Healthy eating: Seven foods for a healthier you
Give your body a boost with this weekly plan
From eye health through to liver health, we all know that eating well – plenty of fruit and veg, a balanced and varied diet – is good for us. But what are the foods we should really be eating more of if we want to boost our health? Introduce these foods over the course of a week to look and, more importantly, feel your best!
MONDAY Eyes: Sweet potato
If your mum used to tell you to eat carrots to help you see in the dark, she wasn’t far off the mark. Carrots contain an antioxidant called beta-carotene that the body converts into vitamin A, which in turn helps the light-detecting receptors in the eye. It’s the beta-carotene that gives carrots their colour – and that’s why sweet potatoes are rich in it too – and they’re much easier to eat in large quantities!
‘Sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamin A, which is hugely important for eyesight, especially seeing in dim light,’ explains nutritionist Elly Rees.
‘And because your body is able to store vitamin A, eating plenty of sweet potatoes will give you enough without needing supplements.’
A 200g baked sweet potato will give you seven times the recommended daily amount of beta-carotene. According to the British Nutrition Foundation, you would struggle to have too much vitamin A.
TUESDAY Heart: Apples
Apples are packed full of bioactive compounds called flavanols, and research has shown that increasing your intake of flavanols can greatly lower blood pressure and play an important role in maintaining cardiovascular health.
‘We know eating fruit, and specifically fruits such as apples and pears, is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), including strokes and coronary heart disease (CHD), so snacking on apples makes sense when you want to eat more healthily and look after your cardiovascular health,’ says dietitian Sian Porter.
WEDNESDAY Bones and teeth: Cheese and milk
Keeping our bones and teeth strong is essential, especially as we get older. And the most important mineral for bone health is calcium – found in particularly high quantities in milk and cheese.
‘Bone density peaks when we are in our early 20s and then declines, so it’s really important to get enough calcium to maintain our bones and keep them healthy throughout life,’ explains Bridget Benelam, nutrition scientist from the British Nutrition Foundation. ‘You can get all the calcium you need for the day from two or three portions of dairy, a pot of yogurt, a 30g portion of any type of cheese and some milk on cereal. If you are having non-dairy alternatives, make sure they are fortified with calcium and other nutrients. You can also get calcium from foods like breads, leafy green vegetables, nuts and seeds.
THURSDAY Hair and skin: Peppers
As we get older our body produces less collagen, which is one of the reasons why our skin becomes less plump and firm. But vitamin C can help our bodies produce collagen naturally – and the more we eat the better.
Red peppers are packed with vitamin C – one single pepper contains more than 100% of your recommended daily amount. It’s also a powerful antioxidant that keeps skin healthy and hair strong.
‘Vitamin C cannot be stored in the
body so must constantly be consumed and you require at least 40mg a day,’ says Elly. ‘Most supplements provide well over 1,000mg a day so it isn’t always necessary to supplement if you eat fruit and vegetables every day.’
FRIDAY Liver: Bone broth
There are a number of foods that can help support liver health, but possibly the most effective is bone broth, according to Hannah Richards, nutritionist and author of The Best Possible You: A unique nutritional guide to healing your body (£8.99, Orion Spring).
‘Vitamins and minerals are abundant in bone broth and can protect against environmental toxins,’ she explains.
‘The glycine found in bone broth stimulates the production of glutathione, the body’s master antioxidant. Research has found glycine can also speed recovery from alcoholinduced fatty liver disease, as well as protect the cells of the liver from hypoxia – low blood oxygen levels. Glycine reduces oxidative stress when people are medically overweight too.’
Bone broth can be made by simmering the bones and connective tissues of animals together.
Hannah also recommends eating plenty of avocados, bananas and broccoli for their B6, which people with liver problems are often deficient in, and drinking two litres of water every day.
SATURDAY Gut: Wholemeal pasta
If you’ve ever suffered from irritable bowel syndrome, you’ll know how miserable a bad stomach can make you feel. And increasingly, we’re beginning to understand the importance of our gut health in maintaining our overall health. Fortunately, it’s easy to keep your belly happy – and one of the best ways is by eating plenty of fibre. ‘Wholemeal pasta is high in cereal fibre, which we need for a healthy gut,’ says Bridget. ‘Diets high in fibre can help avoid constipation, and encourage the good bacteria in our gut. ‘A portion of wholemeal pasta can provide about a quarter of our fibre recommendation for the day and we also need to include plenty of fruit and veg, other wholegrains, potatoes with skins on, pulses, nuts and seeds to make sure we get enough.’
SUNDAY Brain: Oily fish
Oily fish really is food for the brain. Salmon, mackerel and sardines all contain the long chain omega-3 fatty acid called DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), which forms part of cell membranes in the brain, explains Bridget. ‘Having a portion of oily fish once a week can provide us with most of the omega-3s we need, and it’s recommended we also have a portion of white fish once a week too.’