The food you eat is crucial to virtually every bodily process and function. It paves the way for you to have a healthy baby, helps to prevent or promote disease, may sharpen or weaken mental acquity, may even affect your mood.
Many factors are involved in answering the question "what should I eat?". But here are some basic pointers to keep in mind - before you open your mouth
The Eight Point Plan:
Many factors are involved in answering the question "what should I eat?". But here are some basic pointers to keep in mind - before you open your mouth
The Eight Point Plan:
- Eat plenty of fiber, pulses, whole grains, foods made with wholegrain flour (such as wholegrain bread), and fruit and vegetables give you the benefit of fiber as well as its associated essential fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins. Grains are better only coarsely ground.
- Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, especially green leafy ones. These give you the vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and fiber you need. Peel the fruit as little as possible (peel and pith are nutrient rich). Cook vegetables lightly by steaming or stir frying, and eat some raw everyday to benefit from their hormones and enzymes.
- Cut down your fat intake ( especially saturated fat ). Choose fish, offal (organ meat), game, poultry, whole grains, pulses, nuts and seeds, or sprouted seeds, rather than red meat and cheese.
- Cut down your sugar intake. Use sugar as flavoring rather than as a food. Avoid cakes, sweets, chocolates, biscuits, puddings, ice-creams, jam, fruits canned in syrup, soft drinks, sugar in tea and coffee, and milk shakes.
- Cut down your salt intake. Instead of adding salt to your food use herbs, spices, fresh ginger, horseradish, lemon juice, tomato puree, vinegar, soy sauce, vegetable stock, yeast extract, chutney, and other flavorings.
- Cut down your consumption of processed food to avoid the " empty calories" of saturated fats, added sugar, refined cereal grains, and additives.
- Drink only moderate amounts of alcohol.
- If you are overweight, exercise more and consume the amount of food and drink that will enable you to reach and keep to your optimal body weight
