Ridiculously short guide to healthy eating

My name is Wendy and I'm a Health and Nutrition Coach. This is my very first blog and I thought it would be a good idea to start off with a really, absolutely ridiculously short guide on healthy eating.

Many of us would like a healthy diet, but what to eat? You may be looking to lose some weight, or you may want to avoid that afternoon slump that often hits you.

Each person has their own specific dietary needs (such as food allergies and intolerances) and preferences (such as being a vegetarian). Keeping in mind that you may need to adjust these general guidelines to your specific needs, here’s a very short guide to healthy eating – based on the latest science:

Choose nutritious foods that are whole and unprocessed

These include vegetables, fruit, eggs, meat, seafood, poultry, dairy, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Variety is key to get all the right nutrients and fibre that your body craves.

Try to avoid refined and processed grains

These include rice, noodles, pasta, bread, wraps, pastries, cake, etc. These foods raise your blood sugar rapidly, causing a spike in insulin which helps to sweep the sugar out of your blood and into your fat cells (as fat). Insulin is the main driver for weight gain. It also causes the afternoon slump because it tends to overcompensate and lower your blood sugar too far down. And at that point you are ready for a sugary snack! (No, don’t! 😊)

Keep total sugar – especially added sugar – to a minimum in all foods and drinks

Sugar will not only make you gain weight but also cause lots of health problems. Unfortunately, most artificial sweeteners are bad news as well – not good for your microbiome and they confuse your body and make you crave more sugar.

Favour traditional oils and fat over refined and processed versions

Traditional oils and fats include olive oil, avocado oil, butter and ghee. Refined and processed versions include sunflower oil and margarine. The good news is that fat does not tend to make you fat (that’s what we have sugar and refined grains for), so healthy fats are in! The bad news is that the refined and processed versions tend to increase inflammation in your body and cause other health problems. You especially want to avoid deep fried food– the oil used is generally the highly processed type, tends to contain trans fats, and is often slightly rancid!

Conclusion

There is so much more to say on the subject of healthy eating. I could have talked about the importance of fibre in your diet and how the breakdown of fibre by gut bacteria unleashes short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) - which are possibly the most healing nutrients in all of nature. And then I could have delved into the importance of eating the right food to provide you with inflammation-reducing Omega 3 fatty acids. But before you know it, it's no longer a ridiculously short guide. Michael Pollan, in his book 'In Defence of Food' said it best:

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

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