What is it?
Healthy food is fuel for your body. Choosing to eat nutritiously will give you the stamina, vitality, weight management, and well being that you need to enjoy your life and all the things you do. Most important, there is a vast body of compelling scientific evidence that shows eating nutritious foods – vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, lean protein, fiber, soy – will reduce your risk for disease.
For women over forty, the margins for what you can eat and get away with start to narrow. Most women begin to crave what they don’t need. Too many bad carbs and sugar will get stored as fat. You must consider how you want to feel and make the connection with the foods you are eating.
What to do?
Start small. Make small changes to your nutrition and you will start to see results in the way you feel. Find out what works best for you.
Here are some basics:
- Reduce sugar, white flour products, saturated fats, deep fried foods, partially hydrogenated oils
- Eat organic foods as much as possible
- Eat the rainbow. Choose brightly colored foods like all the yellow/orange/green vegetables and fruits. Try and get 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day
- Fish can be a great source of Omega-3s. Choose wild salmon, halibut, trout, or others
- Eat raw nuts and seeds like almonds, walnuts, filberts, cashews, and seeds of sunflower, sesame, pumpkin and flax
- Choose lean poultry and meats – when you do, prefer free range or organic poultry, and meat raised on grass vs grains. These grass fed animals are lower in total fat and higher in good fats (omega 3 oils)
- Drink plenty of pure water – sodas, juice beverages, or coffee are not substitutes.
- Eat your beans: pinto, red, kidney, black and lentils
- Eat grains in their complex carbohydrate form vs. their simple carbohydrate form. Examples: brown rice (vs. white rice) and whole wheat bread (vs white bread)
- Fiber is important. Wheat or oat bran, fruits (like apples) and vegetables all contain fiber
- Alcohol: Be mindful. Drink less than seven glasses wine or beer per week.