“you are what you eat”
We all have heard this quote, and we all are aware that it is a notion that to be fit and healthy you need to eat good food.
Depending on what kind of food we are consuming and the contents of that food, we are affecting our nutrient levels and overall, our health. On average, the human body is 6% minerals, carbohydrates, and other nutrients, 16% fat, 16% protein, and 62% water. Of-course these percentages vary for every person depending on diet and lifestyle.
Thus by eating a variety of healthy food every-day, your diet will provide you adequate nutrition and to have this kind of adequate nutrition Canada’s new food guide’s recommendation on healthy eating may help you a lot in being mindful of your eating habits.
Being aware that food marketing can influence your choices is important to monitor food consumption.
The Canada new food guide has a say on it that the more you eat vegetables and fruits, whole-grain foods, and protein foods, the less saturated fat gets a deposit in your body. Limiting high processed food should be a priority. They say “eat them less often and in small amounts”
Generally, when we are out on an office team lunch or maybe lunch with the family. We end up eating junk food rather than choosing something healthier. But we shouldn’t forget that our health is the priority to keep us going in life.
As of now, Canadians are encouraged to follow three guidelines on what to eat regularly, what to avoid, and the importance of cooking and preparing meals at home. It is really important that we immediately join this path by following the same and to do that we need to know what Canada’s new food guide is suggesting to follow.
Canada’s Official Food Rules were developed by the Nutrition Division of the federal government in collaboration with the Canadian Council on Nutrition to Meet the needs for vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Also reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancer, and osteoporosis.
To have a habit of healthy eating, they suggest-
- Cooking more often and planning the meal by involving others in planning and preparing the healthy meal.
- Noticing the timings of eating meals to keep a check on when you are hungry and when you are full.
- Slow eating and taking time to chew the food properly.
- Including traditional and cultural food as a part of healthy eating.
- Sharing the meal, eating the meal with family and friends.
Along with this, they also suggest eating a variety of healthy food each day and replacing the sugary drink that we usually prefer with our meals with water.
Another obsession we carry over-processed food( for Example- sugary drinks, Chocolate, Candies, fast food like French fries and burgers, bakery products) knowing that they are not a part of a healthy eating pattern as they add excess sodium, sugars, or saturated fats to the diet.
But we should also be fully aware that they can increase the risk of chronic diseases as higher sodium intake can lead to high blood pressure followed by heart disease and in the same way sugar can also increase the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
How to limit it?
- Eat less and in small amounts
- Replacing it with healthier option (for example- sugar can be replaced with jaggery, making home-made versions of muffins and cookies)
- Stocking the kitchen with healthier options (for example- nuts, fruits, eggs)
- Limiting the uses of seasonings and ketchup in food.
- Checking the food label when grocery shopping to make the right choice.
In Canada, a new food guide also focuses on monitoring: –
How, Why, What, When, and where you eat.
They say that being mindful can help us in making healthier choices and in making positive changes to the routine eating patterns. And to be one! they gave us a solution for it, please see the classification below-
How to be mindful of your eating habits
- Regardless of where you are, try to make changes to your surroundings so that the healthy choice is the easy choice.
- Pay attention to your likes and dislikes using these senses. This may help connect you to your eating experience and be more conscious of the food you are eating.
- Describe to yourself what you ate? Why did you eat? When did you eat? And how much you ate?
Be mindful because you can be!
Not only this, the Canada new food guide provided the healthy eating pattern which is a perfect regime for our body to stay healthy and active-
- Whole grain food- whole grain pasta, quinoa, oats.
- Vegetable and fruits- apples, broccoli, carrots
- Protein- pulses, low-fat yogurt, and nuts
Balance is what we need in our bodies and to have a balance we need to have a balanced life along with a balanced diet which will lead to a balanced human being. In the food world, there should not be fear and guilt rather only joy and balance. So, make a healthy choice today!
Eat healthily, eat safely!