Want to boost your health?

There’s plenty of evidence that supports the link between poor diet and chronic health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The western diet is high in sugar and saturated fats with low levels of fibre and other important micronutrients that are protective.

I recently watched a documentary about the changing food habits in Australia from the 1950’s to 2000. It was interesting to watch how the quality of our food deteriorated the less time we spent in the kitchen, opting instead for convenience. Food became more processed and that often lowered its nutritional value. At the same time levels of obesity increased and with that the development of chronic health conditions.

Most of us don’t have a lot of time to spend preparing meals, and if you’re like me you get busy and find yourself down at the supermarket at 6pm looking for the quickest option for dinner.

So how do you eat a healthy diet and keep your sanity?

Here are a few simple ways that might help:

3 easy ways to boost your diet

1. Be prepared – easy to say I know, but it will pay dividends. Write a weekly meal plan and shop to it. Some things can be pre-cooked like stews, curries and roast vegetables, and ready to have on hand during the week.

2. Shop around the outside of the supermarket – this means sticking to the fresh food areas and avoiding packets and jars. Swap any processed snacks with options that contain more nutrients such as nuts, fruit or hummus.

3. Choose whole food alternatives – brown rice, full fat dairy. They are higher in nutrients and will keep you fuller for longer. Foods that have been refined or modified are more likely to contain higher carbohydrates and while they might give you a burst of energy in the short term, they will not be sustaining. Excess carbohydrate intake is also associated with weight gain as well as insulin resistance and both are risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes.

Finding ways to improve your diet is one of the simplest and most cost effective ways to improve your health and wellbeing, and reduce your risk of chronic disease.

If you would like more information about how improving your diet can boost your health, please contact Larissa Jane Naturopathy for an individualised consultation.