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Top Tips for Eating Well!
Top Tips for Eating Well - By Dr. Catherine Laraman
Eat more fruit and vegetables — aim for at least five portions a day to provide you with vitamins and fibre as well as to help you balance your overall diet. A portion is, for example, a piece of fruit or a serving of a vegetable. Try to base you meals around fruit and veg, e.g. filling at least half your plate, as this will ensure you are nicely full and help stop snacking in between meals.
Eat regular meals based on starchy carbohydrate foods such as bread, pasta, chapatis, potatoes, rice and cereals. This will help you to control your blood glucose levels and will help you to avoid that after-lunch energy dip. Whenever possible, choose wholegrain varieties that are high in fibre, like wholemeal bread, pasta and cereals which also help to maintain the health of your digestive system.
Try and cut down on the fat you eat, particularly saturated (animal) fats, as this type of fat is linked to heart disease. If you really have to use a small amount of oil in cooking then choose monounsaturated fats, eg olive oil and rapeseed oil. Eating less fat and fatty foods will also help you to lose weight. Cut out butter and eat less cheese and fatty meats. Choose low fat dairy foods like skimmed milk and low fat yogurt. Grill, steam, non-stick fry or oven bake instead of frying or cooking with oil or other fats.
Cut down on sugar and sugary foods. Beware of hidden sugars in cereals and so-called ‘healthy’ snack bars. Fruit juice, although good for you in terms of vitamins, is also high in natural sugars and therefore calorific, so limit your intake to one small glass per day if you are trying to lose weight / get lean.
Use less salt, because a high intake of salt can raise your blood pressure. Try flavouring food with herbs and spices instead of salt.
Drink alcohol in moderation only — that’s one unit of alcohol per day during your marathon training. For example, a small glass of wine or half a pint of normal-strength beer is approximately one unit. Alcohol is surprisingly calorific, lessens our will power and tends to make us overeat. It also has little to offer in the way of nutrients. Try making a habit of drinking plenty of water (still or sparkling) with your meals, as many people confuse hunger with thirst. As a runner you should get used to drinking plenty of water each day, to make up for the fluid you will lose through training!
Don't be tempted by ‘slimming’ or ‘diabetic’ foods or drinks. They are expensive, unnecessary and have no added benefit for you if you are eating a healthy diet.
Eat only when you’re hungry. This doesn’t mean that you should regularly skip meals, but it does mean thinking about whether or not you’re truly hungry when you reach for food. Make a food diary to record what you eat, and why you ate it. Do you eat when you’re thirsty / bored / fed up / celebrating.
If boredom is a trigger for reaching for food, make a list of 10 simple activities you can use to fill the time, (e.g. reading a chapter of a book, listening to a piece of relaxing music, taking the dog for a walk around the block or polishing your work shoes!).
Only eat sitting down at the table and eat without distractions. Switch off the TV, and re-discover conversation with your family. Chew your food slowly (What’s the rush??!!) and if you feel like going back for seconds, have another glass of water and wait 15 minutes. It takes a good 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that it’s full. If you wait a while, you may realise that you really don’t need anymore.
Good eating starts with good shopping. It helps to plan your meals in advance, so you make good choices in the right frame of mind. Don’t shop when you’re hungry and stick to your list. Some people find internet grocery shopping is a useful way to avoid impulse purchases, and can get round the problem of children trying to have their own way in the supermarket. It can also help to free up time for another run!
Plan, plan, plan. Know what you’re going to have for lunch, and start making up a lunch box with plenty of fruit / veg / salad, so that it’s ready and waiting after a stressful morning at work, or a morning’s household chores. Buying lunch whilst out can be a tricky business, so why not take your lunch box for a short walk and a change of scene, and have lunch in peaceful surroundings or even the fresh air.
Don’t try to tempt yourself. There’s little point in trying to embark on a change in lifestyle if your kitchen cupboards hide away packets of crisps or biscuits; it’s much easier to eat well if you simply DON’T BUY THEM. Make this new beginning a new beginning for the entire family. Any initial grumbles will soon fade away especially if you encourage the kids / partners to join you in your new pastime of healthy gourmet cooking. If you really believe you don’t have time to cook, then record your daily activities in a diary for a week. It’s surprising how much time you can eek-away watching TV each evening.
