Don’t let your health be hijacked by fad diets. Why put a label on it. Eat real food that makes your body feel great.
Nutrition is a popular topic – at a social gathering or work you may talk about it to friends and family, you hear and read about the latest nutritional information or popular diet in social media platforms, and then you might ask ‘Google’. Now you are confused. I hear this all the time in my clinic. I want to help you debunk nutrition myths and refocus your energy on what foods are right for YOUR body, not your sister, mother, best friend, neighbour, work colleague, but YOU!
Firstly, why label the way you eat? Isn’t food, just that, food. Its energy for your body.
Have you ever asked yourself is eating ‘keto’ or ‘low-fat’ or ‘vegan’ good for my body? Or do you just give it a try because somebody you know had ‘success’ on this ‘diet’.
But isn’t their body different to yours? Different size, shape, composition (fat vs muscle), genetics, and of course you probably have different goals.
Why do you want to label what you eat anyway? Doesn’t this make every day, every mealtime stressful, thinking about what you can and can not eat and then potentially feeling guilty for going outside of the ‘rules’ of that particular ‘diet’. Do you even know exactly what the ‘rules’ of eating this way means? This all sounds very stressful and time-consuming to me.
At the end of the day, we all want to be as healthy as we can be and that means we want our bodies to do everything we want it to do. For example, play with our kids, think clearly at work, not feel lethargic, and more.
Let’s talk about REAL FOOD
Real food is whole, single-ingredient food – lean meats, poultry, oily fish (salmon and sardines), eggs, and lots of plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes and wholegrains.
Essentially, it is food that is largely unprocessed, free of chemical additives, and rich in nutrients. Its what human beings ate exclusively for thousands of years. However, since processed foods became popular in the 20th century, the Western diet has shifted toward ready-to-eat meals.
While processed foods are convenient, they also harm your health. In fact, following a diet based on real food may be one of the most important things you can do to maintain good health and a high quality of life.
Why eat real food?
No.10 is one of my favourites 😊
High in nutrients. For example, one brazil nut has your entire daily required intake of selenium. And 1 cup of capsicum has 100% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C.
Low in sugar compared to many processed foods. Even fruit, which contains natural sugars should not be avoided because they also have a high micronutrient, fibre and water content that makes them healthy compared to processed foods such as crisps and soft drinks.
Supports a healthy heart thanks to all the antioxidants and nutrients in real food such as magnesium and healthy fats.
Good for your digestive system and gut health. Real food is loaded with prebiotics – food for good gut bacteria.
High in fibre. Fibre has so many health benefits such as supporting a good digestive system, regulating cholesterol levels and blood sugar levels
Helps to maintain a healthy weight. All that fibre-rich food helps to keep your tummy satisfied.
Helps to control blood sugar levels thanks to the high fibre and low sugar content. This is particularly important for those with insulin resistance, and those who have or are at risk for diabetes.
May help to reduce sugar cravings. Times during the day like that afternoon slump and post-dinner are usually when people crave something sweet. By eating whole real foods regularly your taste buds will adapt and be far more sensitive to sweet foods. Meaning you may still want something sweet at times during the day, but you will be satisfied with far less.
May reduce disease risk such as heart disease, diabetes, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and some cancers. Given the Mediterranean diet is primarily based on real food, it is not surprising that this diet is associated with lower chronic disease risk.
Reduces the focus on ‘dieting’ and instead changes your mental focus toward eating foods to nourish your body for more sustainable energy and enjoyably life moments.
Better for the environment, i.e. no man-made packaging. Take a banana – a real food that nature has already packaged for you.
Delicious. Once your taste buds adjust, they will become more sensitive to savoury (salt), sweet (sugar) flavours and of course you will enjoy the different textures that real food has to offer – creamy avocadoes, crunchy apples, firm yet tender beef.
This sounds simple right? Well it can be.
Many people think that if they have to eat real ingredients that their meals have to be boring, i.e. bland boiled broccoli and steamed chicken. Or perhaps they feel like they lack the cooking skills/recipes/time to to assemble such ingredients in to a delicious meal.
Its not as difficult as it sounds. For example, real food has natural sugars that when cooked in a particular way can turn those simple ingredients in to amazing flavours that transform a seemingly simple meal in to yum yum yum!
Our Cooking4Health cooking workshops are designed to give you the practical skills and knowledge to make your own delicious food that will enable you to achieve your health goals. The meals are quick and easy to prepare and family friendly. You can find out more about our workshops here.
If you would like advice about how you can achieve better health and cook real food with ease, then please don't hesitate to book your spot in our Real Food cooking workshop (limited spaces) by going to the link here.
If you have any questions contact us on 0438 195 535 or via my email meganchircop@gmail.com or hello@thecooksworkshop.com.au
Dr Megan Fabbro x
BSc(Hons), PhD(Medicine), International Diploma Nutrition
Director, Nutrition4You www.nutrition4you.com.au
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