Healthy food is not boring food

When discussing eating and nutrition with people they often hold the belief that eating ‘healthy’ has to consist of the same boring foods.

I think this stems from the fact that many competitive bodybuilders will literally eat egg whites and porridge for breakfast followed by dry chicken breast, rice and broccoli for years upon end.

The above example is not a balanced diet; you would be missing out on a significant amount of nutrients if you limited yourself to those food groups. Then again modern bodybuilding is not really about health.

The second problem with the above example is that eating the same foods all the time makes you more likely to develop food sensitivities.

When you become sensitive to a food you body develops an inflammatory reaction to it. This over time can lead to symptoms of IBS, bowel disorders bloating, depression and other neurological disorders. The gastrointestinal tract is a prominent part of the immune system. Are you starting to see how a dysfunctional gastrointestinal tract can cause a host of problems?

I recommend people to vary their sources of food regularly. This serves to provide them with a variety of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. With food ever available buy these days it’s possible to eat a different food every day.

How to put it into action

Step 1: Vary your sources of protein

Protein is made up of Amino acids and different amino acids have varying pharmacological effects upon the body. Different meats contain different levels of amino acids and this consequently gives them their distinctive tastes.

For example Turkey is high in tryptophan which has shown to be reasonably effective sleep aid, probably due to its ability to increase brain levels of serotonin (a calming neurotransmitter when present in moderate levels)[21] and/or melatonin (a sleep-inducing hormone secreted by the pineal gland in
response to darkness or low light levels).

So choosing turkey as your last meal of the day before bed would be a wise choice.

Good sources of protein: grass fed beef, free-range chicken, free-range turkey, new Zealand lamb, free-range pork, fresh or deep water fish, seafood, eggs, wild meats

Step 2: Vary your sources of vegetables

Vegetables contain varying levels of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. It’s important to get a broad spectrum of these compounds for optimal health. The simplest way to make sure your bases are covered is to vary the colours regularly.

Here is a list of some good options you can eat-

Alfalfa Sprouts
Artichokes
Asparagus
Bean sprouts
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Celeriac
Collard greens/ spring greens
Cucumber
Eggplant
Fennel
Green beans
Kale
Leek
Mange tout
Mushrooms
Okra
Peppers
Radishes
Rocket
Romaine Lettuce
Sauerkraut
Seaweed/Kelp
Spring onions
Spinach
Swiss chards
Tomatoes
Swede
Water chestnuts
Watercress

Step 3: Vary your sources of Fats

Using different types of fats to cook with or accompany a meal will again provide different health benefits. The most important point of fat intake is having the right balance.

Here is a brief on fats, I will go into more detail in another article-

Monounsaturated fats

These fats are generally high in Vitamin E and are found in foods such as pumpkin seeds, sesame seed, cashews, almonds, avocado, olive oil and olives. Providing essential fatty acids they are also believed to lower cholesterol and aid in reducing heart disease.

Monounsaturated fats are usually liquid at room temperature

Polyunsaturated fats

Usually liquid at room temperature, polyunsaturated fats can be found in sources such as fish, sunflower-seed and plant oils, safflower, soy and corn

Omega 6

In general most peoples intake of Omega 6 fats has increased to an unhealthy level in the last 60 years with the increased availability of plant based cooking oils and also the shift of diet of farm bred animals that we now eat. Cows and chickens are not supposed to eat grains and when they do their fat becomes too high in omega 6 fatty acids.

Sources of omega 6- cooking oils, nuts, and grain fed animals

Omega 3

Our intake of Omega 3 fatty acids has also decreased due to the shift in what the animals we eat are made of. Grass fed animals and Wild meat is naturally higher in Omega 3 and I highly recommend investing in eating only these types of meat. I

Sources of omega 3 – oily fish, flax seed, supplements

Trans Fats

These are the byproducts of food manufacturing and unless you have been living under a rock you should be informed by now that these are bad for you and should be avoided as much as possible!

Sources of trans fats- processed food, baked goods, re-used fast food oils

Saturated Fat

This has also unfortunately come at the expense of using good fats such as grass fed organic butter and animal fats which have been demonised as a source of heart disease by some very clever food manufacturers with an interest in selling you their vegetable oils.

For the skinny on saturated fat please go here and read these series of articles-

http://www.spacedoc.net/saturated_fat_is_good_for_you_1

Sources of saturated fat- butter, coconut oil, animal fats, dairy products

Step 4: Vary your sources of carbohydrate but limit gluten

Carbohydrates are by no means evil; you just need to eat them relative to your daily energy needs and individual metabolism.

For someone who is gifted with good tolerance of carbohydrates (and also normally a very lean sub scapular) these people can get away with murder in regards to how many carbs they can eat without putting on any body fat. If you are a carboholic then to you they are the lucky bastards of the world, get over it!

For the majority, sometimes estimated at up to 75% of the population; carbohydrate intake needs to be limited to sticking mainly to fibrous vegetable sources and limited fruit with strategic use of starchy carbohydrates based around times of exercise.

This is especially true if with people who are overweight or obese and having markers of metabolic syndrome. At a certain point for these people their body will stop responding properly to utilising carbohydrate effectively and become much more likely to store it as more fat. As a person gets leaner they can reintroduce more carbohydrates into their diets.

Get rid of the Gluten

I am not a fan of Gluten due to its Lectin content. Lectin’s have been shown to irritate the gastrointestinal tract and can contribute to autoimmune disorders. The number of people who also have issues with wheat has also increased over the last 60 years due to the mass expansion of harvesting grains using seed with the same genotypes. Again having the same food all the time causes a problem. In the past where people could be eating dozens of different species of grains before mass standardisation this was less of an issue.

For more on Lectin’s go here- http://www.krispin.com/lectin.html

Wrap up

So there you have it. The take home point is that a healthy diet doesn’t have to consist of the same foods; in fact a diet that consists of the same foods is not so healthy. A healthy diet should consist of a huge variety of foods in order to maximise your intake of nutrients.

Im also a strong believer in balance and the occasional treat of foods we know are not so good for us is ok to have.

I am by no means a food Nazi and enjoy my bit of cake every so often as much as anyone else. Its when that bit of cake becomes part of the daily intake along with biscuits, pizza, donuts etc.

Don't fall victim to mass marketing and become a sheep eating whatever the adverts promote into your living room. You have the power to choose!