Hello and welcome back!
The whole APC Committee would like to wish you a happy new year 2020 and we are all excited for the upcoming events that we have planned for this year (Keep an eye out on our social media for more information).
For many people a new year often signifies a fresh start, which means setting new health goals or starting to exercise more. Although, New Year’s resolutions can be a great way to challenge yourself and push your boundaries, many people struggle with keeping up with them. Therefore, for this month’s blog post we are talking about the small, easy changes in your diet to create a healthier relationship with food whilst improving your overall health.
Before we discuss some of the healthy foods swaps that you can try out in 2020, it is important to define what we mean by a healthy diet. It is a diet which ‘must provide a sufficient energy and nutrients to maintain normal physiological functions, and permit growth and replacement of body tissues.’ (1) Also, by achieving an optimal nutrition we can prevent various deficiency symptoms and minimises the incidence of a disease. (1)
The nutrient requirements change from one individual to another as they depend on the age, gender and the environmental factors around. Additionally, the requirements change with the physiological state through one’s life cycle (e.g. there are different nutrient requirements for infants compared to older adults). Between the ages 19 and 50 the requirements don’t change too much, except for pregnancy and lactation periods. The table below presents some of the nutrient requirements for adults recommended by the British Nutrition Foundation for an optimal nutrition. (1)
It has been showed that more often, the health resolutions chosen, including different diets can be highly restrictive and unsustainable for the individual, resulting not only in people breaking their resolutions within a few weeks but also putting their body through stress and starvation. (2) Therefore, if you decide to improve your health it might be more beneficial to start with few easy healthy food swaps that can make a huge difference to your diet.
Here are few ideas for the small changes that you can implement in your life for a more balanced and healthier diet:
Get your 5 A Day: It's recommended to consume at least 5 portions of fruit and veg every day. They can be fresh, frozen, canned or dried. If you prefer your fruits or vegetables juiced or in a smoothie, a 150ml glass can also count as 1 portion. However, the amount should be limited to 1 glass a day as these drinks are high in natural sugars and lead to tooth cavities. Additionally, eating a wide range of foods and trying out different fruits or vegetables is a great way to ensure that you are getting a balanced diet and your body is receiving all the nutrients it needs. (3)
Carbohydrates are not your enemy! In the past few years, carbohydrates have received a lot of negativity, even though, starchy carbohydrates should make up over a third of the food you eat to give you the energy that your body requires. Also, swapping the white and refined carbohydrates for wholegrain varieties (e.g. brown rice, wholewheat pasta or potatoes with their skin), which are high in fibre not only helps you to feel full for longer but also aids your digestion. (3)
Keeping an eye on your salt and sugar intake: It is well known that eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure, increasing your likelihood to develop heart disease or have a stroke. Even if you don’t use salt or sugar at home, you may still be consuming too much salt as it is often present in great amounts in the food we buy (e.g. breakfast cereal). Adults should eat no more than 6g of salt (about a teaspoonful) a day, however, this can be easily exceeded. Therefore, learning how to read the nutritional information on the food packaging might be useful to help you cut down. (3)
Reducing your alcohol intake: Although, giving the Dry January challenge a go might be a great way for people to reset their relationship with alcohol, it might be just too unrealistic for some. Therefore, it might be better to start with few drink-free days per week or limiting drinking to the weekend nights only. (4)
Incorporating more plants in your diet: Every year more and more people decide to go vegan for the month of January, whether this is because of the health benefits, ethical or environmental issues or the cultural or religious beliefs. There is still no definite answer whether a plant-based diet is healthier than an omnivorous diet. Although, diet high on processed red meat has been linked to poor health outcomes, a balanced omnivorous diet with moderate amounts of meat and fish can certainly be very healthy. However, the latest research regarding the sustainability of our diets shows that we all must do our part to reduce the amount of meat and fish we consume in order to protect our planet. To become totally vegan requires a huge commitment and lifestyle changes that may not be possible for some people. Hence, incorporating few changes in your diet as having a Meatless Mondays or ordering a salad with your favourite meal might be more achievable and sustainable ways in incorporating more plants in your diet! (5)
(*a reminder that your dietary choices are a personal decision and you should do what works for you)
Keep an eye out for our next blog post and keep following our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts (@altpharmcareers) for regular updates on new and exciting events we’re planning for next year!
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