Eating healthily arouses the palate. One route to becoming overweight and unhealthy is by eating a particular food group, day after day. That is the quickest way to becoming mineral and vitamin deficient. Without proper nourishment the body malfunctions and complains.
It complains by making you hungry so that you eat more in order to obtain more nutrients. So you eat more of the same and get fatter and heavier.
So it is crucial to diversify your diet to acquire all the nourishment your body needs.
Because of the global obesity epidemic, it is common to see 'large' but undernourished people. Because they are fat they do not look undernourished, but they are.
An unhealthy diet usually contains too much sodium. Common salt is essential for the body to function normally. But we prefer foods that contain lots of salt, and often end up with three times the required daily intake!
Polyunsaturated fats and calories are also eaten excessively these days. This is attributed to the 'fast food' sold in High Street franchised food outlets. There, we can buy greasy food, sweet cakes, processed products with added salt and fructose, and more...
Trans-fats are thankfully being phased out by the food industry, but those man-made chemicals alone are not the cause of obesity. It is excess sugar, particularly fructose in processed foods that is at the heart of unhealthy diets.
Sweet, canned and bottled fizzy drinks like cola are particularly harmful because of the large amount of sugar they contain.
In the end, variety in the diet is missing when we rely on these convenience foods. Over time, consumers come to lack certain minerals and then become ill.
It is crucial to read the labels on all packaged, canned, and bottled food. That way the sugar, salt, and caloric content will indicate how healthy the product is.
Knowing what is actually in the food you eat goes a long way to becoming and staying healthy. Unfortunately, most people never bother to read labels. Perhaps they cannot be bothered. Perhaps it takes too long, or the labelling is difficult to read.
So to help you dear reader, below is a list of really healthy foods translated to a number of cups or servings. This makes any diet easily to monitor.
The list is based on the 'average' person's weight. Heavier or more active people can increase the quantities.
There are six food groups in the list: grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy, and oils.
Grains: 6 ounces (170 g), half of which are whole grains. Avoid processed breads. No processed cereals.
Fruits: a minimum of 2 cups a day. Berries, kiwi fruit, and citrus fruits are the most nutritious. Always eat the skins of pears, apples, and plums. Bananas contain potassium.
Vegetables: a minimum of 3 cups a day. Leafy greens such as kale, cabbage, or spinach are best. Avoid too many potatoes, but keep the skins on (the best bit) if you must have them.
Proteins: these are meat or beans. 3/4 of a cup each day. Choose meat from grass-fed animals.
Dairy: these are milk products and eggs. 3 cups a day. Choose grass-fed dairy products to gain the most minerals. Eggs are perfect.
Oils: these are saturated oils such as coconut oil and olive oil. Yes, you can fry eggs in coconut oil, but not in olive oil. The former can easily withstand high heat; the latter becomes toxic at high temperatures. Serve olive oil at room temperature. 6 teaspoons a day. Avoid all man-made polyunsaturated oils.
When these quantities are met, another 260 calories of non-fructose sugars and saturated fats can be added. 90% cocoa dark chocolate is a nice treat that contains many antioxidants. Avocados on whole grain toast are filling. Black coffee has zero calories and antioxidants.
Eating a healthy diet just means eating various foods to obtain the nutrients the body needs. It is simply enjoying proper food whilst regulating it.
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