What exactly should a sound diet provide?

In the 21st century we are being bombarded with health and nutritional advice. The media tells us we are all a nation of fatties and if we follow in Americas footsteps by the year 2015, 75% of our population will be overweight. Thankfully if all this information gets you down or makes you depressed, a pharmaceutical company can help you out with a daily dose of Prozac or Fluoxitine. Call it progress if you wish, but I can’t help thinking how neurotic we’ve become about food.

Thirty years ago we didn’t have access to all the latest studies and press releases. The only diet guru I can remember back then was Richard Simmons. I couldn’t phone for a pizza, or drive through a McDonalds restaurant. Back then my mother had to make her own mayonnaise and bottle her own jam. The supermarket was closed on the weekends and all our vegetables came from the garden. My mother baked on Mondays so home baking was always part of my school lunch, along with the occasional meat pie from the lunch room and a jam doughnut. My parents were not so much concerned about my sugar intake or my balanced nutritional needs, food was just food, and the Edmonds Cookbook was mums nutritional bible. Even with a daily diet of home baking I was never obese or diagnosed with diabetes. I did get a few fillings at the dental clinic, but like all my friends at school I was an active healthy-weight child.

Fast forward to the 21st Century, the computer, cell phone and TV has replaced the need for us to move. Our lives are much more sedentary, we sit at desks, in cars and in front of screens. Our life-styles have changed drastically, on one hand we conserve less energy, meaning our generally inactive lifestyle lowers our bodies need for fuel, and on the other hand we are eating more than our ancestors ever did. The average supermarket stocks over 10,000 products, however the average family needs only 140.

Welcome to the age of too many choices. How does the health conscious consumer deal with the sheer volume of information available these days? It seems like the more we know about food, the more we worry about it. Take a stroll down the health isle at your supermarket and you’ll find dozens of vitamins and supplements for sale, all claiming health benefits. Given all these choices it’s hard for the average person to know what to take. Food is fundamental for all human beings, yet the way we are eating is catastrophic for our health. Food is essential for life. It provides energy and nutrients, the substances our bodies need each day to function and grow. A nutrient is a substance obtained from food and used in the body to promote growth, maintenance and repair.

An optimal diet should be based around three important factors, energy, quality and balance. Let me explain.

1/ Energy

If you are at a healthy weight for you height, then you probably have your energy in balance already. If you are carrying excess fat, the best thing you can do to improve your health is to get to your ideal weight and stay there. Therefore one of the most valuable things you need to know is how many calories or kilojoules you should be consuming daily. If you need to lose ten kilos this year, then you will need to burn off around 80.000 calories or 320,000 kilojoules of body fat over the next twelve months. Your body will not access its storage tank of fat easily, you must give it a reason to use the onboard supply, and the best way to do that is to use portion control, track your calorie consumption and eat quality food.

2/ Quality

Due to the wide availability of processed foods we are becoming under-nourished and over fed. Our bodies are designed to run on whole foods rich in vitamins and minerals. Unfortunately our food does not always provide the level of nutrients we require, for example iodine and selenium are deficient in New Zealand soils. We require good quality protein to keep the body firm and tight, protein repairs and renews cells, helps form anti-bodies and prevents sickness and disease. We require carbohydrates for energy and fibre, good sources are unprocessed, nutrient dense, and low in sugar and fat. Good fats are essential, they insulate us against the cold, and aid in absorption of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. Water is by far the most important nutrient. Thirst is not an accurate indication to know that water is required. Water carries nutrients to cells, it aids digestion and metabolism, decreases bloating and fluid retention, promotes good skin tone, and curbs the appetite

3/ Balance

Balance means making sure you have the right balance of carbohydrate at the best time of day to fuel activity, or that you are getting enough quality protein for the maintenance of cells. You might be consuming too many anti-nutrients such as salt, sugar and alcohol. If you are eating plenty of vegetables and fruit you should be getting enough fibre. Sounds confusing, but it shouldn’t be. Everybody has different needs and experts argue all the time about what the perfect balance should be. The bottom line is that everybody is unique and a perfect diet depends on many factors, including activity levels, previous or past health conditions, age, weight and nutritional deficiencies. Should we use health supplements? Well I swear by them, so I would hate to see them regulated in New Zealand as they are in Australia. Don’t get me wrong, supplements do not replace a healthy diet, they are supplemental to a healthy diet and as with food, one size doesn’t fit all. The right diet should have you feeling alive and full of zest, not hungry tired and confused.

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