Some of the wise advice and habits about food and health that I learned when I was young have turned out to be helpful throughout my life.
It’s that time of the year when health club memberships spike. People know that they have spent days if not weeks overindulging during the holidays, and now it is time to hit the gym and work off those extra pounds. What starts out with a flurry of activity spurred on most often by a new year’s resolution will peter out soon enough, as making a big change is hard to implement for so many. Losing weight and maintaining weight is a long-term process, one that is grounded in good habits and perspective on the place of food in one’s life.
Grandmotherly advice
When I was growing up, my grandmother used to dispense food and health advice to me along the lines of “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” “Starve a cold, and feed a fever” and “Chicken soup cures a cold.” Consequently, I ate a lot of apples and had chicken soup quite regularly. We ate close to nature with many of the vegetables coming from our own garden.
Learning about food choices
Canada, like many countries, set food guidelines and created posters that adorned classrooms nationwide. I learned about food and food preparation in home economics class. We raised our own beef cattle and milked our own cows. When I went to the grocery store with my parents, I was taught about choices and we actively discussed what we would put in the shopping cart.
Focusing on sugar, fat and salt
Then something strange happened with food. Portions got larger in restaurants – and people did, too. Advertising sugary cereals on children’s programs shot through the roof. Meals targeted at young children in fast-food restaurants focused on toys and taste. The two large soft drink companies bought exclusive rights to have their vending machines in schools as well as score clocks that advertised their brands. The emphasis moved away from the nutritional value of food to its convenience and taste, and taste was driven by sugar, fat and salt.
And what’s the overall impact of these changes? People have become fat and, an increasing percentage, obese. Couple that with a more sedentary lifestyle and all indicators point to a worsening health profile for North Americans overall.
Healthy eating
Some of the reading that I have done gave me a useful model for thinking about maintaining a healthy weight – 85% of the impact on weight comes from what I put in my mouth and 15% from the exercise that I do. Needless to say, I am very focused on what I eat. My interest in living a healthy lifestyle has led me in some specific high-level directions with food.
- My diet is rich in antioxidants to keep me healthy. That means lots of variety in fruits and vegetables.
- I love juice that I make from fresh ingredients, particularly a combination of kale, green apple, celery and ginger
- I eat as close to nature as I can with few ingredients. This means prepping food from whole foods and not relying on processed foods.
- I eat a large variety of foods, as much variety as I can imagine every week
I don’t aim for perfection in what I eat – I don’t like a guilty feeling because I splurge at times, going for taste over strictly nutritional value. Instead I try to get back to regular eating as soon as possible. I watch my weight and adjust my food intake accordingly. I wouldn’t say that I am obsessed with my eating habits, but I am diligent.
Turns out that my grandmother was on the right track about food and health, and I hope I am, too.
