Myrna Haag: Recipes

Saturday July 5

Simple Strategies for Eating Well

If you've read the Six Steps to a Healthy Lifestyle then you know that three of the steps deal with the substances we should put in our bodies:

Water
Protein and fiber in balanced proportions
Essential fats

To this list, we can add the so-called functional foods. A functional food, according to a Health Canada report, "is similar in appearance to conventional foods, is consumed as part of a usual diet, and has demonstrated physiological benefits and / or reduces the risk of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions." Sometimes functional foods are described as foods which have value to the body beyond that of ordinary nutrition. Fiber and essential fats are themselves functional foods. Studies have indicated that insoluble fiber may reduce the risk of breast and colon cancers and soluble fiber may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The essential Omega-3 fats may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease as well as improve mental and visual functions.

Other examples of functional foods components include phenols (flavanoids, phytoestrogens, lignans), terpines (carotenoids like alpha and beta-carotene, luteins, and lycopene). These substances have been associated with reducing the risk of diseases as diverse as lung cancer and macular degenerative disease.

Never forget that one of the most important qualities of good food is its taste--the enjoyment we have from eating it. A good strategy for eating well must take into account our individual likes and dislikes. We should also be prepared for situations in which we aren't entirely in control of our food choices. In the United States, especially, we live in a "food environment" that too often leads us to eat poorly. Add to this the time constraints of a busy schedule and the challenge of eating well can seem completely overwhelming!

Here are simple strategies that can help:

Eat breakfast. If you wait until midday to eat your first meal of the day, you will have gone thirteen or fourteen hours without refueling. This can mean decreased mental function and being overhungry when you do eat.

When eating out, manage portion sizes and protein/fiber balance. Restaurants always seem to be making portion sizes larger. You don't have to eat everything put in front of you. Remember the Six Steps. You want to eat small frequent meals of balanced fiber and protein. Box up the extra food and save it for later. Or, instead of an entrée, order an appetizer with vegetable or fruit side dishes.

Eat fruits and vegetables that have rich earth colors. You don't have to be a chemist or nutritionist to choose the right foods. Functional foods often have natural colorants--the redness of tomatoes, the orange color of carrots and sweet potatoes, the yellow of corn and mangos, the dark green of parsley.

Bon appetit!

Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Simple Strategies for Eating Well