Transcript Healthy Eating - Westminster Kingsway College

Healthy Eating
Food is not simply about sustenance,
but also determines your strength,
size, short and long term health - in
effect your length and quality of life.
The medical experts….
• Leading experts believe that the role of diet in health is
enormous.
• We know that heart disease, high blood pressure,
diabetes, etc. are linked, at least in part, to what we eat.
• Many other major and minor ailments can be linked to
poor nutrition
• Half of UK adults are overweight
• 80% of adults with diabetes have a type
triggered by weight-gain
• Experts estimate between one and three quarters of all
cancer is diet related.
• Food is not only a vital fuel, but also a medicine and we
are recognising the need to check the quality of this fuel
“Let food be thy medicine….” -Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.)
• The last decade has seen huge increases
in the idea of food as medicine.
• 4000 years ago - garlic used as medicine
• 500 years ago - fresh fruit and vegetables
cure scurvy
• 150 years ago - salicylic acid first isolated
from willow bark (natural forerunner to
today’s aspirin)
• Yet we have become dependant in the
West for chemical drugs to effect cures.
• He who takes medicine and neglects to
diet wastes the skill of his doctors.
~Chinese Proverb
Food for your time of life
• Age 20-35 - health and fitness taken for granted
• bone building until optimum bone mass reached at 35yrs
– calcium and magnesium essential
• People plan families - important for both men and women
• Zinc, Selenium & Vitamins E and C help fertility.
• Age 35-45 - metabolic rate slows and weight gain occurs
• Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables for antioxidants and
protective phytochemicals
• Healthy diet boosts brain power, mood and memory
Food futures….
• Genetically modified foods - crop and animal breeders
have been trying to obtain optimum yields for thousands
of years
• All living things have a “blueprint” giving characteristics
• Scientists can remove genetic material from one organism
and insert it in another to bypass natural evolution.
• Up to 60% of processed food may contain GM soya
• Advantages - food stays fresher for longer and can have
healthier profile. Increased yields and less waste - price
control
• Disadvantages - Ethical? Tampering with nature? Long
term effects? Superweeds?
What is Spirulina ?
• Spirulina is a microscopic blue-green algae that exists as a
single celled organism turning sunlight into life energy.
• Spirulina provides vitamins, many minerals, essential
amino acids, carbohydrates and enzymes. Spirulina is at
least 60% vegetable protein, which is predigested by the
algae, making it a highly digestible food. It is higher in
protein than any other food. Its outstanding nutritional
profile also includes the essential fatty acids, GLA fatty
acid, lipids, the nucleic acids (RNA and DNA), B complex,
vitamin C and E and phytochemicals, such as carotenoids,
chlorophyll (blood purifier), and phycocyanin
(a blue pigment), which is a protein that is
known to inhibit cancer.
Protein, Carbohydrates & Fats
• The main food groups:
– It is important to get a varied range of quality
products from these food groups.
• By making a few small choices in our diet,
we can make a significant difference to the
way we feel and function.
• Try to get all these food groups into your
diet every day.
Protein
After water, protein is the main
constituent of our body – from our
eyelashes to our dna… all is made
from protein and we need good
sources for our body to function.
Best sources of protein:
•Fish
•Meat
•Eggs
•Organic dairy foods
•Nuts & seeds
•Quinoa & other grains
•Pulses & Beans
•Spinach
Carbohydrates
• Carbohydrates are essential as our body uses them for
energy.
• Fibre comes from the carbohydrates that we eat –
without fibre, our bodies can’t clean out properly and
digestive and toxic problems will arise and can lead to
disease.
• An average persons diet consists of too much refined, fast
releasing, low fibre type of carbs, Unless we are burning
off athletic amounts of energy, these types release too
much sugar into our blood and get stored into fat.
• Bad carbs:
– Sugar
– white flour found in snacks, bread,
pasta and pastry
– potatoes
Good carbohydrates
Carbs get broken down into glucose that our body
uses for energy.
The more complex the carbohydrate is, the slower it
is to break down and the more we gain nutritionally.
•Whole grains
– Oats, brown rice, wholewheat,
buckwheat, rye, spelt, barley
•Vegetables
•Fruits
•Beans
All of these sources contain a wide range of
vitamins, minerals and fibre (compared to bad
carbohydrates that contain virtually none).
Fats
Fat has many important functions in our body, the
main ones as follows:
•Energy storage
•Transportation of nutrients
around the body
•Constituent of cell membranes
Not all fats are bad. In fact, the good fats are
essential to life and should be included in the diet
regularly. Eating a low fat diet could mean missing
out on a vital nutrient for our health.
Good fats v Bad fats
Good for:
Bad for:
Lowering cholesterol, brain
function, joint care, healthy
skin, healthy heart and many
more…!
Raising cholesterol, weight
gain, cardiovascular disease,
toxicity, inhibiting the good
fats!
Unsaturated fats:
• Oils (olive oil, sunflower oil
etc…)
• Nuts and seeds
• Oily fish (salmon, mackerel,
sardines)
• Olives
• Avocados
• Fish oil
Saturated and trans fats:
•Fried foods
•Heated oils (olive oil or
butter is the healthiest choice
for cooking)
•Animal fat
•Cheese,
butter &
cream
Water!
• Our bodies are made up of 55-70% of water. It does not
replenish itself therefore we must ensure we replace the
water we lose on a daily basis.
• Hydration is key to our body functioning correctly by:
– Nourishing our cells
– Regulating metabolism
– Replenishing body fluids, eg saliva,
joint lubrication etc
– Body temperature regulation
– Digestive function by nourishing our
digestive tract and ensuring
elimination of waste.
• Aim to drink 8 glasses per day