Healthy Eating and satisfaction Part 1

  If you are expecting a blog about portion sizes and what foods to avoid this piece might disappoint. However I believe that food plays a very important role in our lives most of which is little to do with so called healthy and unhealthy foods.  Food is used in our lives to bring people together families and friends for social occasions, it is there at most celebrations in life from birth right through to death and everything in between. It also acts as a source of comfort think of how a bowl of soup or a hot chocolate on a cold miserable looking day tastes and makes us feel.  It can be a way to show people you care and a way of showing love think of the saying, a way to  man’s heart  is through his  stomach.  And we can’t forget the cup of tea that fixes everything.  Yes if food is the only thing you turn to when life is hard then  that is not so good or if the only thing your man loves you for are your cooking skills I would look for someone else, never the less food is essential for our health and happiness.

 Nutrition does play a part in our health but I believe in today’s world   of social media and so many people calling themselves health bloggers with little in the way of any nutrition qualifications it can become very divisive. Many so called health bloggers and foodies are promoting their particular 'strict, healthy diet' which if you follow    promises you will achieve their look, usually extreme thinness disguised as health.  Often these diets leave out whole food groups and promote a diet that is not nutritionally sound and can lead to even more body dissatisfaction. This can leave people thinking if they eat something that is deemed not healthy then they are to blame for all the ills that fall upon them and they might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb and this attitude also leads to people thinking if it is healthy it mustn’t be as nice as unhealthy food. 

I think a change in thinking about health and food is required and rather than thinking about how few portions of this you are allowed and how many of that we should instead be trying to vary our food as much as we can. If all someone ate was a diet of chips, chocolate and crisps then it would be deemed a poor diet but equally if all someone ate was pears, peaches and pineapple then that wouldn’t be good either so I think when you eat mostly by listening and tuning in to what your body wants then sometimes it might be chocolate but sometime it might be peaches.  The key is variety.

When you start to look at the foods you eat each week do you include a lot of variety or do you stick to the same foods week in week out. Sometimes it’s good to look for little changes to do each week throw a different vegetable into your shopping basket look online for a tasty way to cook some fish. Perhaps you have tried different foods and meals over the years but have got stuck in a rut. Healthy eating is about having meals that bring you pleasure and leave you satisfied and meet your needs in terms of fullness but should also include connections with your family and friends. For the majority of us that is all healthy eating is.  However  a small percentage of people will require further dietary advice because they have a specific health condition that needs help examples of this include coeliac disease, irritable bowel syndrome and diabetes. This dietary advice should always come from a Dietitian as these are the people who are qualified to offer medical dietary advice.  In the UK these will be registered with the HCPC who are there to ensure that the health professional meets their standards and keeps the public safe. if you are  considering seeking advice from someone why not check out the online register.  
But for the rest it’s just about enjoying a wide variety of foods and eating mainly for hunger and fullness and satisfaction. Eating in this way is not about giving up on your health rather its about putting food and health in context which will help you make more choices about food variety and less guilt. If not keen on vegetables’ perhaps look at new ways of cooking them or adding them to casseroles. If you don’t eat fish ask yourself why? And perhaps look at ways to try some. If you’re someone who has tried to cut out whole food groups perhaps it’s time for a rethink.