Australians are a nation of food lovers. We tend to organise our lives around food. Breakfast meetings, brunch with friends, working lunches, cocktail parties, family dinners and much more. Then, there are all the in-between coffees and those yummy little pastries that seem to go hand-in-hand.
Unfortunately, as the old adage goes, ‘We are what we eat’, and our choices when it comes to food are not always based on healthy options.
We tend to see beautiful images of food seemingly at every turn, with TV shows and Instagram pages dedicated to showing us just how delicious food can be. Perhaps that’s where the other old adage, ‘We eat with our eyes’, comes from?
Most of us want to eat healthier, and we try to make an effort every now and then with a salad or two. However, we tend to rely on a few favourites that, upon reflection, probably aren’t all that healthy for us. And, of course, if you’re one of these people who lead a very social life, eating out a few times a week can take its toll.
What tends to happen is that we reach a point where our bodies start to tell us that the rich and often fatty food we’re eating is not agreeing with us.
The right foods
Now, far be it for us to tell you what to eat, but what we can do here is give you a little guidance as to the right types of foods for a healthy, or healthier, lifestyle.
We all know we should be eating a balanced diet. But what does that actually mean? What food groups actually make up a balanced diet?
Firstly, Let’s take a look at the five basic food groups:
- Vegetables, legumes and beans
- Fruits
- Lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, and tofu
- Grains (cereal), mostly wholegrain or high-fibre varieties
- Dairy, including milk, yoghurt, cheese or alternatives, mostly reduced fat.
How much you need from each food group each day depends on your age, gender and activity levels. The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating outlines how many serves you and your family need each day and standard serve sizes for foods and drinks.
Eating healthier involves eating a variety of foods from each of these five food groups daily, in the recommended amounts. And, because these foods provide different types and amounts of essential nutrients, it’s important to choose a range of foods from within each of these food groups.
Now, you’re probably thinking that sounds all well and good. Still, you’re not really any sort of chef or cook to be able to imagine a combination of the above, let alone make anything remotely healthy.
The good news is that if you can read, you can cook.
Recipes abound for some really tasty meals that are actually healthy too. Time to pop on your Google goggles and find something you like. And remember, choosing and combining a variety of foods means your meals will be more interesting, and you won’t get bored with what you eat.
The other food groups?
So what about the other food groups like bacon, donuts and pizza, I hear you say?
Even though there are websites out there that tell you these are food groups unto themselves, sadly, they’re not.
You can slot them into the occasional foods list along with just about every other tasty morsel you love. These are called discretionary foods and, as such, should only be eaten sometimes. They are usually too high in saturated fat, added sugars, and added salt and contain very little fibre.
Yummy as they are, these are the main culprit for those extra kilos that seem to have snuck onto your bod and those pants that no longer fit. We’re not saying you should avoid them altogether, but moderation is the key.
Some of the things on the occasional list include:
- sweet biscuits, cakes, desserts and pastries
- processed meats (think bacon!) and fatty, salty sausages, savoury pastries and pies with a high fat or salt content
- takeaway foods such as hot chips, hamburgers, pizza, commercially fried foods
- ice cream and other ice confections
- lollies and chocolate
- potato crisps, some savoury biscuits and salty snack foods
- cream, butter and spreads high in saturated fats
- alcohol, sugar-sweetened soft drinks and cordials, sports and energy drinks
A healthy diet should also include a daily moderation of mono and polyunsaturated fats. To include healthy fats in your diet, just replace saturated fat (such as butter and cream) with a healthier, unsaturated fat option (such as olive oil or polyunsaturated margarine).
What else?
So the diet is covered, but a healthier lifestyle is not only about food. If you want to be healthier overall, there are other considerations. You’re not expected to do all of these straight away, but some of these activities should definitely be on your ‘to-do’ list.
- Regular exercise — start with some walking
- Healthy sleep habits — try going to be half an hour earlier
- Healthy relationships — make time to spend with the people you love
- Work-life balance — hard to get right but so rewarding when it happens
- Time management — prioritising is the key… for work and play
- Assertiveness — it’s okay to say, ‘no!’
- Mental health — find some ‘me’ time
- Reduce your stress levels — guess what? Nail all of the above your stress levels will plummet!
It’s not hard to be healthy. All it takes is some planning. Think about what you can change in your life that will make a difference to your eating and lifestyle habits so that you and your family can be healthier and, importantly, happier.