Make healthy eating choices

DR CLAUDETTE MITCHELL

SOMETIMES during a discussion with friends people might remark, “please get to the heart of the matter”; as well as, perhaps others may even indicate that we need the facts or just state the truth. Whatever the case, getting to the heart of the matter is critical, especially in promoting health and wellness for community residents and helping to improve the quality of life.

Presently, many countries adopted a set of goals that will improve the lives of people, protect the planet, and prosperity; the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals emphasised the following:

end poverty in all its forms everywhere;

end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture;

ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages;

ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all;

achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls;

ensure availability and management of clean water and sanitation for all, just to list a few.

Today’s article will focus on ensuring good health, lowering and/or preventing risk for diseases such as heart disease by making some appropriate lifestyle changes.

Diseases

The World Health Organization (2017) stated that non-communicable diseases which include cardiovascular diseases (heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes mellitus are the leading cause of mortality globally, accounting for 70 per cent of all deaths.

Annually, 15 million people aged 30 to 69 years die from these diseases, and more than 80 per cent of these premature deaths occur in low and middle income-countries. Overall, taking a closer look, annually heart disease accounts for the deaths of 17.7 million people, while the mortality distribution for cancers, respiratory diseases, and diabetes mellitus – 8.8 million, 3.9 million, and 1.6 million, respectively.

Whereas, at the local level in TT, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes mellitus are leading causes of death in the nation, contributing to 25.75 per cent, 13.7 per cent, and 13.6 per cent, respectively. From this you might conclude that maintaining health, changing to healthy practices such as choosing nutritious foods, regular participation in physical activity, weight management, and better management of blood pressure, blood sugar (blood glucose), and cholesterol levels, can be beneficial. For, studies show that unhealthy diet (high in fat, sugar and salt), low dietary intakes of fruits, veggies and other fibre rich foods, lack of exercise, overweight/obesity, tobacco use, and harmful use of alcohol may more than likely increase the potential risk for the non-communicable diseases.

Taking steps

Preserving and/or improving your health is the best gift one can give to himself/herself. You can begin by being proactive, such as watching sugar, salt, fatty foods consumed. This does not mean dieting, but rather making wise food choices; therefore, consider doing meal preparation at home which can aid in the control of ingredients and the amount of food you consume, limit the purchase of meals, drink water – select plain or flavoured water instead of sugary drinks.

Eat smart – choose nutrient dense foods from the Caribbean Food Groups to plan well-balanced meals, add colour to your plate – include a wide variety of local fruits and vegetables, peas and beans, and fibre-rich foods such as ground provision, brown rice, starchy fruits (green bananas, plantains, breadfruit, moko), oats, quinoa, and whole wheat and whole wheat products.

Use lean meats, chicken without the skin, fish, low-fat or fat-free milk and yoghurt, egg, cheese, and healthy fats eg peanut butter, avocado, olive oil, canola oil, etc. Avoid processed foods, salty snacks and limit concentrated sweets and pastries. Use fresh seasonings (onion, garlic, chives, green peppers, pimentos, etc.) in meal preparation instead of bouillon cubes and seasoning salt such as onion salt, garlic salt, celery salt.

Note: people who might be on therapeutic diets such as the diabetic diet for example, should consume at least two fruits per day and a variety of non-starchy vegetables (dark green leafy vegetables, cucumbers, cauliflower, melongene, lettuce, watercress, christophine, etc.) and limiting consumption of carrots, pumpkin and beetroot). Also those on with a kidney diet can benefit greatly by scheduling visits with the registered dietitian for nutrition education and assistance with sample meal planning.

For meal preparation, the meal manager may use cooking methods such as boiling, steaming, baking, grilling, roasting, and limit frying. Also, take control of what you add to your plate and the amount; this simply refers not only to the foods you might choose to eat, but the portion size.

In addition, read the food label carefully checking the calories per serving, calories from fat, the quantity of sodium, and added sugars in the product; be sure to check the ingredient list.

Helpful hints

Participate regularly in physical activity (if you have not exercise before, first check with your medical doctor)

Manage your weight

Stress management at home and work

Quit smoking

Aim to be consistent with your new health plan (American Heart Association).

Dr Claudette Mitchell, PhD, RD is an Assistant

Professor, University of the Southern Caribbean, School of Science, Technology and Allied Health