Even though an individual's nutritional needs are specific to them, there are some guiding principles that we can all benefit from. The following tips are ten easy ways to improve your nutrition that you can immediately start to use.
1. Eat Organic Food Whenever Possible
This is a well known mantra from those advocating a healthy diet and more and more people are discovering that it really does make a big difference with sales of organic produce rocketing in recent years. We can all choose what we eat and using organic produce as much as possible dramatically cuts down your exposure to pesticide residues from crops and hormone/antibiotics that are regularly found in meat that has been intensively farmed. All these substances are toxic and can stop you achieving optimal health.
2. Filter Your Water
Many people take a lot of care about what they eat but do not think about the water they choose to drink. There are many substances frequently found in tap water that rob the body of nutrients and others that will prevent you from ever achieving optimal health. Water is the most important nutrient that you will ever put into your body so filter it and make it as clean as possible. Go for a plumbed in system that uses reverse osmosis or even better, distillation. Try and drink bottled mineral water if you are eating out and avoid spring or carbonated bottled waters.
3. Take Your Time When Eating
We all seem to be in a rush with barely enough time for the everyday things in life including eating. However, not making sufficient time for meals can adversely affect your health. Your digestion works best if you are relaxed when eating, so find time to sit down and enjoy your food. A common symptom of rushing your meal or eating on the go is indigestion. This is your body telling you to slow down. By taking time to eat you can not only avoid this discomfort you can also chew food properly, something many of us do not do. As digestion starts in the mouth, chewing well can make a big difference to digestion, your ability to absorb nutrients and your long term health.
4. Avoid Processed Food
This is easier said than done in a busy modern world, but really worth the effort. It's all too easy to fall back on processed convenience food when time is short and although it's O.K. once in a while it is easy for it to become a habit. But, with a little pre-planning you can prepare quick meals and great snacks that can be eaten anytime and be sure that they don't contain the high levels of saturated fat, sugar, additives and excess carbohydrates that can cause so many health problems. There are many excellent cookbooks that have great sections on quick meals and snacks and a growing number of shops, cafes and restaurants that provide quicker options as alternatives for processed ready meals.
5. Eat Regular Small Meals
Eating regular small meals throughout the day (approximately every 4 hrs) is the best way to maintain balanced blood sugar levels. This is very important because it not only helps maintain good levels of energy but also helps prevent weight gain, cardiovascular disease and adult onset diabetes. During our evolution we were designed to graze, eating food whenever we found it, our bodies are still set up this way and missing meals or over eating disturbs the balance of our metabolism that can lead to many short and long term health problems.
6. Eat Smart Fats
The simple rule of thumb about eating fats is this. If a food has undergone any sort of processing or has been subject to heat during manufacture or cooking, the fats contained in it will either be saturated or be chemically altered into harmful substances. The only fats that your body requires to be in optimal health are the essential omega fats, particularly Omega 3 which is commonly deficient in many people. These fats are used in cell walls and without them the cells cannot function efficiently and nether can you. They are particularly abundant in the brain and vital to its function. Good sources are oily fish or you could take an essential oil supplement (go for the liquid form). Making sure you have a good supply of these fats is one of the single most effective things you can do to optimise your health.
7. Don't Overcook Your Food
A bit of an obvious statement you might think, after all who wants burnt food. However, the fact is that many people over cook their food and don't even realise they are doing it. When preparing a meal, exposure of food to heat needs to be kept to a minimum because the nutrients contained within it are easily destroyed by continuous high temperatures. During summer the more raw salads you can eat the better and in winter liquidising soups and then heating them through helps preserve many important nutrients. Steam vegetables and fish instead of boiling or roasting and avoid frying if possible as this is the most destructive form of cooking. Protein foods are also damaged by high temperatures so cook on a lower heat for longer or steam them. You need to make sure the food you eat has the highest levels of beneficial nutrients and cooking your food correctly is an important step towards achieving this.
8. Eat Quality Protein
By quality protein, we mean protein sources that are low in saturated fat, higher in essential fats and have a high bioavailability. Limit your intake of fatty sources of protein such as cheese and fatty meats (e.g. lamb and pork) and try to eat lean proteins from oily fish, chicken, turkey and pulses. Also, try and avoid getting all of your protein from animal based products. Bioavailability is a term used to describe the body's ability to digest and use the proteins in the food (especially the essential amino acids) to make proteins in the body. Some foods have higher bioavailability than others. Good bioavailable proteins are: eggs, salmon and other oily fish, chicken, turkey, whey, lentils and soya.
9. Choose Your Carbohydrates Carefully
There has been much written in recent years about carbohydrate with some even saying that carbohydrates are unnecessary in a healthy diet. A balanced diet, especially one that supports regular exercise requires carbohydrates. You should include regular small portions of complex carbohydrates (ones that are slowly digested) in your diet, preferably eaten with protein. As a rule of thumb anything that has been processed (simple carbohydrates) or tastes sweet should be avoided if possible. Bear in mind that foods such as white processed bread or pasta can raise blood sugar and insulin levels (upsetting blood sugar control) as quickly as eating biscuits or cakes. Eat as natural as possible with plenty of fibre and try to avoid anything that isn't as it was grown.
10. Experiment And Plan
Variety is the spice of life and this certainly applies when it come to your diet. You should try as many different recipes and foods as possible. There are a huge number of excellent healthy cookbooks on the market with fantastic recipe ideas. Giving yourself a good variation in your diet will not only ensure that you get the broadest possible nutrient intake but will get you genuinely excited about what you eat at home and when you eat out. Plan your diet for the week so that you buy what you need and not what you don't. Prepare meals and freeze them so that you have quick food if time is short and make your meals for work the night before to save time. Experimenting with food and proper planning are key to ensuring that you succeed in eating a healthy and nutritious diet for the rest of your life.