Diet

First of all I’m not talking about a means of achieving weight loss. Diet here means the foods that you eat each day throughout the week. A balanced and nutritious diet, will help you become more healthier. A balanced diet means eating the right amount of foods from different food groups.

You probably already know that good health is fundamental to leading a full and active life.

A balanced diet gives you many benefits. If you eat the right amount of vitamins and nutrients you can increase your life expectancy. Your heart and body are kept healthy, and many long-term illnesses can be prevented.

By keeping your body weight normal through healthy eating and exercise, you are more likely to live a fitter and active life.

What is Healthy Eating?

Healthy eating means a balanced diet by eating foods from all the different food groups in the right amounts.

What are the Different Food Groups?

There are five main food groups. Each one contains vital nutrients for your body’s growth, energy and repair.    

Nutrients are vitamins and minerals that regulate your body’s chemical processes and functions and help to keep you fit and healthy.

• Carbohydrates 

There are two groups of carbohydrates – refined and unrefined.

Refined carbohydrates include white bread and sugary cereals that have had the fibre removed.

Unrefined carbohydrates include brown and wholemeal bread, pasta and rice. You should choose the unrefined carbohydrates whenever possible. 

Ideally carbohydrates should make up about one third of your diet.

• Fruit and vegetables:

Fruit and vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals. These help keep your skin and hair healthy, they can reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers.

It is recommended that you to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables each day. These may be fresh, frozen, canned or dried. A portion is one glass of fruit juice, a large piece of fruit - such as an apple or banana - or three heaped tablespoons of vegetables.

• Protein:

Protein helps to build and repair your body, and should make up about one fifth of what you eat each day.

Protein includes meat, fish and eggs, as well as non-animal products such as beans and nuts. To keep it healthy, trim fat from meat, remove the skin from chicken, and try to eat two portions of fish each week.

Vegetarians can get the protein they need by including seeds, nuts, soya products and beans in their meals.

Ideally, protein should make up a fifth of your diet.

• Dairy Products:

Dairy products are a good source of calcium, helps build strong bones and teeth.

Dairy foods include cheese, milk and yoghurt but cream and butter are in the fats group.

It is recommended that you have 700mg of calcium each day, which is about the same as a pint of milk or two small yoghurts.

Calcium can also be got from soya milk, yoghurts with added calcium, and from some green vegetables.

• Fat and sugar: 

This group includes things like butter, chocolate, crisps and cakes. 

Sugary foods help cause teeth decay. They are full of calories and can lead to obesity. Eat them as a special treats but try not to eat them out of habit or comfort.

There are 2 types of fats– saturated and unsaturated.

Saturated fat - cream, margarine and fried foods – can lead towards heart disease.

Unsaturated fat - vegetable oils and oily fish - eaten in small amounts can help you keep your immune system healthy.

Fats and sugars should make up the smallest part of your diet. 

Mood Foods

Chemicals in the brain which regulate your moods and concentration can be influenced by what we eat. Eating the right food can lead to changes in the way we think, feel and behave.

 Research has shown that diet can significantly improve a person’s mental health. This can include reducing the likelihood of panic attacks, mood swings, and anxiety or depression. 

Alcohol, caffeine, sugar, chocolate, cakes, biscuits, cheese and bread are examples of foods that cause low moods.

Sugar for example alters your mood because it gives your blood an instant sugar rush but it doesn’t last long. An hour or so later you will experience a lower mood and energy, which can lead to poor concentration, anxiety, irritability, aggression, tiredness and depression.  

Foods that cause slow rises in blood sugar levels will keep your energy and mood levels more stable.Foods that cause fast rises in blood sugar levels will cause highs followed by lows in your energy and mood levels. Similarly if you skip meals, your sugar levels will sink followed by a high when you do eat. It is important to eat at regular intervals, don’t skip breakfast for example.

Examples of foods that give slow sugar release are:Wholegrain rye bread, porridge, pasta, beans lentils, noodles, basmati rice, apples, oranges, pears and peaches.

A shortage of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids (omega 3 oils) in your diet can also affect your mood. Eating more oily fish, (salmon, sardines and mackerel for example) which are high in omega 3 fatty acids can help the brain function better.

Serotonin is a chemical inside your brain that can make you feel happy and relaxed. It is also responsible for mood, sleep and control of your appetite.

Some foods (for example white meat like turkey and chicken, and fish) are improve your mood because they produce serotonin, which can be low if you have depression.

Foods high in vitamin B (for example bananas and avocados) can improve your mood because they convert an amino acid called tryptophen into serotonin. When you eat these types of food you help your body produce more serotonin.

Also, regularl exercise will give you a feel-good factor afterwards. This is caused by a release of serotonin in your brain.

Drink

What you drink also affects how you feel.

Caffeine in coffee, tea and cola drinks can cause anxiety, depression and nervousness. I know this from personal experience. Ten minutes after drinking tea, coffee or cola my stomach feels unsettled, my legs go weak and I feel on edge (anxious and irritable). I replaced my tea and coffee intake with camomile tea. It was hard to get used to at first but now if I had a free choice (tea, coffee had no bad effects on me) then I would honestly choose the camomile tea.

Try cutting down and switching to water or fruit tea for every other drink during the day.

Alcohol, caffeine, sugar, chocolate, cakes, biscuits, cheese and bread are examples of foods that cause low moods.