In the quest for better health or when dealing with an illness, there is usually a medicine to manage or cure what ails us. Pills are easy, but a healthy diet is the better long-term solution to prevent illness in the first place. The challenge is developing and keeping healthy eating habits that are a lifelong commitment. You up your chances to live longer, prevent heart disease, cancer, and diabetes as well as prevent many conditions that accompany these diseases. Good food is good medicine.
Think of health as a continuum of healthy behaviors over our lifetime. A healthy diet during childhood sets the stage for a healthy adulthood. Good health is about embracing good eating habits in partnership with physical activity, sleep, stress management, and not smoking. These habits gift us with a better quality of life as we age.
Six Power Foods
Berries: Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and all berries are the most colorful of all the fruits. Their rich color comes from anthocyanins, a powerful antioxidant that prevents cell damage and reduces risk for age-related diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. “Antioxidant” is a term for a compound that neutralizes unstable molecules called free radicals that damage DNA and parts of cells. Free radicals are naturally generated as a part of body chemistry but can increase with exposure to environmental toxins, smoking, and ultraviolet light or a poor diet. Too many free radicals can cause inflammation that contributes to disease. By following a plant-based diet we temper the effect of damage by free radicals. Have a 1/2 cup or more of berries every day.
Whole Grains and Beans: Think of whole grains as whole wheat, oatmeal, brown rice, farro, buckwheat, barley, and quiona. Whole grains are a great source of fiber provided their nutrient rich outer husk. These fibers contain free radical quenching compounds called phenolics and lignans.
Dried beans and peas are rich in soluble fiber plus protein. For people with diabetes, these soluble fibers can reduce insulin resistance and improve blood glucose levels. They are an excellent source of B vitamins like folate. The soluble fiber from beans binds up cholesterol rich bile-acids for excretion rather than absorption thereby helping reduce cholesterol. Fiber feeds the healthy microbiome in our gut that in turn support a strong immune system. Most people only eat 15 grams of fiber per day. For greater benefit it should be 25-30 grams.
Nuts: Evidence suggests eating nuts can reduce the risk of heart disease by reducing inflammation in our arteries as well as potentially helping reduce the risk of blood clots. Nuts are about 80% mono and poly unsaturated fat, so they are high in calories. They also provide omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, protein and vitamin E. One ounce of nuts, verses a handful, is considered a serving. If you are watching calories, watch the amount.
- Walnuts – 185 calories
- Almonds – 164 calories
- Pecans – 200 calories
- Cashews (dry roasted) – 163 calories
- Peanuts (dry roasted) – 166 calories
Cruciferous veggies: Have frequent servings of broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and kale of these crunchy vegetables so named because of their cross-shaped petal formation when the plants flower. They contain sulphorafane, a phytochemical with antioxidant properties that may help prevent cancer. Some research indicates sulphorafane may have antiaging properties as well. These vegetables are also rich in vitamins A, C and K and fiber and low in calories.
Healthy Oils: The healthiest oils (also called fats) are monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. By the nature of their chemistry, they help lower bad cholesterol which can lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. An extra bonus is vitamin E, an antioxidant vitamin mostly found in monounsaturated fats, as well as omega- 3 and omega-6 fatty acids found in polyunsaturated fats. Cholesterol contributing fats are the saturated fats found in meats and high fat dairy products and trans fats found in baked, processed foods.
Beware, all fats/oils contain 9 calories per gram or 120 calories per tablespoon. If you are following a low-fat diet, choose lean meats and fat free dairy products to limit saturated fat and calories.
- Monounsaturated Oils: Olive, canola, peanut, safflower, avocado, sesame
- Polyunsaturated Oils: Soybean, corn, sunflower, flaxseed
No matter your age, choose to eat for good health. Food is medicine.
Tips to Help Our Kids Eat Healthy Foods
- Kids model their parents from an early age. If mom and dad eat a healthy diet, children will learn from example.
- Kids are naturally interested in cooking. They can learn to prepare simple foods and are more invested in trying new foods if they help pick it out in the grocery store and then learn to prepare it.
- Help them grow a simple vegetable garden. There is nothing more exciting than watching a seed grow and “owning” and eating the vegetable it grows.
- Teach them to try new food. If they don’t like it at first, they shouldn’t be forced to eat it. Everyone grows up with a little group of foods they don’t like, but along the way learn to like a lot of things wouldn’t eat as kids.
Written by: Mimi Cunningham, Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist, Diabetes Educator
Mimi Cunningham is a dietitian-nutritionist living in Eagle, Idaho. Her nutrition specialty is diabetes education and management. She loves writing about embracing healthy eating as fun plus a route to good health. She serves as a member of the Idaho Foodbank board of directors addressing food insecurity as a challenge to good health for Idaho children and adults.
On behalf of Smart Strategies for Successful Living, our sincerest appreciation goes to Mimi Cunningham for her contribution to our community website and commitment to healthy living and aging.