As my years are advancing I have renewed my interest in healthy eating. Since my husband passed I have not been exactly healthy in my eating habits. I made an appointment with a dietician and learned some interesting things. I came away with an important and easy to remember thing
A thought that diet fads do not take into consideration.
It's not what you eat, it's how much of it you eat. She gave me an example of going to a get together with friends and family. If the menu includes three carbohydrates and one protein, choose the protein and only one carbohydrate. Both are needed for energy.
The body converts carbs and protein into energy. Carbs are a fast burning energy and protein is a slow burning energy. So when the carb energy runs out, the protein energy picks up.
Let's say you eat a cereal bar in the morning. Or oatmeal. Without a protein you will be hungry in two hours or less. But if a protein - such as milk or nuts- is added, you're full for four hours.
It's safe to say balance is the key for staving off hunger.
Some foods that contain protein are:
1. Nuts
2. Dairy products (cheese, milk, yogurt, real cream, etc.)
3. Eggs
4. Fish
5. Chicken
6. Turkey
7. Red meats
Pair these up with grains, rice, potatoes, and desserts.
Why is there a rise in disease? Could it be because we no longer drink milk with cookies? (An example) I think I can see a correlation there. Food related illnesses were not a problem when I was growing up. We ate our share of cookies. But we couldn't have the cookies without the milk. Meals were from the four food groups. Those groups were studied in junior high and high school. When I began to cook for my family I served meals with the knowledge I picked up in school. And the meals that were served to me as a growing child.
There was no such thing as a diet or processed foods. (Don't get me started on that subject.) We played and worked hard. We ate simple and balanced meals. And we enjoyed the lovely benefits of 'evil' sugar. Real sugar.
I actually got a girl scout badge by learning the old-fashioned, four basic food groups and planning meals around them. LOL! Guess that ages me, because my now-adult sons had no idea what those four food groups are! They learned the pyramid.
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