Food is to be enjoyed
As soon as we start to think about the smell of fresh baked bread, the crunch of a crisp apple or the rich taste of chocolate, our body starts to respond. Just writing this and my saliva glands start working, my stomach gurgles and my brain tells me that I am ready to eat something. The fact that food is fuel for our body is only one aspect of this gift God has given to us. Food is also about aromas, textures, flavours and colour. Food speaks to all of our senses. When we think of the times when we connect with friends or gather with family it is often around the intimacy of a shared meal. Food is one of the pleasures of life.
Food is a powerful ‘medicine’
‘He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the skill of the physician.’
Chinese Proverb
Eating without thinking reduces our food intake to the ‘Western default diet’. This is the ‘high fat, salt and sugar, low fibre, large portion’ version
of eating.
Many people opt for this diet and then spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on lotions, potions and medication to undo the damage. So let’s think about clearing the messages and reboot our thinking. Let’s make food work for us and not against us. Bring back food into your diet that is pleasurable, nurturing and nutritious. Be an intelligent eater.
Recommended Dietary Intake
Our bodies have essential nutritional requirements. Recommended dietary intake (RDI) levels are a guide used to help people measure the value of foods they are eating. If you look at any cereal box it will usually list these recommendations and tell you what percentage of the RDI their product will provide you. These levels are based on an average adult diet of 8700 kj (2080 calories) a day. Our energy or kilo joule requirements will vary depending on age, gender, height, weight and level of physical activity.
Simple Guidelines
Carbohydrates
These foods should make up 45-60% of your total food intake. Carbohydrate foods are often given a value according to how they affect your blood sugar (glycaemic index).
Good choices in this group are:
- Wholegrain breads, high fibre cereals and oats.
- Wholemeal pastas, brown rice or basmati / ’doongara’ rice.
- 2 serves of fruit a day
- 5 serves of colourful vegetables
- Lentils, chick peas or beans
- Reduced fat milk, yoghurt and cheese.
Protein
Most men require 65-80g a day. Good choices include:
- Lean red meat
- Fish at least twice a week
- Lean chicken (without the skin)
- Eggs
Fats
Approximately 70g a da. Good choices include:
- Olive oil / canola oil
- Oily fish (e.g. tuna)
- Polyunsaturated margarines/spreads
- Raw nuts (No more than a handful in a day)
Food is fuel for the body
- Eat regularly: Simple healthy snacks
in between meals can stop you from
panicking and eating that packet of
biscuits. - Hydrate your body: 6-8 glasses of
water a day. - Alcohol is not a food group. If you
like it, then appreciate each sip and
limit your intake.
Quality not quantity
‘If you find honey, eat just enough— too much of it, and you will vomit.’
Proverbs 25:16
Portion control is an important part of putting together a healthy meal. A ‘healthy plate’ consists of lean protein, the size and thickness of the palm of your hand. One ‘fist size’ portion of pasta / potato / rice or noodles and two cupped hands of veggies or salad.
Food for thought
Many of us have a love / hate relationship with food. We love it going into our mouths but we hate it when we see it has attached itself to our hips! Resist the urge to look for fads and start to eat smarter.
The Dieticians Association of Australia put out this list for ‘healthy weight’ eating.
- Eat Breakfast
- Include vegetables or salad with lunch and dinner
- Choose fruit as a snack
- Replace full fat foods with reduced fat alternatives
- Choose wholegrain foods instead of more refined foods
- Eat smaller serving sizes by using smaller plates
- Eat slowly and stop when you are satisfied, not stuffed full.
- Eat only when you genuinely feel hungry.
- Swap sweetened beverages (cordial, soft drink and juice) for water.
- Eat your evening meal at a dinner table, with the TV turned off.
- Intelligent eating is about smart choices not starvation.
- It is about savouring flavours not salt saturation.
- It is about sharing food with friends and family.
‘Good company always makes the food taste better.’
Cheryle Davies
Clergy Healthcare
