Eating healthy, being in the best shape physically, and mentally, is something we all desire. There are a few things you can do on your own, before seeking help that can kick start your journey of healthy living.
We have a few insights from a local nutritionist. So, what should be on your plate?
- Protein: we have complete and incomplete proteins. Complete would be animal products like meat, chicken, pork, fish etc. Incomplete proteins include lentils, beans, peas and different pulses.
- Fatty acids: there are foods with healthy fats like nuts, avocado and a variation of seeds like chia and sunflower
- Vitamins and Minerals: we get these from fruits and vegetables and these should be the largest part of our diet.
- Carbohydrates: the key with these is to keep it as whole as possible, far from processed carbs as you can. Fresh maize, sweet potatoes, arrow roots, matoke (cooked bananas) are a good start and the list is endless.
Now, while all food has its benefits, we also have foods that are healthy but only so when eaten in controlled portions, foods like ground nuts, seeds and avocado consist of healthy fats but are only healthy for you when eaten in small portions.
When talking about a healthy waistline and a fit step, that wouldn’t be possible if we did not talk about foods to stay away from.
Here are the top three according to local nutritionist, Dr. Esther Dindi:
Be cautious of sugar – apart from actual sugar, there are also foods that include excess sugar like juice concentrate, cakes and other sweet treats we may eat often.
Margarine – trans-fats are unhealthy and are very high in calories. “If you must spread anything on your bread let it be natural fat like butter.”
Salt should be minimal when cooking.
Before you go off and write your shopping list, here are some fun facts that can help keep you in your best shape:
- Soaking your legumes/pulses and pouring out that water before cooking helps with better absorption of the protein that is in them.
- Eat lean meat: either white or red, be cautious of the amount of fat in your meats
- If you are preparing a meal such as githeri – one part should be maize and two parts beans, seeing as beans also include some carbohydrates.
- Finally, when cooking your vegetables, cook light. Make sure not to overcook your vegetables because it reduces the amount of vitamins you will take in.
You only have one body, treat it well.
Eating healthy, being in the best shape physically, and mentally, is something we all desire. There are a few things you can do on your own, before seeking help that can kick start your journey of healthy living.
We have a few insights from a local nutritionist. So, what should be on your plate?
- Protein: we have complete and incomplete proteins. Complete would be animal products like meat, chicken, pork, fish etc. Incomplete proteins include lentils, beans, peas and different pulses.
- Fatty acids: there are foods with healthy fats like nuts, avocado and a variation of seeds like chia and sunflower
- Vitamins and Minerals: we get these from fruits and vegetables and these should be the largest part of our diet.
- Carbohydrates: the key with these is to keep it as whole as possible, far from processed carbs as you can. Fresh maize, sweet potatoes, arrow roots, matoke (cooked bananas) are a good start and the list is endless.
Now, while all food has its benefits, we also have foods that are healthy but only so when eaten in controlled portions, foods like ground nuts, seeds and avocado consist of healthy fats but are only healthy for you when eaten in small portions.
When talking about a healthy waistline and a fit step, that wouldn’t be possible if we did not talk about foods to stay away from.
Here are the top three according to local nutritionist, Dr. Esther Dindi:
Be cautious of sugar – apart from actual sugar, there are also foods that include excess sugar like juice concentrate, cakes and other sweet treats we may eat often.
Margarine – trans-fats are unhealthy and are very high in calories. “If you must spread anything on your bread let it be natural fat like butter.”
Salt should be minimal when cooking.
Before you go off and write your shopping list, here are some fun facts that can help keep you in your best shape:
- Soaking your legumes/pulses and pouring out that water before cooking helps with better absorption of the protein that is in them.
- Eat lean meat: either white or red, be cautious of the amount of fat in your meats
- If you are preparing a meal such as ‘githeri’ – one part should be maize and two parts beans, seeing as beans also include some carbohydrates.
- Finally, when cooking your vegetables, cook light. Make sure not to overcook your vegetables because it reduces the amount of vitamins you will take in.
You only have one body, treat it well.
