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Health authorities are looking at ways to signpost foods in supermarkets so that we can make healthier food choices. There are, however, some standard rules of thumb we can all keep in mind as we sashay down those brimful food aisles. Family Health Diary reports...

PLANTS PACK A PUNCH
Plants are super foods which come in their own unique and colourful wrappings and are stuffed full of nutrients called phytochemicals. Colour is a good indicator of the goodness inside.
  • Red, for example, tells us that there are lots of antioxidants such as lycopene and anthocyanins, which help protect our cells from damage and can protect against cancer.
  • Vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant which helps boost the immune system and is found mainly in red fruits like cranberries and strawberries as well as oranges and kiwi fruit.
  • Carotenes are yellow pigments found in carrots and kumura and in leafy green vegetables like spinach. They are converted to vitamin A, which is important for a healthy retina and can protect against age-related macular degeneration.
  • Flavonoids, which help keep arteries healthy and protect your heart, are found in cocoa beans, which is good news for chocolate lovers. However, only dark chocolate with over 70% cocoa has health benefits, not the creamy variety which is very high in fat.


GO NUTS
Nuts may be high in kilojoules but they are full of important nutrients, including minerals like zinc, which is essential for keeping your digestive and immune systems in good working order, and selenium, which helps protect against cancer and cardiovascular disease. In fact a recent study carried out at Otago University’s Department of Human Nutrition has found that if you eat just two Brazil nuts a day you will have all the selenium you need, but no more as selenium can be toxic if you have too much. Although nuts are high in fat, it is unsaturated fat and, if eaten regularly in place of too much saturated fat, can help protect against heart disease and possibly counteract obesity by suppressing appetite and fat absorption.
 
OTHER FOOD TIPS FOR HEALTH
  • Use fruit puree to add sweetness, as sugar in fruits has a lower GI than refined sugar.
  • Switch from white or wholemeal bread (both refined) to whole grain bread, to boost your dietary fibre which helps mop up cholesterol.
  • Add fibre-containing foods to your diet, like oats and apples, which take longer to digest.
  • Make sure you feel satisfied after a meal. Instead of starving and then eating a big meal or reaching for a sugar fix, eat small regular meals every few hours. 
  • Fill your plate with veggies and still have your potatoes, rice, meat or pasta but not so much of it; then you’ll have fibre to fill you up and vitamins and minerals to keep you healthy. 
  • Coldwater fatty fish such as salmon, trout, herring, tuna, sardines and mackerel are the best source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for your heart and your brain; next in line for the healthy fat award are nuts (especially walnuts), seeds and vegetable oils. But remember all fats are high in kilojoules so don’t overdo it.
  • Watch out for hidden salt; too much salt can raise your blood pressure which is bad for your heart.

 DID YOU KNOW THAT...
  • In our early hunter-gatherer days, storing excess dietary fat when food was plentiful was a survival mechanism so that we could use it for energy and survive when food was in short supply. Nowadays this can lead to obesity instead of protecting against famine. 
  • Low Glycaemic Index (GI) foods help maintain stable blood sugar and insulin levels, avoiding the roller-coaster highs followed by the lows you get after eating refined and high sugar foods (high GI). This helps reduce the risk of diabetes and keeps you feeling fuller for longer. *GI is a measure of how quickly a food increases blood sugar.
  • When whole grains are refined, 66% of fibre (husk) and over 90% of nutrients like folate (packed into the germ layer) are removed leaving only starch, which has a high GI compared to the low GI of whole grains.

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