Our everyday eating habits, which do not seem to affect our health immediately, have a systemic effect on our health, experts emphasize. Improper eating increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity, diabetes and cancer. What rules should be followed at the table to avoid dangerous diseases and maintain health for many years?
- THE MENU CHANGES WITH THE PERSON.
At the level of intuition and common sense is clear – the food should be commensurate with how much energy a person spends: you can not eat much when working sedentary and, conversely, starve at high loads. If we focus on numbers, then an average person needs 2000 kilocalories per day.
For example, in a period of rapid growth of 15-16-year-old boy teenager can eat a lot of food: it is easily digested and does not leave any unpleasant consequences in the form of fat deposits. But already at 18-20 years nutrition should become more moderate. Otherwise by the age of 25 a man may have visceral (internal) fat deposits in the abdomen, omentum, mesentery, in the liver, in other words a small tummy, and by 35-40 abdominal obesity (excess fat in the upper trunk and abdomen) will appear, and the risk of cardiovascular disease will increase. Between the ages of 30-60, our men, on average, consume 3,500-4,000 kc. To balance their diet, they can safely cut their food intake in half.
The secret of the pyramid
The “secret of the pyramid” will help adults to stick to the right diet. Daily food intake should follow a simple pattern: the basis of the “food pyramid” is vegetables and fruits (for example, one day is enough for one portion of vegetable salad and at least two large fruits, the simplest version – two apples). In second place are cereals (morning cereals, cereal bread). Next are legumes (peas and beans contain a lot of vegetable protein, i.e. essential amino acids). As for fish and meat, nutritionists recommend choosing fish from cold seas and eating it at least twice a week; meat is enough to eat 1-2 times a week. In this case, focus on turkey, rabbit, chicken meat without skin (it contains a lot of fatty acids, fats and cholesterol), lean varieties of beef.
- SET AN ALARM FOR LUNCH.
A person should have three meals and two snacks daily, say
experts. And, meals do not mean desserts and snacks, but a full breakfast, lunch and dinner (porridges, soups, meat, chicken, vegetables, fruits). Dinner You should eat at least two hours before going to bed. The main products for snacks are fruit and vegetables, and for sweets – dried fruit, candied fruit, and fruit potato chips. - HANG A LOCK ON THE SWEET LIFE.
The daily menu should contain as little sugar and sweets as possible.
According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), the daily intake of sugar for a healthy person should not exceed 50 grams (about 10 teaspoons). In the presence or predisposition to chronic diseases – such as obesity, hypertension, carbohydrate metabolism disorders, this amount is reduced to 30 grams, and with kidney disease and diabetes – 15-20 grams.
Today, sugar is used mainly as a flavor enhancer, the “sugar
boom” began in the mid-20th century, and it was with the excessive consumption of sugar and sugar-containing products, scientists attribute the surge in the developed world obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
A diet rich in sugar negatively changes metabolism, provokes the accelerated formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Also excessive consumption of sugar contributes to the accumulation of extra intracellular fluid in tissues, edema.
The situation is aggravated by the fact that we not only add sugar to our own dishes and drinks, but also use so-called “extra sugar” as part of purchased products. Even mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup contain sugar. Not to mention sugary drinks, juices, syrups, sodas, and milk chocolate, and pastries and confectionery. This extra sugar has essentially no nutritional value, only increasing the energy value of the dish.
- REMOVE THE SALT SHAKER FROM THE TABLE
It is important to consume less salt in its pure form and minimize excessively salty foods (hard cheeses, sausages, pickles, herring, smoked meats, canned foods, mayonnaise, ketchup, soy sauce), experts advise. As with sugar, the WHO limits the daily norm of salt for a healthy person – no more than 7 grams per day (one tablespoon). At risk or in the presence of chronic diseases – 4 – 5 g.
Salt restriction is one of the main factors in preventing arterial hypertension, and low-salt diets have excellent antihypertensive effects!
Salt retains fluid, so if you consume too much salt
The excessive intake of salt causes the accumulation of fluid in the organism. This causes an increase in diastolic
diastolic (“lower”) blood pressure at a young age. Also a person becomes insensitive to many drugs – there is so-called resistance. In addition, there is a “looseness” and lethargy.
Swelling of the face, especially the eyelids, and in the evenings – the legs.
According to epidemiological studies of the service
statistics from 2012, about 60% of the adult population exceeds
The permissible norms of salt is almost 2 times – they consume 11 grams of salt a day. And these statistics – without taking into account the extra salt, which is one of the main mechanisms of excessive salt consumption
To control salt intake, experts recommend not
not to add extra salt after cooking a dish at the table.
Use more spices – different mixes of herbs and sea salt, pepper, sea salt, rock salt, iodized salt (5-6 grams of iodized salt a day is a good prophylaxis for iodine deficiency). Treat pickles, smoked meats, canned foods, hard cheeses as snacks – eat 1 to 2 pieces.
- GIVE UP FATTY FOODS.
The fifth rule is less fat. It is desirable to reduce or waive fatty meat products (chicken, turkey, rabbit and lean types of beef are allowed), fat dairy products (yoghurts no more than 5%, sour cream no more than 10%), products with high content of trans-isomer fatty acids (almost all confectionery products: cakes, candies, wafers, potato chips and everything that crispy).
Today we expend far less energy than our ancestors did to eat
enormous amounts of fatty foods. In order to eat 20% sour cream and whole dairy products, you have to live in the early 20th century – walk, don’t use the elevator, work off the land and do physical labor!
Food habits are developed from childhood. But changing your approach to
the choice of food, to balance your diet at any age. And at the same time It’s not necessary to wait for illnesses – start now!
