Greek philosopher, Hippocrates first introduced the theory of a person’s ‘diet’ by connecting hygiene, and the body’s dietary intake together. However, it was not until the nineteen century when Englishman, William Banting, first introduced the concept of physical dieting. His process looked at cutting down the amount of carbohydrates in everyday meals and instead indulging more whole foods. For centuries, the mystery of how to get the perfect physical body, as well as perfect physical health has frustrated people. There is always a new trend around the corner, specifying what the real secret is, pushing people onto a new, ‘unrealistic diet’ that does more harm than good. Social media is attacking the mundane with ‘editing’ tools that allow you to completely change pictures from their reality and create a whole new false image. This, on top of naïve dieting trends creates confused people with an incredibly unhealthy view on food and exercise. So, I put this question to you. Instead of wondering what diet you should try out next, think about this- Is it possible to eat healthily without having to consider dieting? Let’s see what we come up with…. Choosing The Right Foods For You If we go back to William Banting’s concept, he encouraged the incorporation of whole foods into the everyday diet. In a previous article, we talked about defining whole foods, these are foods that have either not, or barely been processed or refined. Healthy whole foods are natural products that do not contain any artificial substances or additives. They are as natural and as organic as we can get in the food world. As mentioned before some of these food staple examples include fresh vegetables and fruits, dried fruits, frozen fruits, natural (unflavoured) yoghurts, fish, legumes, pulses, nuts, seeds, whole grains (barley, oats, brown rice), beans, eggs, and cheese. Food Shops Investing in whole foods from healthy food stores such as- organic shops, grocery shops, farm shops, fruit and vegetable markets, and even the wholefood online shop, will make all the difference to how your body reacts to foods. These health focused shops supply foods with far less preservatives and chemicals, compared to the average supermarket. They will try to stock as many organic products as possible, to think about the agriculture around them. These foods are better suited to your body, and give you more options allergy wise. Healthy food shops pride themselves on their food substitution options for allergies including- dairy, gluten, nuts, and more. Food Labels If investing in healthy food shops is something you can’t do, whether its because of the expenses, time, or location, your local supermarket is more than a good enough option, for whole food products too. Researching food items and spending a little more time in your shops, by looking at the food labels can give you a better insight as to what ingredients are in your food. When checking the ‘red flag’ ingredients on food labels, avoid components such as- Trans-fat (Terrible for your heart health, cholesterol, and arteries) Sugar/Salt (Any label that is written in red shows that it has a particular high dosage) Benzoate (Unnaturally effects your thyroid levels) Sucralose (Harsh on the body’s metabolic system) Carrageenan (Causes digestive problems and can make IBS/IBD symptoms worse) Sodium (Elevates blood-pressure) When checking nutrition labels on food products, always push towards green and yellow labels as they are considered a healthier amount of the ingredient. Portions Though it is important to think about what food you are putting inside your body, it is also important to think about how much of it you are eating. You could eat the healthiest whole foods, and never touch a piece of processed food, but, if your portions are too small or too big, that could have a big effect on your weight, energy, hormones, and metabolism. Checking your calorie intake can be a good way of understanding how much energy you ingest. Calories can give you a good insight into what are good and bad packaged foods. Note: Drinks (Aside from water) also contain calories. You can base your calories intake off of your own weight, goal weight, and the average calorie intake for your gender. Make sure you avoid ‘empty calories’ as these types of food and drink have no nutritional value. Most sugary drinks, sports drinks, fizzy drinks, and soft drinks contain empty calories. Listening to your body and eating mindfully can help you determine how much food you should be eating. Recognizing when you are hungry and then when you are full from a meal will give you a good idea of the measurement of food you need to fulfil your bodily energy. One of the most important ways to track your portion sizes is through making sure you have the right amount of each food group on your plate- 38% Carbohydrates, 40% Fruit/Veg, 12% Protein, and 8% Dairy/ Dairy Alternatives. Cooking At Home A big point made in this article is making sure we are opting to eat more wholefoods. It is important to mention that cooking whole foods and eating them at home is just as crucial. Packing wholefoods for your breakfast and lunch is great, packing healthy snacks (nuts, fruit, popcorn, yoghurt, chickpeas, eggs) is also great; especially when you are on the go. But opting for ready meals or takeaways at the end of the day is not. Even when you have had a busy day, you should always try to cook the healthy ingredients you might have sitting in your fridge. Cooking healthy recipes allows you to take control over what you are putting in your body. You control the calories and the portion size. Cooking at home also allows you to experiment with recipes. You can trial out different flavours, spices, and seasonings and get an idea of what healthy foods you enjoy. Cooking books and online recipes can be helpful in making meal time a little bit easier and enjoyable. Hydration Looking at our bodies as a whole, 60% of our composition is water. Not only does water keep us hydrated, but it also supports most of our bodily functions, from moving our nutrients towards our cells, to maintaining our working organs. Interestingly, water can help you burn and use calories correctly. Since water helps our body function, water will naturally activate our metabolism, essentially meaning you will start to slowly burn off calories. The best solution to hydrating yourself is water, skip out on other drinks when you can, and stick with water for the healthiest option. Don’t cut out the beverages you like completely though. There is absolutely nothing wrong with treating yourself. A healthy body is also a happy body.
