When it comes to healthy eating, many foods find themselves on both sides of the nutrition hype machine. They are built up by slick marketing campaigns and political lobbying, then brought back down to earth with nutritional warnings and lawsuits. 韓国料理 名古屋市
Researchers are beginning to uncover how food "talks" to our genes. Learn what this means for future generations and how to unmask the secret ingredients lurking on your plate.
1. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
When it comes to healthy eating, there’s no doubt that a diet filled with fruits and vegetables is key. These powerhouse foods are packed with vitamins and minerals, fibre, and phytochemicals. There’s ample evidence that a produce-rich diet can help protect against cancer, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.
Eating enough fruits and vegetables can also help keep you feeling full, helping to control your weight. In addition, they are generally low in calories and fat, which can help you cut back on other unhealthy foods like saturated fats, salt, and sugar.
Whether you are looking to add more fruit and vegetables to your diet, or you’re trying to meet the recommended 2 to 4 cups per day, the following tips can help you reach that goal:
Start by adding more non-starchy veggies to your meals and snacks, such as leafy greens, broccoli, and cauliflower. These veggies are rich in a variety of nutrients and provide the body with slowly digested carbohydrates. Then try adding more colourful fruits to your diet, including citrus fruits, berries, and fruits that grow on trees (apricots, cherries, peaches, and mangoes). Aim for a rainbow of colour each week to get the best mix of nutrients and flavours.
When it comes to choosing the right fruits and vegetables, a good rule of thumb is to choose those with the highest amount of fibre. This can be found in whole grains, beans, and legumes. When purchasing packaged fruits and vegetables, look for those with “whole grain” first on the ingredients list. The traffic light labelling on the front of packages can also be helpful for a quick at-a-glance guide to how healthy a food is.
2. Eat More Whole Grains
A growing body of evidence suggests that consuming whole grains helps prevent chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. This is due to the health-promoting nutrients found in whole grains, particularly dietary fiber and resistant starch, which help control blood sugar and lower cholesterol levels.
Researchers have also spotted important benefits from the microorganisms that live on or in whole grains. These bacteria, known as the gut microbiota, play many important roles in health and well-being, such as helping digest food, extract nutrients from proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and reduce inflammation and infection. Studies show that people who eat more whole grains have healthier gut bacteria.
In a large study of more than 17,000 adults, those who ate the most whole grains had a 22% lower risk of heart disease than those who consumed the least. That’s because the germ and bran of whole grains, rich in soluble fiber, antioxidants, B vitamins, protein and healthy fats, protect against cardiovascular disease.
Another heart-health benefit of whole grains is the way they keep you full. In fact, people who eat more whole grains tend to eat less overall. That’s because the “meat” of the grain, or endosperm, provides slow-digesting energy that keeps you feeling satisfied.
To help people make more whole grain choices, national and public health authorities need to popularize knowledge of the benefits of whole grains, push for standard definitions of what counts as a whole grain, and work on improving the taste of these foods so more people will choose them. To find whole grains, look for the Whole Grain stamp on products or for the words ’whole grain’ in the ingredient list.
3. Eat More Protein
Protein is an essential nutrient that’s needed to build and repair tissues, including your muscles. It’s also involved in many of the body’s important biochemical functions and is one of the three major "macronutrients," along with fat and carbohydrates.
A high protein diet can help you burn more calories, because it helps to control appetite and cravings. In fact, some studies show that a high-protein diet can cause people to automatically reduce their calorie intake. This is because protein has a lot of “appetite-suppressing" power, meaning that it fills you up so you eat less.
Another way that protein can help you cut back on calories is by helping to curb cravings and late-night refrigerator raids. Cravings are often the downfall of dieters, as they lead to more frequent and higher-calorie eating during the day and night. But, research has shown that a high protein diet can help to control cravings and keep dieters full and satisfied longer. In fact, in one study, when a group of people increased the amount of protein in their diets to 30% of their total calories, they automatically dropped their overall calorie consumption by 441 calories per day!
Lastly, protein can provide a big energy boost when you need it. Protein has been shown to increase your metabolism and your rate of burning calories, especially at rest. This is because your body is using more energy to digest and break down the protein you consume.
But, it’s important to remember that too much protein can harm your health. Excessive protein can increase your risk of osteoporosis, cancer, elevated cholesterol, kidney stones and constipation. To avoid too much protein, aim for 10 to 35 percent of your total calories from protein each day, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
4. Eat More Healthy Fats
Fat is a major source of energy in the body and is essential for good health. The key is to make sure the fats you eat are healthy and not saturated or trans fats that can increase your risk of heart disease. In addition, healthy fats can help your body absorb some nutrients and improve the taste of food.
There are two types of healthy fats: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats are found in foods like olives, avocados and peanut butter; nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, and pecans; and plant oils such as olive, canola, safflower, and sesame. Polyunsaturated fats are found in oily fish like salmon and trout, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, and flaxseeds.
It's important to remember that all fats contain nine calories per gram, so they can add up quickly if you're not careful. Try to choose healthy, unsaturated fats over saturated and trans fats when possible.
Eating more healthy fats can improve your eating habits, and help you feel fuller and more satisfied. It can also help your blood sugar levels stay more stable throughout the day.
But it's important to balance out the fat you eat with other nutritious foods in your diet, such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. And don't forget to drink plenty of water!
5. Eat Less Sugar
When it comes to eating healthy, reducing sugar may be one of the best things you can do. A moderate amount of sugar in the diet is OK, but a high intake contributes to weight gain and increases your risk for health conditions including heart disease and diabetes. It also makes you feel sluggish and leads to skin problems, cavities and other dental issues. Plus, too much sugar can cause you to overeat, which makes it hard to reach a healthy weight.
It’s not easy to cut out added sugar because it lurks in many foods, even some with a “healthy halo.” But it is possible to reduce your added sugar intake. The first step is to figure out where the sugar in your diet comes from. Then start to make small changes like replacing soda with water or reducing the amount of sugar in your tea or coffee. It can be helpful to write down the small changes you are making, so that you can keep track of your progress.
Learn to read food labels and sleuth out added sugars by checking the ingredients list. Look out for words like agave, honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, cane juice, fruit juice concentrate, molasses, stevia, dextrose and any other ingredient ending in -ose or syrup.
Try to avoid packaged foods, such as cookies and cakes, and instead eat more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy and lean proteins. And when it comes to beverages, choose those that are calorie-free or provide beneficial nutrients, such as water and unsweetened tea and coffee.