Nutrition
First you should meet Dr Nutrition, he’s a dietitian. His information is the basics of most disease prevention. He has three really simple and easy to remember principles that will help keep your diet on track.
1. Eat the right food
Our body is like a very complex machine and we need to use the right type of food that our body is designed to function on. We can actually exist on almost anything, but of course we are after good health not just existance!
For our body to make good blood, muscle and bone we need to choose our foods wisely and keep our diet well balanced with the four main food groups:
| Fruits | Grains |
| Vegetables | Nuts & Seeds |
There are also some items that you will need to leave out of your diet. Alcohol, cigarettes, coffee and drugs are very harmful.
Sweets, fizzy drinks, ice creams, cakes, and other items made with high sugar content are also dangerous for your on-going health. Sugary foods make unhealthy blood and they are not good for building strong, healthy tissue and bones, etc.
Fatty foods tend to store as fat which increases the risk of disease and makes us more sluggish.
Harmful effects may not be noticed straight away, but over a period of time, your immune system will begin to fail. This will increase the risk of disease and may result in damaged organs and even death!
2. As close to the way you find it in nature as possible
The less processed the food the better. Always try to have something fresh (raw) at every meal because raw foods provide enzymes that help to digest all your food. Some good raw food ideas are:
| Salads – lettuce, tomato, coleslaw etc |
| Carrot and celery sticks |
| Fruit – just the way it was grown |
3. At the right times
It is important to eat meals at regular times and not to eat between meals at all, because your stomach needs a chance to catch up and rest before the next meal.
It is healthy to start every day with a good, hearty breakfast. You need a good meal in the morning so you have energy to see you through the day. Good foods to eat for breakfast include:
| Grains – like cereal, bread, rice or porridge |
| Milks – coconut or soy |
| Fruits – Apples, bananas, oranges, etc |
At midday you ideally want to be getting your vegetables. These help sustain and give you needed nutrients. Try:
| Starches – like potatoes, bread and grains |
| Protein – found in beans, nuts and seeds |
| Greens – cabbage, silverbeet, lettuce, etc |
| Colours – carrots, cauliflower, beetroot, etc |
For the evening meal you want to take it light because you are about to head to bed and your stomach is going to need a rest too. The light evening meal should be eaten at least 2 to 3 hours before going to bed. Include:
| Fruits - they digest fast |
| With a little grain, like cracker biscuits |
Eating a hearty breakfast, a good-sized lunch, and a light evening meal, gives you the fuel you need at the times you need the energy. It also helps to keep your body in good shape and helps in weight control.
If you can’t have a good-sized meal at midday, you would be smarter to have more in the morning, rather than having a large meal late in the day. This can result in disturbed sleep, not waking refreshed in the morning and an unhealthy circle can soon develop.
Eat the right food, as close to the way you find it in nature as possible, at the right times.