Nourishing Yourself
This article gives you some basic “rules of thumb” for healthier eating.
1. DO eat lots of:
¨ “Whole” Foods – foods that have been minimally processed, so they generally contain more fiber, vitamins, and minerals and less chemical additives, sugar, and salt. Examples include fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, and grains such as brown rice, oatmeal (rolled oats or steelcut oats are less processed than “quick” oats), barley, quinoa, bulgur, amaranth, millet, and buckwheat.
¨ Variety – try to incorporate a diversity of fruits, vegetables, grains, meats and legumes into your day and week. Each food contains its own unique assortment of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein. By not eating the same foods every day, you ensure that there are no unintended “gaps” in your nutrition. Serving a variety of textures, flavors, and colors in one meal can also help you to feel more satisfied at the end of it, without nagging cravings.
¨ Fruits and Vegetables – at each meal, especially lunch and dinner, 50% of the volume of your meal should be vegetables and/or fruit. Put another way, half of any plate should be covered with veggies or fruit. These foods are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Fresh or frozen is more nutritious than canned versions (and canned foods are more likely to contain sugar, salt, and chemical additives, so check labels).
¨ Organic Foods – as much as is practical or affordable for you. Modern agriculture and food processing employs large amounts of chemical pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, and preservatives, many of which are proven to be bad for our health, and many of which have just not been studied. Genetic engineering is banned in many parts of the world but permitted, without labeling, in the U.S. Its long-term effects on people and the environment are unknown. Wash non-organic produce thoroughly. Consider growing some of your own food.
2. DECREASE your intake of:
¨ Processed foods – if it comes in a package or a can, it has probably been processed (ground up, heated, bleached, irradiated, chemically treated, filtered, etc.), and is less nutritious than the whole foods it is made from. This includes anything made with flour (including “whole-grain” breads), canned foods, juices (many of which are not all juice, either), and American or processed cheese.
¨ “Simple” Carbohydrates – sugar and sweets, flour-based baked goods (crackers, breads, muffins, bagels) and pasta. These foods, and sweets in particular, tend to cause swings in your blood sugar that can affect mood, cause cravings, promote weight gain, and upset your hormonal balance.
3. AVOID:
¨ “Trans” Fats – these fats do not occur in nature, and they can contribute to cardiovascular disease. Avoid margarines and check the labels of baked goods (they are now required to list trans fats on the Nutrition Facts label).
¨ Artificial Sweeteners, Colorings, and Preservatives – some people are more sensitive than others to these chemical additives, but they don’t do any of us any good. Check labels – if you can’t pronounce it or don’t recognize it, be wary.
¨ Low-Nutrition “Junk” Foods – except as occasional treats. Candy, cookies, sugary muffins, pretzels, chips, etc., are high in calories and low in nutrition. They have recreational, not food, value. They are also designed to be addictive.
¨ Sweet or High-Calorie Drinks – except as occasional treats. This includes sweetened flavored waters, juice drinks, bottled iced teas, chai, and that double mochaccino. Also avoid diet sodas. Sodas can pull calcium from the body, raising the risk for osteoporosis. Diet sodas have been shown paradoxically to be associated with increased weight, and they contain chemical sweeteners.
4. SNACKING:
¨ Be Prepared – have some nutritious snack items available when you need them, instead of going out and buying the first junk food you see to pacify your growling stomach and low blood sugar. Try a handful of nuts or a small bowl of plain yoghurt with fresh fruit; baby carrots or other raw veggies with hummus; a wholegrain rye cracker or rice cake with nut butter; 3 or 4 olives and some celery or red pepper slices…
¨ Avoid Temptation – if it’s there, you’ll probably eat it! Keep cookies, chips, soda, and other high-calorie/low-nutrition foods out of your house and workplace. You may need to have a problem-solving discussion with co-workers to enlist their cooperation in minimizing temptations in public areas at work.
5. ENJOY your food!
¨ Eat When You Eat – meals are a time to focus on appreciating your food, and your family and friends. Turn off the TV, put down the newspaper, pull over to the side of the road, get away from your computer…. Notice the colors, smells, textures, and flavor nuances of each bite.
¨ Rediscover the dying art of home cooking – play with new recipes, new ingredients, that strange-looking vegetable at the supermarket. Get your kids involved with cooking – they are more likely to eat something they helped make. Explore ethnic ingredients and recipes when you need a change of pace.
1. DO eat lots of:
¨ “Whole” Foods – foods that have been minimally processed, so they generally contain more fiber, vitamins, and minerals and less chemical additives, sugar, and salt. Examples include fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, and grains such as brown rice, oatmeal (rolled oats or steelcut oats are less processed than “quick” oats), barley, quinoa, bulgur, amaranth, millet, and buckwheat.
¨ Variety – try to incorporate a diversity of fruits, vegetables, grains, meats and legumes into your day and week. Each food contains its own unique assortment of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein. By not eating the same foods every day, you ensure that there are no unintended “gaps” in your nutrition. Serving a variety of textures, flavors, and colors in one meal can also help you to feel more satisfied at the end of it, without nagging cravings.
¨ Fruits and Vegetables – at each meal, especially lunch and dinner, 50% of the volume of your meal should be vegetables and/or fruit. Put another way, half of any plate should be covered with veggies or fruit. These foods are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Fresh or frozen is more nutritious than canned versions (and canned foods are more likely to contain sugar, salt, and chemical additives, so check labels).
¨ Organic Foods – as much as is practical or affordable for you. Modern agriculture and food processing employs large amounts of chemical pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, and preservatives, many of which are proven to be bad for our health, and many of which have just not been studied. Genetic engineering is banned in many parts of the world but permitted, without labeling, in the U.S. Its long-term effects on people and the environment are unknown. Wash non-organic produce thoroughly. Consider growing some of your own food.
2. DECREASE your intake of:
¨ Processed foods – if it comes in a package or a can, it has probably been processed (ground up, heated, bleached, irradiated, chemically treated, filtered, etc.), and is less nutritious than the whole foods it is made from. This includes anything made with flour (including “whole-grain” breads), canned foods, juices (many of which are not all juice, either), and American or processed cheese.
¨ “Simple” Carbohydrates – sugar and sweets, flour-based baked goods (crackers, breads, muffins, bagels) and pasta. These foods, and sweets in particular, tend to cause swings in your blood sugar that can affect mood, cause cravings, promote weight gain, and upset your hormonal balance.
3. AVOID:
¨ “Trans” Fats – these fats do not occur in nature, and they can contribute to cardiovascular disease. Avoid margarines and check the labels of baked goods (they are now required to list trans fats on the Nutrition Facts label).
¨ Artificial Sweeteners, Colorings, and Preservatives – some people are more sensitive than others to these chemical additives, but they don’t do any of us any good. Check labels – if you can’t pronounce it or don’t recognize it, be wary.
¨ Low-Nutrition “Junk” Foods – except as occasional treats. Candy, cookies, sugary muffins, pretzels, chips, etc., are high in calories and low in nutrition. They have recreational, not food, value. They are also designed to be addictive.
¨ Sweet or High-Calorie Drinks – except as occasional treats. This includes sweetened flavored waters, juice drinks, bottled iced teas, chai, and that double mochaccino. Also avoid diet sodas. Sodas can pull calcium from the body, raising the risk for osteoporosis. Diet sodas have been shown paradoxically to be associated with increased weight, and they contain chemical sweeteners.
4. SNACKING:
¨ Be Prepared – have some nutritious snack items available when you need them, instead of going out and buying the first junk food you see to pacify your growling stomach and low blood sugar. Try a handful of nuts or a small bowl of plain yoghurt with fresh fruit; baby carrots or other raw veggies with hummus; a wholegrain rye cracker or rice cake with nut butter; 3 or 4 olives and some celery or red pepper slices…
¨ Avoid Temptation – if it’s there, you’ll probably eat it! Keep cookies, chips, soda, and other high-calorie/low-nutrition foods out of your house and workplace. You may need to have a problem-solving discussion with co-workers to enlist their cooperation in minimizing temptations in public areas at work.
5. ENJOY your food!
¨ Eat When You Eat – meals are a time to focus on appreciating your food, and your family and friends. Turn off the TV, put down the newspaper, pull over to the side of the road, get away from your computer…. Notice the colors, smells, textures, and flavor nuances of each bite.
¨ Rediscover the dying art of home cooking – play with new recipes, new ingredients, that strange-looking vegetable at the supermarket. Get your kids involved with cooking – they are more likely to eat something they helped make. Explore ethnic ingredients and recipes when you need a change of pace.
Jennifer L. Highland, DO
59 Cummings Hill Rd.
Plymouth, NH 03264
(603) 536-4300
59 Cummings Hill Rd.
Plymouth, NH 03264
(603) 536-4300