HEALTHY DIET

Articles written by
Mr. Harvey Minasian MS(London) FRCS

Healthy Diet

The aim is to increase the amount of fibre in your diet

Whilst reducing the amounts of fat, salt & sugar

Increase Fibre: Also called “roughage”, it is rigid plant material that assists the passage of food through the bowel. Try to choose brown rather than white wherever possible – i.e. 100% wholemeal bread, brown pasta, bake with wholemeal flour, eat high fibre cereals (all Bran, Weetabix, Shredded Wheat are all examples), for biscuits choose Digestives, Hob Nobs, Muesli biscuits, Fruit & vegetables, of course, contain a lot of fibre, especially if you eat the skin (of grapes, peaches, jacket potatoes etc.) Pulses are good – lentils, beans etc & they are also a good source of protein.

Reduce Fats: High fat intake significantly increases the risk of heart disease & all efforts to reduce the amount of fat eaten should be made. Choose lean meat & cut all visible fat from meat before cooking. Try to avoid frying – grill, poach, bake. Steam or microwave instead, draining off any excess fat once cooked. Chicken & fish are better than red meat. Limit your egg consumption to 3 per week (not too much mayonnaise which contains eggs!). Eat low fat cheese wherever possible – cottage cheese is very low fat. Use a low fat spread or polyunsaturated margarine instead of butter & not much of it! Use skimmed milk & avoid cream – there are many alternatives in the shops. Reduce your cake & pastry eating – if you bake your own use less fat!

Reduce Sugars: These are bad for teeth & make you fat! Try tea & coffee without sugar or use one of the alternatives available (Nutrasweet, Hermesetas etc). Choose unsweetened cereals (& don’t add sugar!)’ biscuits, low sugar jams & artificially sweetened yoghurts. Try vinegar pickles instead of chutneys. Tinned fruit should be “in natural juice” & not syrup. Read products labels – look for glucose, syrup, dextrose etc & avoid these products if the amounts are high. Fizzy drinks (Pepsi, Lemonade etc) should be of the “Light” or “Diet” variety.

Reduce Salt: Too high an intake of salt can cause raised blood pressure. Limit its use in cooking & don’t add more at the table. Most herbs & spices bring out the foods flavour as well as, if not better, than salt. Avoid “takeaway”, pre-cooked, smoked or processed meats when possible as these normally contain a lot of salt. Use less bottled sauces & pickles.

There are 3 major food groups: 1) Carbohydrates, e.g. sugars & starches, including potatoes, pasta, bread, alcohol; 2) Proteins, e.g. meats, liver, fish; & 3) Fats & oils. Weight for weight, fats &oils have over twice as many calories as carbohydrates & proteins – bear this in mind when dieting!

Try to keep to a regular meal patter, take moderate exercise if possible, and give up

Smoking, learn to relax & enjoy a healthy lifestyle!