The Foundations of a Healthy Diet
What does a ‘healthy’ diet even look like?
When referring to the ‘diet’ I am talking about the foods that make up our meals, I am not talking about the ‘diet’ in a fad sense, defined by restrictions and sometimes guilt – im talking about the ‘healthy’ diet.
What we put into our body greatly influences it’s every structure and function. The nutrients we digest and absorb from our food literally forms who we are, from muscle tissue to mood. With so much conflicting, confusing information out there, it is important to be aware of basic nutrition. It is much more productive to focus on what makes the majority of the diet, rather than zoning in on micro-choices – is honey or maple syrup better? Coconut oil or Olive?
So, basics first:
There are a few things out there called macronutrients. These include things that are familiar to most of us including carbohydrates, protein and fats. To keep things simple, we will consider these first when building the foundations of our healthy diet.
Protein
A quick word on protein. It’s a necessity for our bodies. We each vary in our individual requirements for protein, but a safe bet is to aim for 1g of protein for each for each kilogram of body weight. A little more if you are pregnant or training hard. Dietary proteins provide a great source of energy as well as amino acids; these are the building blocks of life. Animal sources of protein are considered a ‘complete’ source due to the number of amino acids, high digestibility and greater bioavailability (1). Complete proteins can also be built by including a couple sources of plant protein in the one meal. It’s a good idea to include some protein with each meal, whether from fish, nuts, poultry, red meat, seeds, beans and legumes (2).
Amino acids have many roles in the body including acting as enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters and antibodies. Protein also aids in growth and repair so without adequate protein intake, our bodies can’t function properly.
Carbohydrates
Hopefully by the end of this post, any concerns you had about carbohydrates will be out the window. I say this because they are pretty much unavoidable, so it’s time to make them our allies.
Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy before protein and fat. Being highly abundant in fruit and vegetables, carb containing foods are vital for a healthy diet. Adults should consume 45–65% of their total calories from carbohydrates, except for younger children who need a somewhat higher proportion of fat in their diets (3).
Go crazy on your fruit and veg – have them make up half of your plate and boost the quality of your bread and pasta by trying red lentil pasta, sourdough and good brown seedy breads. Carb-rich foods are often high in fibre, important for healthy bowel function and feeding your microbiome that help run our immune system.
Fats
Ah, fats. The things we humans demonised before we turned on sugar. Most of us now know that saturated fat (think fried foods, fatty cuts of meat, chocolate) should be consumed in small amounts, trans- fats (processed vegetable oils, margarine) avoided wherever possible, and those essential omega-3 fatty acids included daily. We need adequate fat from our diet for a healthy brain, satiated tummy, happy glowing skin, sex hormone production, to prevent inflammation and balance mood.
So, what are some easy sources of fats?
Avocado
Raw nuts (cashew, walnut, almond, brazil nut to name a few)
Raw seeds (sunflower seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds)
Oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies)
Olive oil/ coconut oil
Therefore, when it comes to our skin – having all the food groups all in balance is key to clear skin. This what stabilises our blood sugar levels which is crucial to healing acne. Including protein, fats and complex carbohydrates in every meal you cannot go wrong it’s the first step in ensuring a balanced healthy diet with all the nutritious goodness.
You now know to incorporate protein, carbohydrates and fats with every meal. Now to introduce our smaller friends, the micronutrients – the vitamins and minerals that our body need. It’s all about diversity by including a variety of colours into our meals as different colours represent different antioxidants. Including 5/6 portions of veg and 2/3 portions of fruit is just about right. Some ideas:
Red – onion, raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon, radish, capsicum, chilli
Orange – sweet potato, carrot, pumpkin, oranges, papaya, mandarins
Yellow – squash, banana, lemon, yellow capsicum, grapefruit, pineapple,
Green – eat as many as possible – spinach, kale, apples, zucchini, cucumber, broccoli, asparagus, beans, peas, pears, celery, kiwi fruit
Purple – cabbage, beetroot, blackberries, grapes, eggplant
White – onion, garlic, leek, parsnip, cauliflower
As you can see, a healthy diet is dependent on including a wide variety of foods rather than cutting foods out. The healthy foods mentioned here will end up replacing fewer desirable foods such as sugary processed foods and drinks, packaged snacks and meals heavy in wheat and dairy.
I’d love to help you achieve the skin that you have been waiting for using my healing skin from within approach and I can help you by making a customised plan that will suit you as an individual to work towards your goal for clear skin. Please make a booking if you are ready to work together on your skin healing journey.
References
1) Lonnie, M., Hooker, E., Brunstrom, J., Corfe, B., Green, M., Watson, A., Williams, E., Stevenson, E., Penson, S. and Johnstone, A., 2018. Protein for Life: Review of Optimal Protein Intake, Sustainable Dietary Sources and the Effect on Appetite in Ageing Adults. Nutrients, 10(3), p.360.
2) Cena, H. and Calder, P., 2020. Defining a Healthy Diet: Evidence for the Role of Contemporary Dietary Patterns in Health and Disease. Nutrients, 12(2), p.334.
3) Slavin, J. and Carlson, J., 2014. Carbohydrates. Advances in Nutrition, 5(6), pp.760-761.