Health For All Seasons

Eating For Health

There are many factors that influence health: what we eat coupled with our lifestyle can play a major part in vitality and wellbeing.

Indicators of health can include:

Being under or over weight.

Specific illnesses we may have.

Mental alertness: poor memory, concentration, headaches or irritability.

Hair which may lack lustre or skin may be pale or spotty.

Our body shape e.g. fat around the middle.

Our energy levels may be low, or suffer fatigue or tiredness.

Digestive disturbance, indigestion, wind, bloating or constipation.

By examining our Diet and Lifestyle we can make small and gradual changes to help how we feel and help to support any medical health conditions.

There are six food groups to remember:

Carbohydrates Provide energy there are two types:

Simple carbohydrates e.g. sugar which gives quick energy and leaves you feeling hungry for more. Carbohydrate in processed foods has been broken down to this simple level and provides empty calories which can lead to weight gain.

Complex carbohydrate from cereals, grains, starchy vegetables legumes/pulses and fruit give us our energy. These sustain us for longer. If you suffer from fatigue or feel the need to snack often try including brown rice, millet, amaranth, quinoa, cornmeal, buck wheat or oats in your meals.
People often eat a diet based on wheat or gluten grains and can suffer from bloating and other digestive issues. The gluten grains are barley, rye, oats, and wheat. Try not to eat these more than once a day.
Approximately 52% of our daily calorie intake should be from complex carbohydrate foods.

Fats — from nuts, seeds and oily fish (Omega 3 and 6) protect every cell in our body especially brain, joints, skin and immune system. They help to counter inflammation which is present with many illnesses.

Protein– from meat, legumes, nuts, seeds, soya, eggs and fish is needed to make hormones and muscle and lots of other functions.

Fibre —from vegetables, fruit and legumes is needed for digestion and toxin elimination. Without it our digestive and elimination system won’t work well.

Water — 60% of our body is water and it is vital to every function in the body. Some symptoms of dehydration include headaches, fatigue and constipation.

Vitamins and Minerals — obtained by eating a diet full of variety. We need a regular supply of these which together are essential for almost all functions of the body.
You can obtain these by ensuring that you eat a full and varied range of foods that include all of the above food components.