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What is a Good Diet?
A well balanced diet consists the the appropriate balance of foods from the three main food groups:
- Proteins
- Carbohydrates
- Healthy Fats
The size of the portions eaten and the balance between carbohydrates, proteins and fats really depend on the physical characteristics of the individual and on the fitness regime that they are following. Here we discuss diet in general to help understand what constitutes a healthy diet and why it does so.
While plants, vegetables and fruits are known to help reduce the incidence of chronic disease, the benefits on health posed by plant-based foods, as well as the percentage of which a diet needs to be plant based in order to have health benefits, is unknown. Nevertheless, plant-based food diets in society and between nutritionist circles are linked to health and longevity, as well as contributing to lowering cholesterol, weight loss, and in some cases, stress reduction.
Although a number of preconceptions of a healthy diet centre around plant based foods, the majority of assumptions about foods which are usually thought of as “bad” foods are usually correct. Apart from the assumption that there are “bad” foods, many people associate dishes such as “Full English cooked breakfast” and bacon sandwiches as foods which, if eaten regularly, can contribute to cholesterol, fat and heart problems. The main problems with these foods is high levels of saturated fat, salt and processed meats – which lead to increased blood pressure, cancer and coronary problems.
Definition of a Healthy Diet
A healthy and balanced diet is usually defined as a diet in which nutrient intake is maintained, and cholesterol, salt, sugar and fat are reduced. The idea of a healthy diet is often used by a government to ensure that people are well “protected” against common illnesses, as well as conditions which stem from poor diet; of which many problems such as headaches, lethargy, reduced libido, heart disease, alcohol poisoning, and obesity may be attributed. In addition to this, a well balanced diet is essential to athletes and martial artists who are pushing their bodies to the limits on a regular basis, as without a good diet, the body will not have the fuel to recover.
The definition of a healthy diet by some is also thought of as a diet which will combat or prevent illness. When eating healthily, the likelihood of succumbing to common minor illnesses, such as the common cold and lesser forms of influenza, is decreased, mainly because consumption of a healthy diet would provide ample nutrients and energy for the body, so as to help stave off such illnesses. Similarly, a healthy diet will aid the body during recovery from illness. The myth of “Starve a cold, feed a fever” is a common misconception, particularly in the United Kingdom. This is a myth in every sense of the word because providing the body with nutrients during illness is actually beneficial – nutrient and energy stores would be replenished, allowing for more energy to be used by the body to combat illness. However, that being said, a recent study claims that short term “starve a fever, feed a cold” might actually be correct depending on the underlying cause of the fever. Eating and fasting causes brief fluctuations in the amount of chemical messengers called cytokines.
The importance at present of a healthy diet is something which is actually receiving many promotions throughout several countries due to obesity epidemics. Governments, particularly in the United Kingdom, through the advice of the Department of Health, introduced a public health white paper to parliament, CM 6374 (download the PDF here), which aimed to deal with the issues presented by particularly imported culture – cigarettes, alcohol and fast food all being produced in their majority in the United States, or by US-based companies.
How Much Should You Eat?
As the BMI (Body Mass Index ) and weight varies from person to person, the general RNI (Recommended Nutrition Intake) set by governmental institutions may be somewhat lacking for some people, despite the fact that the RNI is generally calculated as higher than the average nutrient intake. It is even thought that some people may have needs above that of the RNI, meaning even if a person achieved nutrient intake, they would still not be fulfilling the RNI. The only real way to know the RNI for a person is to implicitly monitor the intake of nutrients and amount of exercise. This is especially true for athletes, you only need to look at Micheal Phelp’s daily diet to for proof of this. He says that he consumes around 12,000 calories a day when training, which is 5-6 times more than the average person needs.
Eating More or Less of Different Nutrients
In terms of nutrients, it is known from several surveys from the MAFF, and from various studies by the NHS, that the foods which people usually eat on average tend to be closer towards fast food, or ready meals, most of which do not provide a balanced meal, and contribute to major nutrient deficiencies.
However, even with help from the media, information of which nutrients come from which foods, and the effect of foods on a diet is a complex subject for many people. For instance, milk, cheese, and other dairy products are known to have a relatively high fat content, and it would be thought that those things with high fat content should be removed from a healthy diet. However, when looking at the food, the more important factor is whether the food has an overall good effect on the diet. For instance, removing such dairy products from a healthy diet may lower fat intake, but will also have implication on the intakes of calcium and riboflavin that such foods possess. However, recent research has shown that processed meats, and not meat in general, lead to colon cancer (Processed Meat Increases Colonic Cancer Risk ) Also, fat is a vital source of energy, and research carried our by Dr. Atkins, published in his book, showed that athletes that loaded up on fats before an event instead of the traditional carb loading, performed just as well. Unfortunately, this research does not seem to have been examined since.
Due to the difficulties of educating people about nutrient intake in the past, governments have opted to move towards instructions for what foods to eat rather than what nutrients to ingest.
Government involvement
Throughout the past 50 years, governments throughout the world have been involved in the pursuit of engaging with their constituencies in attempts to help them eat healthily, and to remove strain on the governmental health services. Several problems, however have overshadowed government schemes and involvements; particularly media coverage of mass-produced, processed, “snack” or “sweet” products directly marketed at children. More recently partnerships are developing between celebrity chefs, such as Jamie Oliver, and other television celebrities, to help to increase awareness of healthy eat in both schools and in general.
Problems with Government Approaches
Particularly within the last few years, there have been attempts by government agencies or institutions to combat the type and method of media coverage that “Junk” foods have received. Most recently, the United Kingdom actually removed the rights for McDonalds to advertise its products, as the majority of the foods which were seen to have low nutrient values were aimed at children under the guise of the “Happy Meal”.
The main problem with such advertisements for foods is that alcohol and fast food are portrayed as offering excitement, escape and instant gratification. Part of the problem is the approach that the government has towards a healthy diet; a recent white paper describing that the portrayal of healthy lifestyles by government can seem to be preaching, boring and too much like hard work for most people to care for! This too is also said about the way in which the gap between the government and children, or the average consumer is too large, in that information on health and healthy practices seems to be coming from an amalgamation of sources; television advertisements, within magazines, television programmes and even general talk – this making the ideal of a healthy diet difficult to express to the average consumer. Again, this is being addressed now with celebrities getting involved in healthy eating campaigns with his Ministry of Food campaign.
The British Heart Foundation
The British Heart Foundation released its own, government-funded advertisements, labelled “Food4Thought” which were targeted at children and adults displaying the gory nature of what fast food is generally constituted of – displaying a “censored” sticker over the actual contents of an average processed burger, hot-dog or slice of pizza.
What Are Empty Calories?
Empty calories, in casual dietary terminology, are calories present in high-energy foods with poor nutritional profiles, typically from processed carbohydrates or fats. An “empty calorie” has the same energy content of any other calorie but lacks accompanying micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, or amino acids as well as fibre such as is found in whole grains. Michael Jacobson, head of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, coined the term in 1972.
Avoiding empty calories is essential for athletes, as every calorie counts towards increasing an athletes competitive advantage. Dieticians recommend in every case that nutrient-dense food such as fruit and vegetables be substituted for empty-calorie food. Bruce Lee always used to preach that empty calories were to be avoided at all costs. Typical foods containing empty calories are cakes, biscuits, white bread and other sugar / refined flour based products.
Tweet Me!Recommended Reading
• Regulation of Trans Fats• Too Much Junk Food in Health Clubs and Sports Centers
• General Diet Information for Good Health
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• What is a Well Balanced Diet?
I think with president Obama talking about preventative medicines that people are really re looking at diets and nutritions as part of that principle.
We may be reaching that point where Americans start to live healthier lives.
Let’s hope so Roger. Good healthy diet is key to good health. Exercise is equally important, as are other factors such as a good work-life balance, being free from stress and worry and generally being active and sociable.