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NOTE:
unless noted otherwise, all medical/health advice has been given by non-medically qualified personnel. All advice given on this site is designed to support and not replace any advice given by your personal physician. If you have questions or concerns about individual health matters or the management of your diabetes, please consult your diabetes care team.
unless noted otherwise, all medical/health advice has been given by non-medically qualified personnel. All advice given on this site is designed to support and not replace any advice given by your personal physician. If you have questions or concerns about individual health matters or the management of your diabetes, please consult your diabetes care team.
A really important thing to remember when you're thinking about the food
you eat is that it is diets which are healthy or unhealthy, not individual
foods. A healthy diet is not just about eating 'good' foods and completely
cutting out 'bad' foods - all foods have some merits in certain
circumstances, depending on your individual needs. The thing to do is look
at the whole diet and see where you can make the most beneficial changes. In
this way you don't have to completely change the way you eat and small
changes could seriously improve your health.
The Food Pyramid is a useful way of seeing which foods should form the bulk of the diet and which we should be eating smaller amounts of.
From the pyramid it is clear that most of our diet should consist of cereal
products, potatoes and fruits and vegetables. These two groups alone will
provide energy, fibre, most vitamins and minerals and some protein. Opt for
wholegrain cereal varieties and cut back on the salt when cooking
vegetables. All forms of fruit and vegetables are beneficial (dried, juice,
unsweetened canned, frozen and fresh).
Added to this strong base are smaller amounts of meat, fish and vegetarian alternatives, and the dairy products. Together these two groups complement the protein provided by the cereals and provide more vitamins in a good bioavailable form. Dairy products are an excellent source of calcium and their contribution to the diet is very important, but remember to avoid full fat products as they are rich in saturated fat. It is strongly recommended that we increase our consumption of oily fish (mackerel, herring, sardines etc.) as these are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids which are associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. (A medium sized portion of mackerel will provide the recommended weekly intake of omega-3 fatty acids.)
At the top of the pyramid are the spreadable fats and oils and sugary foods, such as confectionery and sugary breakfast cereals. These foods should be a small part of our diet as they are very rich in energy. The choice of margarine and oil is important as there are different types of fat. Use olive or a seed oil and an unsaturated margarine rather than butter or lard to cut down on saturated fat.
Last but not least, across the base of the pyramid is fluid intake. This is a very important part of a healthy diet and you should aim to drink at least 2 litres of fluid a day (and that's not just coffee!). Fruit juice is a good source of vitamin C but coffee is a diuretic and can actually dehydrate you. Always follow the recommended safe intakes of alcohol (21 units per week for women and 28 for men).
The Guide To Healthy, Happy Eating
The Department of Health have produced "The Balance of Good Health" which includes the Government's 8 guidelines for a healthy diet. The first of these is very important: Enjoy your food. Diet is an important component of good health but it should not be a battle or be making you miserable. A healthy attitude to food is an important part of a healthy diet.
Remember it is diets, not foods, which are unhealthy and it's the food you eat over months and years which will influence your health. You don't have to religiously follow the food pyramid every day but try and make sure it applies to your diet over a week. It's no great disaster if one day you don't eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables or you eat lots of cake on your birthday - keep things in perspective and make sure your diet is balanced over the long term. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and wholegrains with the occasional cream cake or fry-up is still a healthy diet; just be realistic about how often you make those small indulgences.
Make changes for life, and don't be influenced by fad diets. If you decide to make some changes to your diet then think carefully about what changes you will seriously be able to stick with. It may make more sense to make small changes over time rather than radically altering your entire diet if this means the changes are more likely to be permanent.
Be adventurous and put as much variety in your diet as possible. This way you're bound to meet all your vitamin and mineral requirements without needing extra supplementation.
Diet is not the only component of good health. Don't forget about exercise, stress and smoking and think in terms of healthy lifestyles for maximum benefits.
These four examples show how important healthy eating habits are throughout life. You are never too young or too old to start eating healthily and everyone can benefit from a good diet.
The early stages of atherosclerosis (or "furring of the arteries") have been seen in teenage children, and those with higher cholesterol levels in early childhood tend to remain in the high group throughout life. Therefore it is very important to encourage good eating habits from the beginning (but remember that children under 2 years should still be given wholefat milk).
Young adults should not be complacent either and think that they can just start being healthy when they hit 40 - some damage will already have been done, so the earlier you start the better.
Your Heart Needs You
It is very easy to think that heart disease will always happen to someone else, especially when you are young. The statistics are not comforting though; in 1990 27% of all deaths were due to coronary heart disease so the chances are someone in your family will be affected by coronary heart disease.
They weren't wrong when they said that the best way to the heart is through the stomach - a healthy diet is not just about losing weight: the same guidelines apply whatever your size and shape. Being thin does not necessarily mean you are in good health either - even skinny people can have high cholesterol!
The average British diet is getting better but we've still got some way to go. The National Food Survey of 1997 showed that we still eat too much total fat and saturated fat and not enough omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish (only a third of adults meet this target). In 1994 a Government committee on nutrition and coronary heart disease recommended that consumption of fruits, vegetables, potatoes and bread increase by at least 50%.
This means that whoever you are, the chances are that there will be some changes you could make to your diet to improve your long term health.
The Food Pyramid is a useful way of seeing which foods should form the bulk of the diet and which we should be eating smaller amounts of.
Added to this strong base are smaller amounts of meat, fish and vegetarian alternatives, and the dairy products. Together these two groups complement the protein provided by the cereals and provide more vitamins in a good bioavailable form. Dairy products are an excellent source of calcium and their contribution to the diet is very important, but remember to avoid full fat products as they are rich in saturated fat. It is strongly recommended that we increase our consumption of oily fish (mackerel, herring, sardines etc.) as these are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids which are associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. (A medium sized portion of mackerel will provide the recommended weekly intake of omega-3 fatty acids.)
At the top of the pyramid are the spreadable fats and oils and sugary foods, such as confectionery and sugary breakfast cereals. These foods should be a small part of our diet as they are very rich in energy. The choice of margarine and oil is important as there are different types of fat. Use olive or a seed oil and an unsaturated margarine rather than butter or lard to cut down on saturated fat.
Last but not least, across the base of the pyramid is fluid intake. This is a very important part of a healthy diet and you should aim to drink at least 2 litres of fluid a day (and that's not just coffee!). Fruit juice is a good source of vitamin C but coffee is a diuretic and can actually dehydrate you. Always follow the recommended safe intakes of alcohol (21 units per week for women and 28 for men).
The Guide To Healthy, Happy Eating
The Department of Health have produced "The Balance of Good Health" which includes the Government's 8 guidelines for a healthy diet. The first of these is very important: Enjoy your food. Diet is an important component of good health but it should not be a battle or be making you miserable. A healthy attitude to food is an important part of a healthy diet.
Remember it is diets, not foods, which are unhealthy and it's the food you eat over months and years which will influence your health. You don't have to religiously follow the food pyramid every day but try and make sure it applies to your diet over a week. It's no great disaster if one day you don't eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables or you eat lots of cake on your birthday - keep things in perspective and make sure your diet is balanced over the long term. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and wholegrains with the occasional cream cake or fry-up is still a healthy diet; just be realistic about how often you make those small indulgences.
Make changes for life, and don't be influenced by fad diets. If you decide to make some changes to your diet then think carefully about what changes you will seriously be able to stick with. It may make more sense to make small changes over time rather than radically altering your entire diet if this means the changes are more likely to be permanent.
Be adventurous and put as much variety in your diet as possible. This way you're bound to meet all your vitamin and mineral requirements without needing extra supplementation.
Diet is not the only component of good health. Don't forget about exercise, stress and smoking and think in terms of healthy lifestyles for maximum benefits.
From the Cradle to the Grave - you're never too old or too young!
In October 1999 the British Medical Journal published the results of a
survey of young British children. The survey reported that 20% of 2 year
olds were overweight (that's 1 in 5!) and 7% were obese.
There are a lot of current studies which are investigating the relationship between a baby's size and shape at birth (which is partly determined by the mother's nutritional status during pregnancy) and future risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
20% of males who die between the ages of 35 and 44 die from coronary heart disease and this figure rises to 37% in the 55 to 64 years age group. Deaths before the age of 65 are classed as 'premature' and 8% of all male deaths are due to premature death from coronary heart disease.
In Britain blood pressure increases with age throughout life and high blood pressure is a risk factor for coronary heart disease. This rise is not inevitable, however, and can be slowed or prevented.
There are a lot of current studies which are investigating the relationship between a baby's size and shape at birth (which is partly determined by the mother's nutritional status during pregnancy) and future risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
20% of males who die between the ages of 35 and 44 die from coronary heart disease and this figure rises to 37% in the 55 to 64 years age group. Deaths before the age of 65 are classed as 'premature' and 8% of all male deaths are due to premature death from coronary heart disease.
In Britain blood pressure increases with age throughout life and high blood pressure is a risk factor for coronary heart disease. This rise is not inevitable, however, and can be slowed or prevented.
These four examples show how important healthy eating habits are throughout life. You are never too young or too old to start eating healthily and everyone can benefit from a good diet.
The early stages of atherosclerosis (or "furring of the arteries") have been seen in teenage children, and those with higher cholesterol levels in early childhood tend to remain in the high group throughout life. Therefore it is very important to encourage good eating habits from the beginning (but remember that children under 2 years should still be given wholefat milk).
Young adults should not be complacent either and think that they can just start being healthy when they hit 40 - some damage will already have been done, so the earlier you start the better.
Your Heart Needs You
It is very easy to think that heart disease will always happen to someone else, especially when you are young. The statistics are not comforting though; in 1990 27% of all deaths were due to coronary heart disease so the chances are someone in your family will be affected by coronary heart disease.
They weren't wrong when they said that the best way to the heart is through the stomach - a healthy diet is not just about losing weight: the same guidelines apply whatever your size and shape. Being thin does not necessarily mean you are in good health either - even skinny people can have high cholesterol!
The average British diet is getting better but we've still got some way to go. The National Food Survey of 1997 showed that we still eat too much total fat and saturated fat and not enough omega-3 fatty acids from oily fish (only a third of adults meet this target). In 1994 a Government committee on nutrition and coronary heart disease recommended that consumption of fruits, vegetables, potatoes and bread increase by at least 50%.
This means that whoever you are, the chances are that there will be some changes you could make to your diet to improve your long term health.
- Eat at least 5 portions of fruits, vegetables and pulses a day for maximum health benefits
- Eat cereals or potatoes with every meal and try to have wholegrain varieties
- Eat fish twice a week and choose chicken over red meats; try some meals made with alternatives to meat
- Choose low fat varieties of dairy foods rather than cutting them out
- Cut back on fats and oils in the diet, and use unsaturated vegetable or seed oils and margarine instead of butter and lard
- Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day, cut back on coffee and follow current safe intake guidelines for alcohol
