NüTRESSENCE NEWS

Spice Up Your Life

We often hear the word 'balanced' when there is a discussion about diet and nutrition. One way of viewing dietary balance would be as the correct ratio of protein, carbohydrate, fibre, fat, vitamins, minerals and water. I've found that listing the optimum ratios of these items is of no more practical value to the average person than memorising the recommended daily allowances for the essential vitamins and minerals. Discussing the nutritional value of the food on the menu at your favourite restaurant or the table at home would be rare indeed. Taste, texture, presentation and calories seem far more important to most of us than nutritional density or concerns about good health and diet. This needs to change.

If we view 'balance' in a slightly different way, perhaps it will strike a chord and help you eat a healthier diet. Your body has the amazing ability to selectively pick and choose what it needs to develop and maintain a healthy state for a lifetime. View it as a form of self-balance or selective uptake, but all the raw materials must be there. Studies with infants have shown that when fed free choice a wide variety of whole foods, they will almost always select a balanced diet and maintain proper body weight. The key is the variety of whole foods and the fact that processed foods like candy, cookies, pastries, sugary drinks etc. are not on the list. When they are added, the entire picture changes and balance is lost.

Is there a message here? Can it be true that your body can select a more balanced diet from what you eat provided you avoid a few things and increase the variety? Yes, and this should be something you can get your teeth into! If variety is the spice of life, and variety offers you a better chance for a healthier diet, it's a win, win situation. Broaden the scope of foods and beverages in your diet and that doesn't mean two desserts or two kinds of wine with dinner. Try adding rice and beans to your normal potato diet. Add a small mixed salad or a side order of steamed vegetables to lunch and dinner, then fruit for dessert. Add fruits, berries or nuts to your breakfast, (not the same as fruit and nut cereals and snack bars that contain 15 to 40% sugars.) As for beverages, try a lassi instead of a beer or a pot of fresh green tea rather than a cola. Bottled water is in, so take advantage of it. Tiny Changes; big rewards.

Peanut Butter and Pecan Pie - Sin or Saint? 

Feeling the need to justify the cup of toasted pumpkin seeds I have just consumed, I found this little goody. There is no need to feel guilty about eating a wide range of unsalted nuts and seeds. As an example, peanuts and pecans have a high fat content, 14 and 18 grams per ounce respectively, but there is more to it than that. As well as containing high levels of Vitamin E and folates, they are high in plant sterols. These are fat-like substances cause the body to absorb less cholesterol, which can reduce the risk of heart disease. Hydrogenated peanut butter with added sugar and salt is excluded from this discussion.

Bulk Up 

Fibre makes you feel full and is good for your intestinal health thereby lowering bowel cancer risk. Some tips to increase your fibre intake up to the 30+ grams a day needed include:

* Switch to whole wheat pasta, a cup contains 6 grams.
* Eat a pear, contains 4 grams.
* Dried fruit, a quarter cup contains 11 grams.
* A spinach salad with half a cup of beans contains 10 grams.
* Eat a banana, 3 grams of fibre and potassium too!

Aim For High Antioxidant Levels 

Free radicals are harmful elements produced by the body as it generates energy and are also produced by stress, bright
sunlight, background radiation and pollutants. Antioxidants fight free radicals and are available in fresh fruits, vegetables and
nuts. You have to eat lots of these every day to supply your needs and it is now generally recommended to supplement as
well.

Dr. Katherine Davis

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