Whilst enjoyment is an important factor when eating, the
primary purpose is to nourish your body with the correct nutrients
for health.
Eating healthily will greatly improve your health and well being,
help you maintain a healthy weight, and significantly reduce your
risk of ill health. Below are some practical tips I’ve pulled
together to help you on your way toward a healthier lifestyle. For
more information and tips on healthy eating buy your copy of
The Creator’s Diet online today.
- STUDY what the Bible has to say about foods suitable for consumption
It’s impossible for us to consistently practice something we have
no knowledge of. The Bible encourages us to study, so we can
rightly differentiate what is good from that which is not (2
Timothy 2:15). Studying requires effort, time and concentration
and many times we can’t be bothered. Christians, in particular,
have a personal responsibility to know what the Bible says
concerning healthy eating.
Once you have attained knowledge of what foods make up a healthy
diet, you should aim to eat a variety of these foods in the right
proportions, as no single food can ever provide us with all the
nutrition our body needs.
- Ensure that the bulk of your diet comes from ‘PLANT-BASED FOODS ‘
By plant-based foods I mean foods like fruits and vegetables,
nuts, seeds, wholemeal bread, rice, pasta, potatoes and other
starchy foods like sweet potatoes, yams, whole oats and cereals.
This advice is Biblical and consistent with the Government’s
current healthy eating recommendations, which encourage us to eat
lots of fruit and vegetables (at least 5 portions) and base our
meals around starchy foods. Such foods are rich in nutrients
essential for health and generally low in fat, salt and sugar.
- GET ACTIVE as part of your lifestyle
Being active is essential for health and well-being. Research
reveals that individuals who are physically active reduce their
risk of developing chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes, coronary
heart disease and stroke by up to 50% and the risk of premature
death by about 20-30%. Even Jesus was physically active as part of
his lifestyle!
Being active and healthy eating go hand in hand, and this doesn’t
necessarily mean going to the gym. In fact, you’re more likely to
stick to an activity if it’s something you enjoy and can easily
incorporate into your lifestyle. Gardening, walking, dance classes
and cycling all count toward the Department of Health’s
recommendation of at least 30 minutes of moderate activity a day
for adults and at least 60 minutes a day for children and young
people.
- KNOW YOUR FOOD – Get with the programme
As part of its programme to improve diet and nutrition, the
Government has called for clearer labelling on food products. You
may (or may not) have seen colour-coded ‘traffic lights’ on the
front of food packaging in your local supermarkets or seen
percentage figures called Guideline Daily Amounts (or GDAs) at the
top of food packets in an attempt to help consumers like yourself
make healthier food choices.
It’s so important to know what’s in the food you’re eating and
whether you are making the healthier choice most of the time.
Knowing whether a food product contains a lot of fat, salt or
sugar can also help you know how the food you choose fits into a
healthy balanced diet and lifestyle.
- REDUCE your consumption of processed foods and drinks,
particularly those high in fat and/or sugar
Our body wasn’t designed to run on large amounts of fat and sugar.
In fact, the current obesity epidemic that we are witnessing is in
part due to a higher consumption of foods and drinks high in fat
and/or sugar. Whilst these foods can form part of a healthy diet,
they are generally lower in those nutrients essential for health.
Eating a diet, which is high in these kinds of foods, could mean
missing out on valuable nutrients for health. We should try and
limit the amount of processed foods we eat in favour of those
which are as close to natural as possible.
- Use a COMBINATION OF COOKING METHODS
Although it’s important to enjoy the taste of food, conserving the
nutrients and reducing the amount of added fat is just as
important. Rather than frying opt for grilling, steaming,
poaching, baking or even stir-frying which are all healthier
alternatives. This way you reduce the amount of fat in the diet
and help conserve the quantity and quality of nutrients needed for
health.
- Monitor your PORTION SIZES
Sometimes it’s not just what we eat, but how much we eat. As a
rule at mealtimes, aim for half a plate full of vegetables,
quarter protein (e.g. your meat, fish, vegetarian alternative),
and quarter starch (e.g. rice, pasta, potatoes, yam or cassava)
choosing healthier snacks like fruit, nuts & seeds, fruit and
vegetable smoothies, lower fat yogurts or wholemeal bread and
soup, bread sticks/crudités and dips if you need to.
Two thirds of our body weight is water. We lose water on a daily
basis through sweat, breath and urination, for example. We need
water for virtually every chemical process in our body, to take
nutrients to where they are needed and remove toxic by-products.
Any water lost from the body needs to be replaced. Our activity
levels and the climate in which we live are just two of the
factors that determine how much fluid we need. In the UK it is
recommended that the average person drink 6-8 glasses of fluid a
day (approximately 1.5 litres) to stop dehydration. Our fluid
intake includes water from food, and drinks, though water is the
best option as it re-hydrates without the extra calories.
- Cultivate a RENEWED MINDSET
You are the only one who can make changes for the better when it
comes to your health. Make being healthy a priority for yourself
and your family. Know that your future depends on it. Start today
- by planning healthy meals and snacks in advance, for example.
Don’t see healthy eating as a chore and don’t beat up on yourself
if you slip occasionally. View it as a way of life, a pleasure or
part of your worship if you are a Christian.
