THE BALANCED DIET
A balanced diet will contain a wide variety of foods and thus provide a wide variety of
nutrients. Obviously, what is a balanced diet for an endurance athlete in training will not
be a balanced diet for an elderly, sedentary person. Different foods provide different
nutrients and these nutrients are used for different functions:
The Food Pyramid - Summarised
Over the years, nutritionists have divided foods into various food groups. The groups vary depending on the nutritionist who developed them, but generally they look something like this:
1. Bread, cereal, rice and pasta
2. Fruit and vegetables
3. Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, nuts
4. Milk, yoghurt and cheese
5. Fats, oils and sweets
Basically, in order to eat a healthy, balanced diet the idea is to eat more of the foods in
Group 1, with gradually decreasing amounts of Group 2, 3, 4 and 5 (as if the foods were
stacked inside a pyramid).
THE FOOD PYRAMID IS A GUIDELINE ONLY! NO NUTRITIONAL ADVICE SHOULD
BE TAKEN AS CONCRETE – IT VARIES WITH THE INDIVIDUAL.
Various groups of people will eat differently and have slightly different needs (athletes will need more protein for example)
The Basics for Healthy Eating
• Balance food intake with regular exercise
• Eat a wide variety of foods from the different food groups
• Eat only a small amount of fatty foods, particularly those high in saturated fat and
cholesterol
• Eat plenty of whole grain products, fruit and vegetables, legumes and foods rich in
complex carbohydrates and fibre
• Choose food and drink which is low in sugar in preference to highly sugared
products
• Choose and cook food to have a low salt content
• Drink alcohol only in moderation
• Maintain adequate protein intake, with an emphasis on plant rather than animal
protein sources
• Choose foods to provide you with enough iron and calcium to meet your RDI
• Practice good food preparation and food safety
• Be cautious with the consumption of food additives and dietary supplements
CARBOHYDRATES, PROTEINS AND FATS
Energy can be derived from three sources: carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. As a cheap source of energy, they are widely consumed, and form the basis of the diet of much of the human population.
• Complex carbohydrates – take longer to be broken down by the human body, and
are found in foods such bread, pasta and cereals, wild rice and legumes.
• Simple carbohydrates – generally known as sugars, they are broken down more
quickly in the body. They are found in foods such as honey, glucose syrup, fruits
and soft drinks.
• Dietary Fibre – this is sometimes classified as a carbohydrate, and sometimes not.
Dietary fibre comes from plant cells and is important for digestion. Fibre is found in
wholegrain food products such as brown rice and wholemeal bread.
The Glycemic Index
A high carbohydrate meal will usually lead to a rapid rise in blood sugar levels, and usually within an hour. The glycemic index represents the effect a particular food has upon the rate and amount of increase of blood sugar levels. Apart from the carbohydrate content, the physical form of the food (small or large particles), and whether the food is raw or cooked will affect the glycemic index.
Generally, foods high in simple carbohydrates have a high glycemic index because they
lead to a rapid rise in blood sugars. Some starchy foods also have the same properties.
On the other hand, high fibre foods have a low glycemic index. Fructose, or fruit sugar
actually has a low glycemic index, and is used in sports drinks for this reason. The
baseline is 100, which is the equivalent of eating pure glucose.
Foods with a high Glycemic
Index (>85)
Glucose
Sucrose
Honey
Sugared lollies
Corn Flakes
Potatoes
Carrots
Raisins
Sugared soft drink
Ice cream
Sugared Sports Drinks
Foods with a medium
Glycemic Index (60-85)
Banana
Grapes
Orange juice
Pasta
Rice
Whole grain rye bread
White/whole wheat Bread
Sports drinks with polymers
Potato Chips
Foods with a low
Glycemic Index
(<60)
Fructose
Apple
Cherries
Kidney beans
Chick peas
Lentils
Yams Dates
Corn Figs
Baked Beans
Peaches
Plums
milk,
yoghurt
Proteins
Proteins are compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen; and often
also sulphur and some phosphorus. Every cell in the body is partly composed of proteins. Protein is a structural material required for growth and repair, and replacement of damaged tissues. It is also required for the process of living, for glandular secretions,
enzymes and hormones. Excess protein can be converted to glucose, and used for the
production of energy. It is for these reasons that protein is important to athletes.
The body has limited powers of converting one amino acid into another as the need arises. There are, however 8 amino acids which cannot be manufactured by the body in sufficient quantities, and these 8 are known as "essential amino acids". They MUST be provided in the diet of every adult human. The essential amino acids for adults are:
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lysine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Threonine
Tryptophan
Valine
Foods high in protein include meat, fish, peas, beans, legumes, milk and cheese. The
amount of protein required depends on both your level of exercise and your overall weight.
Fats
Fats are also compounds of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen but they contain less oxygen
than carbohydrates. Fats are solid at room temperature, whereas oils are liquid. Humans
convert excess carbohydrate into fat. Fats are made up of lipids.
The three lipids important to human nutrition are triglycerides, cholesterol and
phospholipids.
Fatty acids are one of the components of fats, and depending on their molecular structure, can be termed saturated, unsaturated, monosaturated or polyunsaturated. Fats with a high percentage of unsaturated fatty acids are usually liquid at room temperature. Under controlled conditions unsaturated fatty acids can be converted to saturated fatty acids by a process known as hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is used in the manufacture of margarine, to turn liquid oil into a solid. Fats are found in foods as visible fats, e.g. in butter, margarine, oils and the fat on meat as well as non-visible fats in milk, nuts, lean meat, some fish etc.
PROBLEMS OF NUTRITION & DIET
You are what you eat. This might be an old saying, but nevertheless it is true. A poor diet
can have both physiological and psychological affects upon your stress level. Just as
millions worldwide are suffering from malnutrition, millions in developed countries are
suffering from dietary excess. While it is true that eating habits are learned early in life and much can be done for community health by helping to ensure the development of better habits in children, further education and more flexible attitudes are still requires. Nutritional needs vary considerably with age, sex, and physical condition. And so we must be prepared to change and adapt throughout life. For example: children have different needs to adolescents who have different needs to their parents whose needs will change as they enter the later stages of their lives. Illness, lifestyle, occupation and a variety of other factors affect the nutritional needs of an individual.
GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF WEIGHT LOSS
Excess weight can be both a symptom and a cause of stress. In general people need to
feel good about their physique and being overweight can be a serious source of distress.
On top of this, poor fitness will leave a person tired, and unmotivated. Together this can
result in poor self-esteem, insecurity, self-loathing in some cases and depression. It can
be very difficult once you become overweight and/or unfit to begin to make changes.
Some key aspects to weight loss include:
Attitudes
Look to change the way you think about food and diet, in a way which will not allow you to fall back into bad old habits.
Progress
Do not look for the "quick fix". Weight loss that is too rapid can be harmful and temporary.
Set realistic goals and chart your progress over months - not weeks or days. Aim for 0.5-
1kg weight loss a week, along with a set routine of exercise and a healthy, balanced
eating plan.
Exercise
Increased exercise levels are important for permanent weight loss, but don't get carried
away - particularly if you have a lot of weight to lose - you may need to lose some weight
before you can reach a level of fitness that will let you do sufficient exercise to make a
difference. Overdoing it when you are unfit, especially if you are obese can stress the
body to the point of heart attack or dehydration and heat stoke.
Balance
How much you eat is as important than what you eat. Increase the variety of foods you eat and decrease the amount of each one. Also, plan to eat foods in amounts that correspond to their position on the dietary pyramid. Try to plan meal content around your activities – complex carbohydrates before a workout, light easily digestible foods at night time, fibrerich filling breakfast, for example.
Cause and Effect
To successfully lose weight, you must be honest about the reason for putting it on in the
first place. Only by treating the cause can you exact a lasting cure.
One way to help overcome the attitudes and bad habits that lead to weight problems is to start making a record of your eating habits BEFORE you start dieting. After all, you are probably unaware of exactly what your habits are. Also, this will be a good exercise in self discipline, which may be of help later on. Try keeping a record of the following:
1. What do you eat, where and when?
2. What are you feeling just before you eat - nervous, bored, anxious?
(Be honest - don't just write down "Hungry")
3. How much time did you spend eating?
4. What did you do while eating?
5. Was anyone else present?
After a few weeks, you should have a good idea what your eating habits are and also a
few clues on how to change them. But once you start, be persistent. Remember, you must get rid of bad habits permanently - not just for a few weeks.
TIPS FOR HEALTHY EATING
In the maintenance of good health there are many important factors, including:
• a positive approach and the right mental attitude.
• good food and the right approach to nutrition.
• fresh air, rest and exercise.
• a good environment to live in.
• the right medical care when we need it.
Most people in developed western societies do not eat enough of the following foods:
• The Salad Vegetables
(these are rich in potassium and the alkaline minerals). Celery and lettuce, raw carrots
and beetroot are some with top taste and food values. The raw carrots and beetroot
are delicious if added to salads in either the grated or chopped form. Fresh green
beans (sliced), together with tomatoes, avocado, mushrooms, asparagus, parsley,
sweetcorn and watermelon are also worth including. Freshly grown bean sprouts will
make an interesting addition to the normal salad mix.
• The Alkaline Fruits
(Again for their levels of potassium and the alkaline minerals). Bananas, soft prunes
and ripe pears are three with good food values and the list should also include
sultanas and raisins, apricots, peaches, cherries, cantaloupe (rockmelon) and paw
paw.
• Green Leafy Vegetables and Root Vegetables
Spinach, bok choy and other similar vegetables provide iron and a variety of other
essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Root vgetables such as pumpkin, chokos,
potato, sweet potato, yam, beetroot are also very important in a healthy diet as they
tend to be lower in simple sugars and more nutrient concentrated that sweet fruits and
watery vegetables such as lettuce. the root vegetables and all forms of peas, beans
and lentils (fresh or dried).
• Brown Rice and Wholegrain Cereals
Many people get there grains and pasta etc in processed ‘white’ varieties. This takes
away the earthy/nutty taste, often is more aesthetically pleasing and removes
practically all fibre content. Many of the grains (including rice, rye, wheat, oats and
barley) are now available in the "flaked" or "ribbed" form making them much easier to
use in muesli, bread making, etc. If you suffer gluten intolerance, try non-gluten
grains, such as rice, millet, soy and maize. Normal wheat flour can be substituted for a
variety of non-gluten powders, such as potato powder, rice powder and others.
Buckwheat is another good grain that is low in gluten. Boughul (lebanese cracked
wheat) is delicious for making up "Tabouli" salad mixes.
• Raw nuts, seeds and legumes
Eaten in many middle eastern and asian countries, these foods are often omitted from
other western diets. In fact nuts and seeds can supply healthy fats, a variety of
nutrients and legumes in particular are one of the very best sources of fibre. These
foods also tend to be quite filling..
• Cultured milk products and the dairy foods
Including yoghurts, buttermilk and all forms of cheese. The "culturing" process
appears to partially digest milk products and makes them easier for our stomachs to
handle. If an allergy to cows milk is suspected, then either goats milk or soy milk
products, including yoghurt, tofu and bean curd can generally be substituted.
• Meat
For the average person there is a strong argument for the inclusion of high quality
meats in our diet on something like the following basis:
o At least one, perhaps two meals with red meat a week, one to two portions of
white meat such as chicken or turkey and at the very least, one fish meal each
week. The main problem with meat intake in western countries is the over-consumption of red meats. Either as very large portions in a meal lacking adequate vegetable side-dishes, in combination with dairy products such as creamy sauces which can make digestion more difficult and result in less efficient protein digestion and also many people simply include red meat in too many of their meals.
Many people also exclude fish from their meals, which is not advisable. Fish are an
excellent source of either good fats or with white fish are very low in fat. They are protein
rich and provide a range of nutrients. If people do not eat meat, then they should make
sure that they get a supplementary level of B12, iron and folic acid with their diet.
Mushrooms are a good source of B12 for vegetarians By planning meals and eating sensible we can live a long physically and mentally satisfying life.
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