DK - Australian Womens Weekly Healthy Eating: Balanced, Nourishing Everyday Recipes

What we choose to fuel our bodies with affects not only our weight, but also our entire wellbeing. A good diet can be transformative: it can make us feel mentally alert and helps our bodies to function more efficiently. Critically,
it protects us from the onset of chronic disease.

A holistic approach

Taking charge of our eating and cooking from scratch is often a good option for our wallets. Doing so should be viewed in a holistic way think of it as savings banked to our health account that may work to cost us less in healthcare in the future.

A hectic life can mean that time is enemy number one when it comes to our food choices, often derailing us into making less nutritious ones. What we should be eating should be simple right? Ironically, it is the constant barrage of mixed health information that can work in reverse, confusing us and making us lose sight of what normal eating is.

As scientists gain more insight into the unique properties of the foods we eat and how these fuel
our bodies nutritional needs and protect us against disease, nutritional guidelines provided by accredited dietary practitioners and government bodies shift in line with these new findings. What never changes, however, is the requirement to eat as many foods that are as close to nature as possible to nourish your body.

In the modern world where diets seem to be all about weight loss, its easy to forget that we all need to eat really well to optimally nourish our bodies, boost vitality, and give us the best chance of great health now and into the future.

Natures wholefood powerhouse

Rather than turning to supplements (although these have their place), you are almost always better to consume the foods that provide these nutrients.
In part this is because nature provides a wonderful balance and package of nutrients not found in individual supplements. In addition, plant foods provide a wealth of phytochemicals substances such as antioxidants that benefit us enormously, way beyond our basic needs for vitamins and minerals.

There are particular foods that are the star players in providing nutrients and phytochemicals. These foods might be high in one particular nutrient, such as shellfish for their outstanding zinc content. Alternatively, a food may have a high level of a phytonutrient known to be beneficial in protecting against a particular disease.

Tomatoes are a good example because they provide a rich source of lycopene, shown to reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men. Other foods boast an army of protective phytochemicals and nutrients: nuts are nutritional powerhouses providing many nutrients including fibre, folate, magnesium, vitamin E, riboflavin, calcium, and protein, along with a collection of different antioxidants. Extra virgin olive oil contains not just healthy, stable monounsaturated fat, but also vitamin E, at least 29 polyphenols (known to be protective in the body), a chemical called squalene that plays a role in protecting your skin from the sun, and a compound called oleocanthal that is anti-inflammatory. Foods such as these all have something extra to offer us.

The best news is that nutritious food does not have to be expensive or exotic. While there are certainly some really interesting foods that are imported from other areas of the world, including berries such as acai and goji, there are even more foods produced locally and available in your local grocer, fishmonger, butcher, or supermarket. Locally grown berries, broccoli, cabbage, watercress, Asian greens, mushrooms, seeds, oats, salmon, mussels, lean meats, and plain yogurt are just a few of the standout foods we can all work more easily into our weekly menus. Look for budget-friendly hero foods too; canned salmon or mackerel, frozen berries, canned legumes, and packets of whole grains all help to make the family weekly budget go further.

How we fill our plates is also important. Your plate should be half-filled with colourful vegetables.