This is the time to move towards a better and healthier 2021
IMPROVE YOUR NUTRITION AND LOSE THE POUNDS BY MAKING SMALL CHANGES TO YOUR DIET
WE KNOW that the last year has been tough on all of us, but there has never been a better time to have a go at some new healthier habits. Gaining weight is often a gradual process – it happens over the years as a result of modernday life and the odd unhealthy habit. If you want to lose weight, it’s not about getting it right, but getting started. Healthy changes start with little changes and will help you to feel better, inside and out.
Losing weight has many health benefits. If you are overweight or living with obesity, lowering your weight can help reduce your risk of developing serious diseases. Extra weight causes fat to build up around vital organs, making it harder for the body to fight against diseases like cancer, heart disease and now Covid-19.
Making small, simple changes to what and how much you are eating and drinking can really help you lose the pounds, and it means you’ll be better able to fight serious diseases.
Whether you want to lose weight or get active, the NHS has lots of free ideas to help you along the way.
Dr Partha Kar OBE is a national specialty advisor for diabetes at NHS England, while Nusrat Kausar is a specialist dietitian at West Leeds PCN. They share their tips for how to eat well and stay healthy.
1 Vary your vegetables
Vegetables are packed with nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants. The more variety in your diet, the better it is for your health and gut. Vegetables have very few calories and can be helpful if you are trying to lose weight.
A portion of vegetables is much less than you think, for example, three heaped tablespoons of peas or carrots or sweetcorn or a 5 cm piece of cucumber or one medium tomato.
When buying fresh vegetables (and fruit), remember to choose different colours, and vary this daily if you can. For best results, try to re-use the water in your cooking or try to steam or use in a stir-fry to lock in the nutrients.
Frozen vegetables (or fruit) can contain just as many nutrients as fresh, if not more, as they are frozen rapidly after harvesting, so lock in the nutrients. They can even help to reduce wastage and might even be cheaper than fresh vegetables, as you can keep them much longer in the freezer and just use them as needed during cooking.
When buying tinned vegetables, try to choose those in water (not brine) or without added sugars or salt, as that might add a lot of salt to your diet. Vegetables such as chickpeas, kidney beans, green beans and tomatoes can be useful in a south Asian household.
Snacking on fruit or vegetables between meals can help you get your five-a-day, which has numerous health benefits and provides healthy fibre.
2 Protein power
Proteins are the building blocks of the body, needed for the growth and repair of our cells and tissues. Adults need around 0.75g of protein per kilogram of body weight.
Whereas for older adults, research has shown that they may benefit from more protein in their diet compared to their younger family members.
Dairy, eggs, nuts, beans, peas, lentils (pulses), tofu and mycoprotein foods such as Quorn, veggie mince or veggie sausages are some of the vegetarian protein staples. Try to mix them up and include a variety of these in your day or week. Everyday foods such as breakfast cereals, bread, chapatti, rice, pasta, and potatoes also contain significant amounts of protein. A medium chapatti and a plate of lentil curry can contain around 20g of protein. Red meat, such as beef and lamb, are good sources of protein, vitamins and minerals, and can form part of a balanced diet. But eating a lot of red and processed meat could increase your risk of bowel (colorectal) cancer, as well as your risk of heart and circulatory problems (due to the saturated fats). It’s recommended you eat no more than 70g of red or processed meat a day. Instead, try to eat more fish in your diet and include one portion of oily fish a week, such as mackerel, sardines, salmon and pilchards. Oily fish contains a type of polyunsaturated fat called omega 3, which helps protect against heart disease. Also, having more plant-based protein instead of meat can be much healthier.
3 Carbohydrates
Have three meals spaced out during the day and avoid skipping meals.
This will help reduce snacking and overeating at the next meal. Try to have healthy portions of starchy carbohydrates such as rice, chapatti, bread, potatoes, and pasta at meals.
Rice is a staple in Asian homes, and provides fibre, B vitamins, and other micronutrients. Cooked Basmati rice has a low glycaemic index (GI), so releases its energy slowly. High GI foods cause a rapid rise in blood glucose, whereas low GI foods break down more slowly, giving a more gradual rise in blood glucose. Low GI foods also contain more fibre and help keep you fuller for longer.
Brown rice, which contains the “whole” grain, contains more fibre than white rice and tends to have a chewier texture.
Starchy carbohydrates can be included as part
of a healthy diet in three or four portions per day. A healthy portion of cooked rice is roughly five or six tablespoons, or what you can fit into two hands cupped together or 180g if you were to weigh it out.
To ensure you are getting a variety of nutrients and fibre in your diet, it’s a good idea to include a mixture of starchy carbohydrates which include wholegrains like granary breads, wholegrain cereals, brown pasta, and potatoes with their skins on. Portion sizes examples of other starchy foods are: