What is Healthy Eating?

 What is a Healthy Diet?

Healthy eating means consuming the right quantities of foods from all food groups in order to lead a healthy life.

Diet is often referred to as some dietary regimen for losing weight. However, diet simply means what food we eat in the course of a 24-hour, one week, or one month, etc. period.

A good diet is a nutritional lifestyle that promotes good health. A good diet must include several food groups because one single group cannot provide everything a human needs for good health.

When we eat matters too

A large breakfast helps control body weight - a team of researchers from Tel Aviv University, Israel, explained in the journal Obesity that a big breakfast - one containing about 700 calories - is better for losing weight and lowering one's risk of developing heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes.1

Prof. Daniela Jakubowicz and team stressed that when we eat our food may matter as much as what we eat.

How do you define healthy eating?

The crucial part of healthy eating is a balanced diet. A balanced diet - or a good diet - means consuming from all the different good groups in the right quantities. Nutritionists say there are five main food groups - whole grains, fruit and vegetables, protein, diary, and fat & sugar.

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Whole grains

According to the USDA (United States Dept. of Agriculture)2, we should consume at least 3 ounces of whole grains per day. A whole grain, unlike refined grains, still has the bran and the germ attached. Whole grains are rich in fiber, minerals and vitamins. When grains are refined the bran and germ are removed.

It is not possible to know whether food is made from whole grain just by looking at it.

To be really sure you have to read the label. In the list of ingredients, the word whole or wholegrain needs to appear before the name of the grain.

Whole grain products include breads, pastas and cereals - they need to be made with 100% whole grain.

Whole grain foods and flours include 100% whole wheat, brown rice, bulger, corn, buckwheat, oatmeal (oats), spelt and wild rice.

Meat in your diet

Meat is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals in your diet. However, if you currently eat more than 90g (cooked weight) of red and processed meat a day, the Department of Health advises that you cut down to 70g, which is the average daily consumption in the UK.

Making healthier choices can help you eat meat as part of a healthy, balanced diet. But some meats are high in saturated fat, which can raise blood cholesterol levels.

If you eat a lot of red and processed meat, it is recommended that you cut down as there is likely to be a link between red and processed meat and bowel cancer.

Meats such as chicken, pork, lamb and beef are all rich in protein. A balanced diet can include protein from meat, as well as from non-animal sources such as beans and pulses.

Red meat provides us with iron, and meat is also one of the main sources of vitamin B12.

Make healthier choices when buying meat

When buying meat, go for the leanest option. As a rule, the more white you can see on meat, the more fat it contains. For example, back bacon contains less fat than streaky bacon.

These tips can help you buy healthier options:

• Ask your butcher for a lean cut.
• If you're buying pre-packed meat, check the nutrition label to see how much fat it contains and compare products.
• Go for turkey and chicken without the skin as these are lower in fat (or remove the skin before cooking).
• Try to limit processed meat products such as sausages, salami, pâté and beefburgers, because these are generally high in fat. They are often high in salt, too.
• Try to limit meat products in pastry, such as pies and sausage rolls, because they are often high in fat and salt.

Cut down on fat when cooking meat

Cut off any visible fat and skin before cooking – crackling and poultry skin are much higher in fat than the meat itself.

Here are some other ways to reduce fat when cooking meat:

• Grill meat, rather than frying. Trimmed pork chops that have been grilled contain around one-third the fat of roasted untrimmed chops. A lean grilled rump steak contains about half the fat of fried rump steak with the fat. And fried chicken breast in breadcrumbs contains nearly six times as much fat as chicken breast grilled without the skin.
• Don't add extra fat or oil when cooking meat.
• Roast meat on a metal rack above a roasting tin so the fat can run off.
• Try using smaller quantities of meat and more vegetables, pulses and starchy foods in dishes such as stews, curries and casseroles.

Best of Luck with your health........