Out of the desire to look beautiful and have a healthy body, many of us removed the fats from our diets, including the vegetable ones. These kinds of actions have led to various cases of anorexia and health problems among young people, especially girls that eager to pursue a career in modeling. This current of thinking was quite strong in the 2000s. It influenced our way of being, our judgments, and social trends.
On the other hand, nowadays we have a society with strong tendencies towards obesity. The United States, for example, had over 100,000 deaths from diabetes in 2021. Obesity which leads to diabetes is so common even among children. For this reason, there have been many cases of complications between those infected with Sars-Cov-2 in both children and adults.
Therefore, we ask ourselves: what is wrong with our diet? What has to be changed?
1. Avoid excesses
We often hear on the TV this advice and we try to adapt to it the best we can. Still, the problem arises when each of us has its units of measure. If for me, it is enough to have 50g of meat a day, then for an athlete, for someone who works in farms, or simply for people with certain cultures, this amount may be too little. Therefore, we have different units of measurement depending on the lifestyle we have, the region we grew up and the traditions we follow. However, even in these different situations, we need to know how much is enough. Meaning, we should not consume the same products for too long, but opt for variety.
2. Choose variety
For many of us, probably some unpleasant experiences with new products made us choose products that are known to the detriment of novelty. However, after a while, we get bored of the same tastes and flavors, which is why we try to enjoy our taste buds with prepackaged products (which we know were designed to be tasty), instead of cooking. To exceed the limits in the products choices that we have established for ourselves, I advised you to follow the recipes and culinary advice of a chef you trust. For example Jamie Oliver https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/.
The variety of products helps us get a wide range of nutrients and vitamins needed for the body.
With all this, it should be mentioned that the way our body looks depends a lot on our physical activity, genetic inheritance, but also on our culinary choices. Some of us are more attracted to fats, others to sugars. This aspect is also genetically influenced, as the latest research shows.
Therefore, the shape of our body and culinary predispositions are influenced by genetics. What is under our control, however, is our mental discipline and the psychological balance. Once we teach our mind and body to coexist, it is much easier to keep our bodies in shape. For that, the ground rule we must follow is: to not be categorical in our decisions. Meaning:
- if we have a craving for chocolate, we can taste a piece of chocolate, but we must stop there.
- if we have a craving for other products with a large amount of energy, we can force ourselves first to do some physical activity and only then to eat what we crave for.
- to replace the products with a high quantity of fats and sugar with healthy ones rich in vitamins and nutrients, if we are hungry.
- to avoid eating if we are not hungry. When we eat something tasty, our brain releases dopamine, which gives us a feeling of happiness. If we encourage this behavior we will create food addiction for happiness (especially in the case of sweets).
Omega 3 vs. omega 6
Many people believe that fat-containing products are to blame for gaining extra pounds. For this reason, they avoid also healthy and the necessary fats. Here we refer to the fats that our body cannot produce but certainly needs, namely the omega-3 fatty acids, which are also called n-3. These fats are important for managing heart health. The insufficient consumption of these fats causes arrhythmias and deaths. In the United States, due to arrhythmias caused by insufficient consumption of omega-3 fatty acids and excessive consumption of omega-6 fatty acids, the number of deaths per year exceeds 500,000.
In addition to heart health, omega-3 has an anti-inflammatory effect and reduces the risk of dementia.
With these in mind, for healthy snacks and meals that will help us stay fit, we should avoid consuming omega-6 fatty acids and sugar, and include in our daily diet the omega-3.
Omega 3 rich foods:
Vegetable products:
- Chia seeds
- Brussels sprouts
- Hemp seeds
- Hazelnuts
- Olive oil (instead of rapeseed or sunflower oil)
- Flaxseed
- Knob oil
- Soy beans
Animal products:
- Mackerel
- Salmon
- Cod liver oil
- Herring
- Oysters
- Sardines
- Anchovies
- Caviar
Conclusions:
To be in shape we will have to reconcile the mind with the body; to taste what we want, but also to eat what we know is healthier for us. And last but not least, we have to overcome the fear of the unknown. To give ourselves the freedom to experiment and try new products and avoid pre-packaged snacks in stores.
Sources:
Rachael Link. (2021). The 7 Best Plant Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids. healthline, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-plant-sources-of-omega-3s.
Freydis Hjalmarsdottir. (2019). 12 Foods That Are Very High in Omega-3. healthline, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-omega-3-rich-foods#1.-Mackerel-(4,107-mg-per-serving).
Harvard School. (2022). Omega-3 Fatty Acids: An Essential Contribution. Harvard.edu, https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/fats-and-cholesterol/types-of-fat/omega-3-fats/.
Rachael Link. (2021). What Is Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Why Is It Healthy? healthline, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/extra-virgin-olive-oil.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2021). Atrial Fibrillation. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/atrial_fibrillation.htm.