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Galway Advertiser 2005/2005_06_09/GA_0906_E1_018.pdf
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Galway Advertiser
June 9 2005
NEWS
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FASHION
BEAUTY
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H E A LT H
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LIFE
MARY
Health on a plate
As you tuck into a healthy salad or face a plate piled high with chips and fried chicken, do you ever consider how important food is for your body? Many of us never give it a second thought. We eat to stave off hunger pains and keep our energy levels up and often that's the only time we think about what we eat. Suzanne Laurie, a nutritional therapist and the director of studies for the naturopathic nutrition course at the Institute of Complementary and Integrated Medicine in Galway, says it is important to realise that we really are what we eat. "The food we eat is like fuel. It is the raw material that our bodies use to make energy and to function as they should. As the body is a complex machine it requires an equally complex array of nutrients in order to sustain life and health. These include the macronutrients, such as carbohydrates, protein and fat, as well as vitamins and minerals. If you don't make sure that the fuel you pump into your body is of the right quality or quantity you will not feel and perform as you should." She says unfortunately modern living is not conducive to providing us with the nutrients we need to run our bodies effectively. Poor diet, a decrease of nutrients in the soil, chemical farming methods, global pollution and high-stress lifestyles are all thought to play a part in leaving us nutritionally deficient. "It is not always as simple as eating a few extra vegetables however, as our nutritional needs are as individual as our personalities. Although we need some of all the nutrients available in food, how much of each we require depends on our age, size, lifestyle, gender and health. Therefore, variety is the key to a good diet as every food contains its own unique make up and may be very high in some vitamins or minerals while being devoid of others. Only by eating a wide selection of foods can you help ensure you receive all the fuel your body needs." She says while the use of nutrition as a healing tool has taken a back seat to prescription drugs over the past few decades, it is staging a "much needed resurgence in popularity" in recent years. "Nutritional therapy is a way of using food, nutritional supplements and lifestyle change to alleviate or prevent chronic health problems by improving the body's natural healing mechanisms. Although some health problems require medication, many can be relieved effectively with the use of specific nutrients. These include disorders ranging from chronic fatigue and arthritis, to skin complaints and headaches. However, you do not need to have specific health complaints to benefit from nutritional therapy as it can be just as useful for maintaining a state of optimum health." She offers the following guidelines for healthier eating:-
O'CONNOR
Simple steps to improve your diet
1. Eat slowly and chew your food. Many people eat too fast. "Not chewing properly can mean that the nutrients we eat are not absorbed and used by the body."
2. Never skip meals: If you are trying to lose weight, not eating is a poor strategy because it can slow your metabolism. Ultimately, your body will become more efficient at storing fat and you may pile on the pounds when you stop dieting. 3. Adhere to the 80/20 rule: If you can manage to eat healthily 80 per cent of the time, the chances are your body can cope with occasional questionable food choices. Have a day a week where you eat whatever you fancy, but ensure you pack in the nutrients the rest of the time. 4. Measure your portions with caution. A portion of meat should not be bigger than a deck of cards. Your pasta or rice portion should be no more than one-third of your plate. Fruit or vegetables should account for half of the food you eat at each meal. 5. Know your fat facts. Not all fats are bad. Good fats, such as those found in oily fish, nuts,
Fruit or vegetables should account for half of the food you eat at each meal.
seeds and olive oil are vital for many functions in the body. Try to include these in your diet every day instead of harmful saturated and processed fats found in red meat and processed foods. 6. Be cautious about low fat foods. Suzanne claims many can have you piling on the pounds as they simply substitute fat for sugar. "Your body stores excess sugar as fat meaning these foods are of no benefit to you at all." 7. Experiment with herbs and spices. Many contain an abundance of beneficial nutrients and should be used daily. For example garlic is a natural antibiotic and will help support your immune and cardiovascular systems. 8. Avoid tea and coffee with meals. "Although caffeinated drinks are generally not healthy they are particularly bad if taken with meals as caffeine inhibits the absorption of some nutrients." So if you cannot survive without coffee enjoy it at least an hour either side of eating.
9. Add some colour to your life: It is not only important to eat a wide selection of foods but to ensure they are a variety of colours. This is especially important as regards fruit and vegetables as the substances that give them their colour also give them many of their health inducing properties. Try to include green, red, yellow, orange and purple fruits and vegetables in your diet every day. 10. Beware of fad diets. Suzanne claims many of these are not only useless in the long term but they are actually dangerous. "The only way to prolonged weight loss is to ditch junk food and get more active. Switch your focus to improving your health and the weight will drop off naturally." 11. Variety is the spice of life. It is also the key to a good diet as every food contains its own unique make-up and may be very high in some vitamins or minerals while being devoid of others. Only by eating a wide selection of foods can you help ensure you receive all the fuel your body needs.
If you can manage to eat healthily 80 per cent of the time, the chances are your body can cope with occasional questionable food choices.