- Health, Fitness & Weight Loss
- Sport Specific Performance
- Nutrition
- Adapting Recipes
- Avoiding the Runs while Running
- Breakfast Boycotters Beware!
- Dentist Dollars
- Don't De-Tox, De-Junk!
- Eat Well to Stay Healthy this Winter
- Food Additives
- Get Grainwise
- Healthy Eating - It's a Balancing Act!
- Healthy from the Inside Out
- How Alcohol can Contribute to your Weight
- How Food Choices can Influence your Sleep
- How Iron Deficiency Impairs Performance
- Is Sugar the New Fat?
- Improving your Power to Weight Ratio
- Portion Patrol and Control
- Sports Drinks - Do they Work?
- Supermarket Shopping Survival
- Sustainable Eating Practices
- Ten Top Tips when Out Eating
- Vitamin D - The Sunshine Vitamin
- Will Vitamin Supplements Keep the Bugs at Bay?
- Training with Specific Conditions
- References
Eat Well to Stay Healthy this Winter
Staying Healthy this Winter could be as Simple as Eating Well
Eating well is just one of the things you can do to help boost your immune system this winter. This does not mean depriving yourself of all the things that taste good, but providing your body with the fuel it needs to get the most out of each day.
Kaths Tip: Remember that your body is like a car - if you put the wrong fuel in it, it doesn’t work very well!
It is important to make sure that your diet is nutritionally complete, in that it contains all the essential vitamins and minerals and other nutrients your body needs to get you through the day. That isn’t as hard as it sounds – simply ensure that your diet includes a variety of foods from the four major food groups:
- Fruits and vegetables – remember these can be fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or juiced
- Milk and milk products – so things like milk, yoghurt, cheese, ice-cream, custard
- Lean meats and alternatives – this also includes things like nuts, seeds, and eggs.
- Breads and cereals – e.g. rice, pasta, couscous, breakfast cereals, cracker biscuits.
Kath’s tip: Use fruits and vegetables that are in season as these will have much more flavour and be more cost-effective.
If you don’t like what’s on offer this month or it’s just starting to look a off, try canned (e.g. tinned peaches) or frozen varieties (e.g. corn cobs). These are a great way to keep your fruit and vegetable intake up.
Because life is so busy these days, it’s easy to fall into the trap of skipping meals and eating on the run. These factors are common contributors to why people don’t meet their nutritional requirements. You don't have to spend hours in your kitchen preparing and cooking meals to eat well, you just have to be more organized. If your cupboards are stocked, it is very easy to make a good choice.
Kath’s Tip: Have a designated shopping day and go there with a list!
If you are one of those people that has a tendency to skip meals and eat on the run, don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can get all your nutrients from a pill! Although nutritional supplements will help top you up, they can not substitute a well balanced diet. There are many other vital factors in food that simply cannot be put into a bottle. Check out what’s in season this May to see how you can improve your vitamin and mineral levels the natural way.
Red cabbage & mandarins in-season in May
Red cabbage is rich in vitamin C, fibre and folate and is packed full of anti-oxidants that help prevent diseases such as cancer. It is extremely versatile and tastes great both raw and cooked. The trick with making cabbage taste delicious is how you cook it – don’t over do it! It is best when it is cooked using little water e.g. stir-frying or in the microwave and when it is tender, but still slightly crisp. If you really want to WOW your family or guests with your culinary skills, be sure to add a dash of lemon juice, wine or vinegar so it maintains its red colour.
Just like oranges, mandarins are a great source of vitamin C and are a great snack in any lunch box, but did you know that mandarins are second only to the banana in natural potassium content! The best thing about mandarins is they are easy to pack and even easier to eat.
By Kath Fouhy, BSc, PG DipDiet, NZRD - 14/05/09