Making food choices easy...

 

 

Well, the easiest way to answer this question is to simply turn back the clock a little. A few decades or more. To think about how food was produced and supplied before large supermarkets changed our diets out of all recognition – and continue to do so. And the answer becomes very simple. 

 

Food was produced locally and organically – everything was organic, without anyone needing to ask, simply because that’s the way things were done (!) – AND varied with the season. Starchy root vegetables in the Winter, which stored well and gave the extra nutrition needed for colder weather. More watery salads and less robust vegetables in the Summer, which gave added hydration and water soluble Vitamins and Minerals lost in sweat during the warmer Summer months. All the lovely sugar laden fruits in the Summer and early Autumn to help put down reserves – ie, fat (!) – to help see us through the cooler months ahead. 

 

Similarly, the protein available from meat, eggs and fish varied during the year. Different types of fish at different times of year, as it migrated through the area or was at its best. Similarly, meat produced when it was as its most nutritious. Milk and eggs predominantly available during the warmer, summer months. Surpluses of any of these foods preserved for the months ahead. 

 

So, the first easy way to improve your diet is to start thinking about it in terms of the time of year. To eat seasonally, which automatically means you’ll be giving your body what it needs right now AND this food is at its best and locally produced. So, it’ll be fresh, have been minimally refrigerated and low in the dreaded food miles. 

 

However, a word of warning. Even by doing this, it doesn’t automatically mean that the food will be local. Checking labels to make sure that the food is locally produced is a really good habit to get into. We first became aware of this many years ago when we were idly checking labels in our local Co Op and were amazed to find that Runner Beans, which were then in season here in the UK, were being flown in from Kenya. Similarly, broccoli, which is in season now in the UK was being flown in from Peru. 

 

This leads easily on to the next easy way to improve your diet. And that’s to start thinking in terms of the quality of your food rather than going for quantity. While price is often a good indicator of this, simply looking at the appearance of the food will tell you what you need to know. As will what happens when you cook it, not only the taste – and appearance too – but also what comes out of it. The white “scum” and fatty liquid coming out of meat or fish is never a good sign and points to it having been fed a low quality, high fat diet to shorten the time before it reaches the supermarket and your plate. 

 

The response we hear most often to this simple suggestion of making quality, rather than quantity your guide, is cost. However, few people realise that one of the major causes of overeating – and so weight gain – is poor food quality. 

 

Why? 

 

For the simple reason that the amount of food is only one of the factors used by the body to determine whether it’s “full.” The other is the nutrition the food provides. Put simply, it takes larger amounts of lower quality food for us to feel “full” and for the hunger mechanism to be switched “off.” It’s also why you find yourself feeling hungry again very quickly and reaching for something to fill the “hole.” 

 

So, going for better quality food is always going to feel more satisfying to eat and fill you up for longer. And you’ll have seen this in action many times when you go out to eat. Simply compare the portion size and how “satisfying” the food is between a fast food outlet – mentioning no names (!) – and a restaurant serving smaller, better quality and freshly prepared and cooked meals. 

 

Which leads us on again to another easy change to your diet and relates to how we see and eat protein.  

 

It’s fair to say there’s a lot of confusion about protein, both in terms of how much is needed – the more the better (!) – and when. However, it's really quite simple and easily follows on from the quality / quantity discussion above. It’s all about eating smaller amounts of good quality protein, whether animal or plant based from pulses, rather than the ultra processed protein drinks, meals, etc currently filling supermarket shelves. Added to this, including small amounts of protein in every meal, particularly breakfast, which has now become a carbohydrate laden nightmare start to the day. 

 

Put simply, protein provides your body with longer term nutrition and fuel. It’s broken down more slowly, so helps keep you feeling “full” for longer, while providing the energy and resources the body needs on a more sustained basis. If you find yourself feeling hungry and reaching for a biscuit or other carbohydrate laden snack mid morning or afternoon, lack of protein at breakfast or lunch is the most likely reason. 

 

While there are lots of other suggestions we could make, to keep this blog to a manageable length – and stop your brain from going into meltdown (!) – we’re only going to make two other quick suggestions today. 

 

The first is very simple and easy to do. To start taking a good quality Probiotic to help your Digestive System adjust to the change of diet AND to do so on an going basis. 

 

Why? 

 

Well, for the simple reason that the so called “flora and fauna” – we love that expression (!) – found in the Digestive System changes to reflect what we eat. So, if a diet high in carbohydrates and sugar is being eaten, then the digestive balance changes to reflect this, hence Candida being linked to diets high in these foods. Similarly, if little fruit and veg are being eaten, then the bacteria and all those other organisms that feed on them and so break them down, will greatly reduce. It’s one of the reasons why starting to eat much more salad, fruit and veg can lead to Stomach upsets, indigestion, bloating and wind. There simply aren’t the resources to break them down, so start to ferment, with all too predictable results… 

 

Along with taking Probiotics – and this can include Prebiotics to help provide some of the fibre needed to allow these bacteria and other organisms to repopulate the Digestive System – there’s another very simple, yet counter intuitive, way to help ease the process. This is to start by only increasing the amount of cooked vegetables eaten AND to include a small handful of cooked and cooled white rice alongside them for the first week or two. This provides so called “resistant starch” and the additional fibre needed to help restore the digestive balance. Once your Digestive System has got used to this change, then start slowly adding salad and fruit alongside. 

 

The second comes from a post we made last Spring and is another way to simplify your food shop. While we admit it’s slightly tongue in cheek – no pun intended (!) – it’s a gentle reminder of the “foods” best avoided. In other words all the ultra processed and fast foods filling the Supemarket shelves – and every where too (!) – that’s so easy to pick up when you’re hungry and a quick fix is needed. It starts with anything with more than five ingredients UNLESS you recognise what they are, such as basil, tomato, onions, garlic and the like. And, yes, we know it sounds a bit extreme, but long lists of ingredients don’t tick the “more is better” box. You can find the rest of the post here. 

 

We appreciate this rather different approach and perspective can feel rather daunting to start with. So, take it slowly as step at a time. Simply thinking of what you eat from your body’s point of view is a great place to start and makes it so much easier to see what is – or really isn’t (!) – needed. 

 

As always, the choice is yours.