What is a Healthy Diet? What are the Components of a Healthy Diet?
What is a Healthy Diet? It Includes Wild Alaskan Salmon
With all the media hype about this new diet and that one determining what is a healthy diet can be frustrating and somewhat overwhelming. I mean, can’t someone with authority on the matter just simply tell us all what to eat? In my research I found many common threads amongst nutritionists, medical doctors and alternative medical practitioners. Much of what they all agree on too, is what not to eat!
What is a Healthy Diet? One with More Plants!
There is no debate that one of the key components of a healthy diet is plants - fruits and vegetables. The amount we are to be consuming has risen over the past four decades. The food pyramid developed and published by the US government has increased the fruits and vegetables from 4 to 7 servings. And folks, they can’t all be fruit! What is a healthy diet includes generous amounts of veggies and a variety of them. Consuming just lettuce isn’t going to cut it. Selecting vegetables in a variety of colors ensures that you are getting a good mix of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and anti oxidants.
What is a Healthy Diet? One with a Balance of Omega 6 and Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids.
Omega 6 and 3 are essential nutrients our body needs. Essential means that our body cannot produce them on its own and me must get them from the foods we eat. Americans have no problem getting enough omega 6 in our daily diet. They are available in oil rich seeds and vegetable oils extracted from them. We also get them from the meat we eat where the animal has been fattened up with grain and our desire to consume more meat over fish. They are in all the processed snack foods; chips, crackers, cookies and candy as well as in fast food.
What is a Healthy Diet? A Diet Rich in Omega 3.
Why don’t we get enough omega 3 to balance out the omega 6 consumption? We don’t eat enough greens and other vegetables that are sources of omega 3. The best sources of omega 3 besides leafy greens are walnuts, flax and hemp, soy and canola oil, sea vegetables and oily fish from cold water such as wild Alaskan salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, black cod and bluefish.
What is a Healthy Diet? Not “Foods” on this List!
I put the word “foods” in parenthesis because many of the items on this list are manufactured and not, in my opinion, real food. Here is a bullet list of items to avoid:
- High glycemic load foods which include highly processed foods, white flour, sugar and white rice.
- Products made with partially hydrogenated oil, Vegetable shortening or anything cooked in it, and margarine. Instead choose butter and olive oil in moderation
- Fried foods in restaurants, especially fast food as the oil is harmful to your body
- Too many calories. Be aware of your caloric intake. You gain weight not because you eat too much fat or carbohydrate specifically, you gain weight because you eat more calories than your burn.
What is a Healthy Diet? Fresh is Best
- Eat as much fresh foods as possible and organic when available. Eating vegetables in abundance and fruits in moderation.
- Our bodies are made up mostly of water and needs to be replenished regularly. On average 6-8 glasses of water is adequate.
Protein consumption seems to be the dietary element not agreed upon. Protein is needed to build muscle and so there are strong proponents of consuming animal protein on a regular basis. Others propose you severely limit or eliminate animal proteins and stick to plant-based proteins found in bean, legumes and soy.
The best advice I can give you is to talk to your medical practitioner and find out what is best for you. What is a healthy diet for one person, may not be the appropriate for another.