Healthy eating habits can help you prevent diet-related diseases.
The objective is to eat healthy foods and follow a well-balanced diet. Improving eating and lifestyle habits at any time in life can improve our health.
It’s never too late to start !
Most of us are aware that our goal is to consume varied and balanced diets rich in nutrient-dense whole foods (vegetables, fruit, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds, fish, eggs, and fermented foods, with extra virgin olive oil, limited amounts of dairy, and meat, slat and sweets) that promote good health. Many, however, have not been able to adopt healthy diets because of various reasons.
What should we know to move to a healthier diet?
Healthy eating requires choosing healthy and clean foods and an effective digestion and assimilation of the products of digestion. Reasons for choosing food are multiple. They are largely based on food flavour, texture, appearance, social and cultural influences, and price and availability. They are also influenced by advertising and marketing, our diets as children, and by our emotional states (emotional eating). Eating is a health behaviour that can be shaped by stress and by our responses to it. Importantly, our food choices are limited by our knowledge of what is good or bad for us.
Over the past several decades patterns of food consumption and food, habits have changed dramatically around the world. Ultra-processed foods (UPF) have displaced healthier fresh and minimally processed foods, reaching 50%-60% of total daily energy intake in some high-income countries. UPF have been linked to weight gain and obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and another disease.
In response to the current epidemic of obesity, lifestyle adjustments to improve health through healthy eating are now actively promoted and supported by public health campaigns. A change to healthier eating is further motivated by our own pursuits of personal wellness.
How do we do this? Strategy and move slowly, but surely!
Despite our strong desire to transition to healthier foods, learning new habits takes time and consistent effort. Dietary changes can be hampered by our existing automatic poor eating habits. As learned behaviours, they are deeply engrained and powerful. To overcome these, we must first control compulsive eating, binging and weight gain. To change food habits, we must identify unhealthy eating habits (“name it to fix it”) and understand why these habits are present.
Lifestyle changes should be progressive to be successful. An approach where small steps are taken “one at a time” is most likely to succeed. Small improvements should be seen as victories, opening the path for further change (small steps eventually add up). Self -monitoring and stimulus control (to break unhealthy links such as eating settings, and keeping unhealthy food in reach) are key to success. The good news is that gradually including new eating habits, combined with proper self-monitoring, can be very rewarding and can lead to a chain of further successes. Health Coaching can provide support in achieving success.
to help us better understand food choices.
Basic Information
Macronutrients: Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
All foods are made up of macronutrients. The three main necessary macronutrient constituents in food are carbohydrates, proteins and fat. Among their various roles, they support cellular growth and repair, immune function and are sources of energy. The Mediterranean diet, with its significant health benefits, is made up of a combination of 50-60 % carbohydrates, 15-20 % protein and 30 % fats.
A simple and nutritious breakfast. Olive oil is the major source of fat in the Mediterranean diet. Avocados are excellent sources of monounsaturated fats, potassium, folate and fibre, with significant health benefits. Fish are an excellent source of protein. They contain omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins (D, B2), and are rich in calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium. Bread (here sourdough, with probiotic properties) is a low glycemic index (see below) source of carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are our main source of energy. They are molecular building blocks and participate in various metabolic processes.
Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy (4 kcal/g) because they are more easily broken down and mobilised by the body. Simple carbohydrates have one or two sugar units (mono- and di-saccharides), and complex carbohydrates (polysaccharides) have longer sugar chains. and therefore have slower a break down to glucose, avoiding peaks in blood glucose concentrations (reducing risks of type 2 diabetes). Fibre, a complex carbohydrate, is involved in controlling sugar release. Soluble and insoluble fibre is beneficial for gut health. Diets high in carbohydrate can raising triglycerides and reduce high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in addition to contributing to weight gain.
Proteins are the source of amino acids. They participate in cell structure, their metabolism, and communication between cells.
Proteins are large and complex molecules that are key for life. They have biological functions and are fundamental to the structure, workings, and regulation of the body’s functions. Amino acids are a protein’s building blocks. They are organic compounds (i.e., have carbon-hydrogen and carbon-carbon bonds) containing amino- and carboxylic acid bonds. Proteins are made up of one or more long amino acid chains (polypeptides) linked to each other by peptide bonds. Proteins can have a few hundreds to thousands of constituent amino acids.
As integral parts of cell structure, amino acids are vital for growth and repair. They are an alternative source of energy (4 kcal/g) when glucose is not available. Nine amino acids must be provided in the diet (essential amino acids). Typically, animal sources of protein are “complete” as they contain all the essential amino acids. Plant-based diets with the proper variety of vegetables, nuts, seeds, wholegrains, and legumes can also provide the required essential amino acids.
Examples of foods containing all 9 essential acids include: quinoa, buckwheat, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds and tempeh. Other plant-based sources of essential amino acids include beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and vegetables.
Sardines in olive oil and tomato (Spain)..
Fats and fatty acids are necessary to store and release energy, protect organs, and help carry vital nutrients.
Fatty acids are key to maintaining cell structure, act as carriers of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K), support their absorption, and are a source of energy (9 kcal/g). Saturated fats have single bonds in their hydrocarbon chains. They are typically solid at room temperature. They may increase “bad” LDL (low density lipoproteins) cholesterol. Bad cholesterol has been linked to increased cardiovascular risk. Current recommendations limit the intake of saturated fats to 10% of daily energy intake. Unsaturated fats may have one double bond between neighbouring carbons in their hydrocarbon chains (monounsaturated fatty acids, MUFA) or two or more (polyunsaturated fatty acids, PUFA). MUFA and PUFA may reduce LDL and increase HDL (high density lipoproteins) “good” cholesterol. Because of this it is healthier to use unsaturated fats. As some PUFA cannot be made in the body (essential fatty acids) they must be ingested in the diet (omega 3 or alpha-linolenic essential fatty acids, and omega 6 or linolenic essential fatty acids). A healthy diet should include omega-6 sources (in vegetable oils and nuts) and omega 3 sources (in fatty fish) and in a healthy low ratio (approximately 1:1). High ratios are linked to higher risks of inflammation and disease. Contemporary western diets have omega 6: omega 3 ratios above 15:1. To maintain a healthy omega 6: omega 3 ratio at least 2-3 portions of fatty fish are recommended each week.
Olives are the source of olive oil, the major source of fat in Mediterranean diets.