Each February, over 400 doctors, registered dietitians, and other health professionals join food service directors and chefs for Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives—a conference that bridges nutrition science, health care, and the culinary arts. This annual conference (a collaboration between the Harvard Chan School’s Department of Nutrition and The Culinary Institute of America) was created to teach medical professionals about nutrition and self-care, so that they will be better prepared to teach patients valuable skills for leading healthier lives.
Dr. David Eisenberg, Director of Culinary Nutrition at Harvard Chan’s Department of Nutrition and a creator of the conference, offered the following key takeaways shared with this year’s attendees. The next meet is on February 8-11, 2018 at The Culinary Institute of America, Napa Valley, California.
Check out the Top 10,
1. Eat more fruits, vegetables and nuts in place of processed carbohydrates: Incorporating low calorie fruits and vegetables is required. To manage the same, cut back on the amount of cereal in your bowl to make room for some cut-up bananas, peaches, or strawberries. Substitute vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, or onions for 2 ounces of the cheese and 2 ounces of the meat in your sandwich, wrap, or burrito. You can even add a cup of chopped vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, beans, or red peppers, in place of 2 ounces of the meat or 1 cup of noodles in your favorite broth-based soup. The vegetables will help fill you up, so you won’t miss those extra calories. Easy tips like these can serve you well. Vegetables, fruit, and whole grains should take up the largest portion of your plate.
2. Choose healthier carbohydrates: Carbohydrates that have a high Glycemic Index (GI) (Scale that measures a carbs effect on blood glucose levels. The scale ranges from 1 to 160. 70 to 160 is high, 56 to 69 is medium, and 55 and below is low.) rating are quickly broken down by the body and cause a rapid, large rise in blood glucose levels, which in turn triggers the pancreas to release large amounts of insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy, but high amounts of insulin promote fat storage in the body. In contrast, low-GI carbs, which take much longer to digest, cause only a small, slow rise in the blood glucose and insulin levels. In addition, low-GI foods reduce cravings—which could lead to weight gain—as they provide the body with a slow, steady supply of energy. Most non-starchy vegetables, legumes and fruit have a low GI rating while most refined carbohydrate-rich foods and potatoes are rated high on the Glycemic Index. The glycemic index is nothing but the ranking foods on how they affect our blood glucose levels. This index measures how much your blood glucose increases in the two or three hours after eating.
3. Choose healthier proteins—especially limit red meat. Protein is essential for the body to build, grow, repair and maintain every bit of us, including hair, skin, blood – everything – so it’s vital that we eat enough each day. If you are attempting a high-protein diet, focus on choosing lean protein choices like beans, lentils, fish, tofu, turkey and chicken. In addition to red meat being a huge environmental stress, consumption of red meat and processed meats has been linked to increased risk of prostate cancer for men, especially if the meat has been cooked at high temperatures.
4. Zero tolerance for trans fats, reduce animal-based saturated fats and replace them with healthier, plant-based fats and oils. Learn to cook with them! Trans fats are artificial fats made when hydrogen gas reacts with oil– by a process called hydrogenation.They are found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, cookies, snack foods, and other foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils. A small amount of trans fat is found naturally, primarily in some animal-based foods. The intake of trans fats in the diet should be restricted to less than 1 per cent of the energy consumed by the body which works out to be less than 2 to 3 grams a day. Click here to lern more.
5. Avoid highly processed foods and desserts. Processed foods, ice creams and prepackaged meals are very convenient and popular in today’s lifestyle. If you do shop for these foods, be sure to look for products that are made with whole grains, low in sodium and calories, and free of trans fats. Make sure you pay attention to serving size, too, and balance out the processed foods you eat with a delicious fresh salad and some whole grain bread.
6. Imagine your “ideal plate” – ¼ healthy proteins, ¼ whole grains, ½ fruits and vegetables: You should always choose a plate that properly fits your meal, without leaving too much empty space. Further, you should do your best to select food groups with complementary colors; you can even use seasonal foods that reflect the hues of the time of year to make your meal extra festive. In arranging the different food groupings on your plate, consider the balance of the meal as a whole. You don’t want any one side of the plate to weigh far more heavily than the other.
7. Consider the “dessert flip” with more fruit and smaller portions of indulgent favorites, or try building a healthier dessert using the “Three Pleasures” – dark chocolate, fruit, and nuts: Dark chocolate in general contains a higher percentage of chocolate liqueur or cocoa solids and less milk and sugar than milk chocolate. This gives dark chocolate a stronger, more intense flavor than milk chocolate. Make sure to make nuts an essential part of your diet as they are a great sources for nutrients and are an easy option that are not only tasty, but contain protein and vitamins that increase the body’s energy and immune system. The fat contained in nuts is polyunsaturated or monounsaturated. These fats aren’t nearly as bad for you as others, aren’t as prone to causing weight gain, and most important of all, actually have the ability to lower your LDL cholesterol levels.
8. Find opportunities to reduce salt. Season with herbs and spices first: It is estimated that the average person, in average conditions, requires less than 1g of sodium (which equals around 2.5g of salt) per day for proper bodily function. Yet in the Western world current research estimates that the average person eats 10-15 g of salt (4-6g of sodium ) a day – which is between five and ten times more than they need. For e.g. If you cannot bear not to have salt on your vegetables, lightly rub them with a little salted butter when cooked rather than sprinkling them with salt itself. Vegetables have plenty of flavour of their own, which is only masked by putting a lot of salt in the cooking water – although because it is in the nature of salt to leach out of the food into the water rather than from the water into the food, salted cooking water makes for far less salty food than salting the dish itself.
9. Replace sugar-sweetened beverages, emphasizing water, and unsweetened tea and coffee: Eating natural-occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables, and grains is a healthier way to get your sweets.Sugar combined with fiber and other solid foods metabolizes more slowly and keeps your blood sugar more stable. Try adding fruit and nuts to cereals for a wholesome and healthy meal. Caffeine, present in coffee, tea, cola-based drinks and hot chocolate, stimulates your pancreas to secrete more insulin. This aggravates sugar sensitivities and low-sugar symptoms. Avoid it.
10. If you wish, enjoy wine/alcohol (but not too much!): Moderation is the key. Alcohol can cause hypoglycaemia (a hypo, or low blood glucose). It is a vasodilator and makes the peripheral blood vessels relax to allow more blood to flow through the skin and tissues, which results in a drop in blood pressure. In order to maintain sufficient blood flow to the organs, the heart rate increases. Your breathing rate may also speed up. Establish the exact number of drinks you will consume in advance, using the BAC(Blood Alcohol Calculator) tips for women. Whether you are hosting a social event, or socializing with family or friends, stay strictly within your limit. Focus on friends, not drinks. Enjoy the company and conversations, because that is the true reason for the gathering.
Whatever you eat, Exercise Portion control .
For more input, https://www.hsph.harvard.edu