I think the most important part of rejuvenating ourselves starts from the inside. Eating a well balanced diet and making healthier food choices will start to make our bodies feel good and provide the energy to undertake a complete rejuvenation. How often do we see healthy people and think they look great? Their hair is shiny and skin is clear and they have a vitality and zest for life.
So what does making healthier food choices actually mean?
1. Don’t cut out a food group
Making healthier food choices doesn’t mean dieting and existing on water and lettuce leaves – or I suppose kale is the leaf of choice these days!
It means eating from the 5 food groups and that includes carbohydrates and good fats.
What are good fats?
Yes you should include fats in your diet, however it is important to select Unsaturated fats which can help to reduce heart disease, lower cholestorol and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Good fats include:
Monounsaturated fats
- Avocados
- Olives
- Natural Peanut butter
- Nuts such as almonds, macademia, cashews, pecans
Polyunsaturated fats
- Fish such as salmon, tuna, trout and sardines
- Flaxseeds
- Walnuts
- Sunflower and sesame seeds
This link from Nutrition Australia shows the ‘healthy eating pyramid’ which ensures we eat enough from each food group to stay healthy. This has recently been updated and you can read about it by clicking on the link http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/national/resource/healthy-eating-pyramid
2. Eat a rainbow
Increase your intake of colourful vegetables and fruits. Make your plate a rainbow of colour. It not only looks and tastes great AND it is more nutritious for you. Different coloured fruit and vegetables provide different health properties to help fight disease. It is also a great way to encourage children to eat more fruit and vegetables.
This fact sheet from Nutrition Australia is a great resource: http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/national/resource/eat-rainbow
3. Don’t get caught with the ‘low fat’ option
Did you know that low fat options might be lower in fat but they are certainly higher in sugar. Make sure you READ THE LABEL on products to see the sugar content before you buy. Better still, try to eat as much unprocessed food as possible.
4. Replace Your Fruit Smoothie with a Piece of Fruit
We all love our smoothies, especially in Summer as a quick way to increase our fruit intake. Did you know that a fruit smoothie or fruit juice contains more sugar than the a whole piece of fruit? It also reduces the amount of fibre when turned into juice. The link below explains in more detail.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=24
5. Reduce the size of your portions
Eating a balanced diet doesn’t mean that you can eat as much as you like. Monitoring your portion size is important especially if you want to lose weight and aren’t active. Click on the link below for more information on what ‘a serve’ actually means.
https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/how-much-do-we-need-each-day/what-serve
6. Drink lots of Water
Water flushes out our system and keeps us hydrated. https://www.womenlivingwellafter50.com.au/why-you-need-to-keep-hydrated-winter-or-summer/
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Next in the series will be….. #2 – Exercise Regularly
Let’s Keep Sizzling!
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27 Comments
The “diet” industry had me duped for so many years. I thought the low-fat foods were my friends. Little did I know, many of those options were highly processed and contained added sugar to replace the fat. I’m so glad people are more educated about healthy eating these days, and that those who know better are sharing their knowledge. Thanks for this post!
Great article, Sue – and couldn’t agree more with your advice about including all the food groups. They all play their role in providing us with the various nutrients that our bodies need.
I’m sitting here eating my steel cut oats for breakfast and getting inspired to plan out my day of meals.For me, it is reading reminders like this that keep me going.
Thank you Michelle. You always are so supportive of my thoughts and I think we keep each other going. Have a great day!
Great suggestions—especially now that it’s my summer. It’s sometimes easy to think that a cool, refreshing fruit smoothie is good for you too—think again.
Yes I know Jennifer! I love smoothies as well we just have to be mindful of the sugar content. It doesn’t mean you can’t have them it just means like everything else you can have them in moderation!
the rainbow of foods is so important – focusing on fruit and vegetables as a way to fill up. I’m still a bit of a sucker for fried food – but it’s my occasional treat rather than a normal part of my diet.
We all have our ‘naughty’ foods that we love Leanne so you aren’t alone. It is all about moderation and maybe just having them as a treat rather than the norm.
Such a good reminder. And so true. We love our vegetable box each week and enjoy preparing all the fun stuff we get.
I think the attitude has to be right Carol. As you say you enjoy preparing the vegetables and probably try to find new ways to cook them. Unfortunately, some people don’t put the nutritional value on their food and don’t realise that even though it is good for you it can still taste delicious.
Great tips. It’s all about eating “real” food and not processed. I’m not a fan of smoothies. They are a sugar bomb in a glass.
Yes that is a great way to describe a smoothie Rebecca – ‘a sugar bomb in a glass’! Love it! I think the Smoothie industry has really pulled a swifty on most people by portraying themselves as very healthy when in fact sometimes you might as well eat a chocolate bar with the same sugar content!
Such great advice, Sue. I love the, “eat a rainbow” tip! So descriptive, in a fun way.
Yes I read that somewhere and thought it was the perfect description of why we need to eat a variety of vegetables. It might also encourage children to eat more vegetables if they think it is a rainbow. Thanks for stopping by Ellen.
Hi Sue! It really does come down to balance in the end, doesn’t it?
I’m not sure about what you say about smoothies though, and I wonder if you mean juicing? My smoothies are homemade with a combination of kale, spinach, cucumber, 1/2 a banana and two of {blueberries, mangos, strawberries, pineapple}, with some organic almond butter and unpasteurized honey. I don’t remove any of the fibre (pulp), so by the time it’s in the glass I’m getting all of it. Nothing good is removed and there’s no fluff!
I know some people use the word smoothie when it’s really just a disguised milkshake, but not all smoothies are created equal. 🙂
It does come down to balance. With the smoothies, I was referring to people who make fruit juices and use more fruit than if they just had a piece of fruit. For example they may use 2 or 3 oranges in their juicer which would contain more sugar than if they just had one whole orange. Your smoothie sounds delicious by the way. Perhaps I should incorporate the word ‘juice’ into the post. Thanks for the tip.
Ugh…the endless question. What is the best way to eat? Low carb? High protein? Fruits and veggies only? I have no clue what is right…I just do the best I can to eat healthy.
Tamara I think we get too caught up with all the different types of diets. I just eat a balanced diet including all the food groups and as fresh as possible rather than processed. I allow myself ‘treats’ as life would be pretty dull without them. I just make sure I don’t have say pizza every night. We can get too carried away with cutting out this and that. It is all about balance.
These are all great reminders. I make a lot of terrible food choices.
Oh you aren’t alone Lois. It is hard sometimes especially in winter which I am experiencing now. Comfort food and curling up in front of the TV is much more inviting but I just make sure I have a good balance and don’t deny myself the occasional treat.
Wonderful advice. I will be passing this post along to a few young adults I know.
Thank you Mary and have a wonderful week!
I agree! Everything in moderation – lots of raw veggies and fruits and keeping hydrated is what I believe in, Sue. Also, we must eat traditional foods that were created keeping our climate in mind. I find that every few years there’s a change in what we ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ be eating and much of it is market driven.
I agree about the market driven push that is why I just stick to the tried and true balanced diet. Good point about the traditional foods I’ve never thought of that Corinne! Thanks for stopping by.
Great tips. Luckily, I love good fats like avocados and olives and peanut butter.
Yes Estelle, 3 of my favourite foods!
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