A Guide to What You Should and Should Not Eat


by Marcia Bowman - Date: 2007-02-19 - Word Count: 539 Share This!

"Eat plenty of this" "Don't eat that", this is all we hear lately. So what foods can we eat safely?

Well what I have compiled here is not so much a list of foods but a general guide to do's and dont's.

Base your meals on starchy foods.

Starchy foods such as bread, cereals, rice, pasta and potatoes are an important part of a healthy diet. The key is however, is to eat wholegrain whenever you can, wholegrain foods contain more fiber than white or refined starchy foods. We also digest wholegrain foods much slower so they make us feel full for longer, in turn suppressing our appetites. Approximately, starchy foods should make up about 30% of the food we eat, they are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. They also are a good provider of Calcium, Iron and B vitamins. But what about fat? Well gram for gram starchy foods contain less than half the calories of fat.

Eat plenty of Fruit and Vegetables.

You can choose between fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juice but of course ideally fresh is best. Remember though, potatoes count as a starch food not a vegetable. It is recommended that you eat between 5 to 8 portions of fruit and veg a day, 1 portion = approx 80g

Fish is really good for you.

Especially oily fish, they are high in certain types of fats, called omega 3 fatty acids, which are proven to keep hearts healthy. Ideally though 4 portions is the maximum that a healthy adult should have in any one week (a portion = 135g). The only exception to this, is for females who are planning on having a baby in the future, they should eat no more than 2 portions a week. Good fish: Salmon, Mackerel, Trout, Herring, Fresh Tuna, Sardines, Pilchards and Eel. Not so good fish: Cod, Haddock, Plaice, Coley, Canned Tuna, Halibut, Skate, Sea Bass and Hake. Why fresh but not canned Tuna? Some canned fish can be high in salt.

Cut down on saturated fat and sugar.

There are two main types of fat, saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fat can increase the amount of cholesterol in the blood, which increases the chance of developing heart disease. Eating unsaturated fat actually contributes to a lowering of blood cholesterol. Unsaturated fats include: Sunflower oils, rapeseed oil, olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds. Saturated fats include: Sausages, hard cheese, butter, pastry, cakes, cookies, cream and coconut oil.

Cut down on salt.

It is approximated that 70% of us eat too much salt on a daily basis. The maximum that we should eat is 6g a day. For young children, that should be reduced even further. It is not the salt that we add to our food that is the problem, it is the salt that is already in some of the processed foods we eat. We are almost certainly eating more than we realize. On food labels you will find that salt is often listed as sodium.

One of the main problems with eating too much salt is that it can raise your blood pressure and people with high blood pressure are three times more likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke than people with normal blood pressure.


Related Tags: calories, omega 3, healthy heart, saturated, wholegrain, wholewheat, starchy foods, refined foods, oily fish

I just hope that all of these articles and the posts that we put on our dreambodynow site everyday, is helping keep everyone healthier.

Marcia.

This article was written by Marcia Bowman, she is a member of the dreambodynow team, a blog that is helping women improve their health, fitness, beauty and weightloss. The blog is posted on every day and includes real useful articles, healthy recipes and a great weight loss product. Visit us now at either http://www.dreambodynow.com or http://www.lose10lbsin2weeks.com The whole team looks forward to assisting you now and in the future. God Bless.

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