Health, What Is It Exactly?

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Components of Health    7 Pointers for Health    Healthy Food Pyramid

Health is both a healthy weight AND healthy eating habits

Mayonnaise and peanut butter are healthy!
Low-calorie foods are often misinterpreted as healthy foods. The strongest scientific link between food and health is that of olive oil, mayonnaise and (pea)nuts and heart disease (containing liquid, healthy fats). Eating a sandwich with peanut butter or mayo will thus help prevent heart diseases.

What about weight?
However, health is a double-edged sword; body weight plays an important role too. Having more fat on your body than good for you increases risks of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. And for some people (but certainly not all) eating mayonnaise and peanut butter will cause them to eat too many calories, which puts them at risk for obesity.

So:
To arrive at your optimum health, both a healthy weight and healthy eating habits are important. A healthy weight involves 1) not eating more than you need and 2) being active (like biking to work).

Your body can become more healthy when eating good foods. Food is almost as effective in preventing and treating disease than the millions spend for medication.

Together with regular physical activity and not smoking, over 80% of coronary heart disease, 70% of stroke, and 90% of type 2 diabetes can be avoided by healthy food choices that are consistent with the traditional Mediterranean diet. Willett WC. The Mediterranean diet: science and practice. Public Health Nutr. 2006 Feb;9(1A):105-10. Review.

Healthy nutrition can be summarized in 7 topics:

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1. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables: more is better!

They prevent or lower high cholesterol, fill you up so you eat less during the meal, they give you most healthy vitamins and antioxidants and can prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease. Pick you favorite fruits and vegetables and eat them with every meal. Berries in breakfast cereals, tomato and lettuce on your lunch sandwich, a variety of veggies in your dinner, and have some fruit for dessert.

2. Upgrade "white" to whole-grains

Fibers in whole-wheat bread, pasta and brown rice fill you up, increase your digestion and relieves constipation if you drink enough water with it and exercise. They give you energy for a long time, and can prevent colon cancer, hemorrhoids, lower cholesterol, prevent heart disease and diabetes. White bread, rice or pasta are more like sugar and hardly contain any nutrition. Sugar is like a drug: it keeps you on an artificial high and makes you feel worse afterwards. Oatmeal (steelcut) is perfect for breakfast, and sprinkle in some flaxseeds or whole wheat bran. Choose brown rice and whole wheat bread and pasta. They taste better anyway, and fill you up more so you’ll lose weight more easily.

3. Choose liquid healthy fats

The healthy fats are liquid and can be found in nuts and vegetables like avocado and fish (these are called unsaturated fats). They provide essential vitamins, lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol, and replace the bad (saturated) fats found in red meat, butter, candy and processed foods like cookies and pastries. Omega-3 fats found in fish and flaxseeds and walnuts are even more potent in making you healthy! Eat a little bit of healthy fat with every meal and you will prevent heart diseases, lower cholesterol. Put some crunchy nuts in your cereal, sandwich or dinner, like sunflower seeds, walnuts, flaxseed or pumpkin seeds. And use soybean, (not extra vergin!) olive for cooking, and for sauces (extra vergin olive oil is good if cold).

  Avoid Trans Fats! Trans fats are man-made fats that can double your cholesterol levels and risks of heart attack and other heart diseases. These are often hidden in your food, so pay extra attention to margarines, processed Foods chips, Candy and condiments and sauces. Look for “Partially Hydrogenated oil” in the ingredient list and avoid it.

4. Eat fish and poultry

You need a bit of protein every day to replace losses and maintain the immune system. The best sources are lean meats such as turkey, chicken, fish, non-fat dairy products (yogurt and milk), and nuts. Limit the consumption of red meat and processed meats like sausages to once a week, these increase the risk of colon cancer. Avoid deep fried foods, they are rarely a good source of anything. Use non-fat milk or yogurt with your cereal, have a turkey, tuna or chicken sandwich and for dinner choose salmon, turkey, chicken or even better: fish. Eating a serving of fish 3 days per week can improve your blood lipids, and help fight against chronic diseases.

5. Bring on the water

Drink as much water and (green, herbal) tea as you like! Drink at least 8 big glasses. This fills you up, makes your skin look healthy and flushes your body. You can drink up to 5 cups of coffee per day without adverse health effects. Avoid soft drinks because they contain huge amounts of sugar calories your body doesn’t notice: one drink per day extra may cause you to gain 12 pounds (5.5 kg) in a year. They also contain High Fructose Corn Syrup which is even worse for you than table sugar. Fruit juices contain as many calories as soft drinks but moderate consumption of fresh squeezed juices can be healthy. The entire fruit contains additional fiber and antioxidants.

6. Exercise

Moving your body in every way possible is good for you. You build stamina, a great toned body and become strong to fight off diseases. Make exercise a part of your routine, and a habit every day. If you make sure there is something fun coupled to your work-out like a sauna, good friends or a favorite TV show, so you make sure you’ll keep on doing it forever. Half an hour everyday of moderate acitivy like cleaning the house, walking, cycling is a necessity. Sweating while running, cycling, lifting weights, doing intensive yoga for at least 2-3 days a week improve your looks and your health by reducing risks of diabetes, heart diseases and certain cancers.

7. Healthy weight

When you have done all the above it is very easy to maintain a healthy weight. When your weight is in the healthy range and you eat healthy you have very low risks of all chronic diseases like cancers, heart disease and diabetes. Calculate your Body Mass Index on the BMI calculator or divide your weight (kg) by your height in meters squared. Aim for a BMI below 23 and you have the lowest risk possible for all diseases. If you want to loose weight you can exercise more (an hour a day of moderate to strenous exercise) and eat less. Eating fewer calories is easier when you eat more voluminous foods like fruits and vegetables, water, fiber and a lean source of protein. These all increase your fullness during a meal and have not a lot of calories. To make them palatable and your favorite foods add a little healthy oil. Drink water and take your mind of foods by keeping yourself busy with other things and keep all unwanted, high calorie and fattening foods as far out of reach as possible (other methods don’t work: unless you believe in magic, a pill or powder does not have the power to shrink your waist).

A Pyramid to Remember

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Do you want a Pyramid that is based on science rather than politics? Have a close look at The Healthy Eating Pyramid from the Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Department, developed by Walter Willett.