Do it right this time around

The beginning of the year always seems like the perfect opportunity to kick bad habits to the curb and take on a healthy approach to eating. However, New Year's resolutions are all too often made up of extreme promises that are too difficult to uphold and therefore abandoned shortly after they are made.

As part of the Government Employees Medical Scheme's (GEMS) ongoing effort to educate our members and future members on a range of healthcare topics, we would like to provide you with some valuable information on maintaining a healthy diet.

Easy does it
With 61% of South Africans overweight, obese or morbidly obese, many people feel pressurised to lose weight at the beginning of each year, causing them to aim for goals that are unrealistic. This can lead to some people becoming quickly discouraged and put off from changing their eating habits for the rest of the year. However, starting with a clean slate does not mean you have to change everything about the way you eat.

There are a number of different schools of thought when it comes to maintaining a healthy diet and this can make it difficult to know who to trust and what to do. Different eating plans work for different people and it is therefore important to find the eating plan that is just right for you. This should be a way of eating that you can implement as a lifestyle and not a crash diet that you go on once every few months or weeks.

Not the end of the road for tasty food
It is important to remember that eating healthily does not mean starving oneself. On the contrary, a healthy diet should include a large variety and plenty of the right kinds of foods. The key is what you put into your body, not how much. For example, a three course meal including a fresh salad with light dressing, a cooked dish of lean protein, steamed vegetables and brown rice or a baked potato, and a piece of fruit with some yoghurt is far better for one's health than one toasted sandwich and a can of soft-drink. It is also more filling and will give you more energy.

There are of course occasions, such as birthdays, when it will be extremely difficult to avoid that slice of cake or that plate of ribs. There will also be times when a tuna salad simply will not satisfy your pizza craving. It is for this reason that a healthy eating plan should allow for the occasional ‘cheat eat' because as long as you eat the right kind of foods the majority of the time, there is no reason why you should not be allowed to enjoy yourself once in a while.

Start with the basics
You will need to fine-tune the details of your healthy eating plan, but here are some of the basics to get you started:

1) Drink more water. Approximately 75% of the human body is made up of water and drinking it helps flush our systems, especially the kidneys and bladder, of waste products and toxins. It is a vital part of a healthy diet and is an easy way to get started - simply keep a jug or a bottle of water near by and sip throughout the day. It is recommended to drink around ten glasses or two litres a day.
2) Moderate your portions. Having a second helping is often completely unnecessary and you will find that if you wait for about 20 minutes after your first helping that you are no longer hungry. It is particularly important to keep your portions small when it comes to high-kilojoule foods such as starches as your body will turn whatever it does not use into fat. So unless you are a professional athlete, keep those servings small.
3) Replace the bad with the good. Healthy eating does not mean cutting certain food groups out of your diet completely. It simply means substituting healthier options for less healthy ones. For example, opt for unrefined starches such as brown rice, wholegrain bread, potato or beans instead of refined, white starches. Swap fried meats for boiled, roasted or steamed alternatives.
4) Include plenty of legumes, grains, fresh fruits and vegetables. There is a reason why parents always tell their children to eat all their vegetables. Green, leafy vegetables contain vital nutrients and anti-oxidants as well as important vitamins and minerals. Certain fruits are also good to eat, such as watermelon, naartjies, pineapple and apples. However you should limit your intake of those that are high in carbohydrates like bananas and grapes. Legumes such as lentils and beans contain protein and good quality, complex carbohydrates, while grains, such as brown rice, are an excellent source of fibre and slow-releasing energy.
5) Eat the right kinds of fat. Certain fats are very important for a healthy diet, such as Omega oils, while others should be avoided altogether. Healthy fats can be found in plain, unroasted seeds and nuts as well as in avocados and certain vegetable oils. Animal fat such as that found in meat, butter, cream and full cream milk should be avoided.

Get moving
A healthy diet should be complemented with regular exercise. Find the activity that will fit into your daily routine and that you will enjoy to ensure you don't give up on it. Some people enjoy calm, mild exercise such as walking, while others prefer the interaction that comes with a team sport. The warmth of summer makes it easier to get into the routine of doing regular exercise. January is therefore an excellent time of year to begin a new exercise routine that works with your healthy eating plan.

For any GEMS member queries, please contact the GEMS Call Centre on 0860 00 4367 or visit our website at www.gems.gov.za. GEMS will assist you in every way possible to ensure your family's health and wellbeing.

Sources:
South Africans among world's fattest people - The Guardian - www.guardian.co.uk
Diet and Nutrition - Health24 - www.health24.com
Weightloss - Health24 - www.health24.com
Eating for peak fitness - WebMD - www.webmd.com