a little old and creaky. We're
shooting for optimal health so we've taken that traditional food pyramid and
remodeled it; made it lean and mean and fortified it with the latest scientific
information and nutritional findings.
Fruit and Vegetables
At the bottom of our new, rejuvenated pyramid we start with a solid base of
fruit and vegetables, lots of them. They're low in calories and loaded with
nutrients, fiber and disease-fighting antioxidants. With this rock-solid
foundation, we're well on the way to improved health and effortless weight
control.
Did you know that eating your fruit whole is much better than drinking it?
Carbohydrates and Proteins
The next level of our pyramid is made up of two blocks: quality
carbohydrates and quality proteins. Carbohydrates combine both sugars and
starch, giving us the energy to burn through our workouts and keep our brain
powered-up all day. However, some carbs are better than others at providing
us with a sustained supply of energy. The Glycemic Index (GI) ranks foods
according to their effect on glucose levels in our blood and by using it, we
can choose foods that release energy slowly and steadily and avoid those
that cause a rapid influx.
White bread will cause a larger and more rapid rise in your blood glucose
than the same amount of sugar in fruit juice or table sugar!
Low-GI foods are usually the ones closest to their natural state, without all
the processing and refining, so they're full of vitamins and minerals, and are
a great source of fiber. Recent research also indicates that a low-GI diet
reduces your risk of heart disease, diabetes and can help you to lose body
fat.
A diet rich in wholegrain carbohydrates reduces the risk of heart disease and
cancer.
Carbohydrate High GI
Starchy foods
Bakery
Cereals
Biscuits and
crackers
Snack foods
Potatoes, chips, most
varieties of rice
White or whole meal
bread, crumpets,
pancakes, scones, bagels,
baguette, muffins,
waffles
Breakfast cereals, low fat
cereal bars
Rice cakes, water
crackers, plain biscuits
Pretzels, sweeties /
lollies, popcorn,
processed fruit bars
Low GI
Sweet potato, taro, basmati and
brown rice, chickpeas, lentils,
beans, pasta, noodles, barley,
sweet corn
Wholegrain bread, fruit loaf,
sourdough bread, pita bread
Porridge, muesli,
wholegrain/high-fibre cereals
Fruit slice, oat cakes
Dried apricots, prunes, nuts, fruit,
yoghurt
Avoid low-carb diets. Just make sure you chose the right kind: the
unprocessed, grainy carbs!
Proteins are essential for muscle growth and repair and have the added
bonus of helping control our appetite because they're so satisfying. And they
also provide numerous vital nutrients like iron and zinc. Aim for a lean or
low-fat protein source at every meal and if you're a vegetarian, combine
foods to ensure you get all the amino acids – the building blocks of protein.
Go for things like rice and beans, pita bread and falafel, porridge with nuts,
or good old baked beans on toast.
Fish and seafood are great for essential fats and minerals
Fat
Next up the pyramid comes a smaller amount of good quality fat. Don't be
fooled into thinking that all fat is bad and we should cut it out altogether.
You may end up replacing the fat with carbohydrates and still battle to
control your weight. We know now that healthy, unsaturated fats are an
essential part of a healthy diet. Things like olive oil, avocado, nut and seeds
are all great choices.
Try using mashed avocado, hummus or an olive oil mayonnaise instead of
butter or margarine on bread, or dip it in a little olive oil and balsamic
vinegar (the vinegar will also lower the GI)!
Treats
Right at the very top of the pyramid are our treats. We all have our favorites:
chocolate, sweets, a glass of wine. See it as a reward that you've earned for
all your hard work. In moderation, a bit of what you fancy does you good!
Remember to have at least two alcohol-free days each week!
Attitude
Remember, an essential part of a healthy diet is having a healthy attitude.
Emotions, situations and habits can all have an influence on our diet and
factors other than hunger sometimes affect when and how much we eat. We
may eat when we are bored or sad, or because other people around us are
eating. We may eat out of habit or drink alcohol as a means of stress relief.
We all do these things on occasion and it's perfectly normal. It's only when it
happens regularly that it can pose problems to our health or hinder our
progress towards our goals.
The key is paying attention to situations when we eat for reasons other than
hunger. Try keeping a food diary and record your appetite and mood, what
you eat and how much. Be honest. Make note of your feelings before you
have an alcoholic drink. At the end of the week you'll be able to look over
your diary and see situations where you use food or alcohol as an emotional
release or out of habit. From there you can come up with strategies to
overcome these trigger situations. Head down to the health club for a
workout, go for a walk, talk to a friend, play with the dog. The idea is to do
something that relieves whatever feeling you have, be it anger, boredom,
frustration or stress. By the time you've finished the activity, the feeling will
have passed.
Healthy eating is not just about what you eat, but having a healthy attitude to
food and eating.