It's that time of year when most people feel that they need to make a change for the better. In part, this may be a reaction to the excesses of the festive season, a guilty conscience, or the realisation that the beginning of a New Year could also be the start of a new and healthier life.
Advertisement
There are as many New Year's resolutions as there are individuals – and many of these resolutions revolve around making dietary changes or doing more exercise. Note however, that it is probably better to concentrate on one significant, health-promoting change than to try and achieve a host of changes that may overwhelm you.
Most New Year's resolutions last for less than a week. Be sensible this year and concentrate on making one really relevant change that you will be able to sustain for the entire year.
Here are some relatively simple dietary and activity changes that could make all the difference to your life and health in 2005:
Eat less fat
It is quite easy to reduce the amount of fat you eat on a daily basis. The following suggestions will result in a lower fat intake:
Buy fat-free or skimmed milk and dairy products, e.g. fat-free milk, yoghurt and cottage cheese. Nowadays there is a wonderful variety of yoghurts and cottage cheeses available in most supermarkets, so you won't be doomed to a monotonous diet.
Cut down on your intake of red meat (beef and lamb) and remove all visible fat from this type of meat before you eat it.
Eat chicken (without the skin), venison and fish more regularly
Pork is less fattening than beef or lamb, especially if trimmed of all visible fat. This is due to the fact that there is less fat between the muscle tissues of pork meat.
Avoid processed meats and sausages unless they have a reduced fat content (like the 'Like it Lean product' range). You can use thinly sliced ham, beef or pork in moderate quantities.
Make sure that your cooking methods do not add large quantities of fat to your meals - grill, steam and poach your foods, fry in a non-stick pan or use cooking spray to coat the pan, and chill stews overnight and first remove the solidified fat that collects on the surface before serving.
Avoid cakes, desserts and pies (sweet and savoury), which have a high fat content. Rather eat fruit if you require something sweet.
Use low-fat salad dressings, or fat-free plain or flavoured yoghurt, or mashed avocado, instead of mayonnaise or cream.
Use small quantities of olive, canola, avocado or red palm oil for cooking or salad dressings combined with vinegar or lemon juice and fresh herbs. These oils are rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids that help to protect the cardiovascular system.
The simple decision to reduce your total fat intake will benefit all of the following conditions:
heart disease, raised blood cholesterol levels
type II diabetes
insulin resistance
polycystic ovarian syndrome
overweight and obesity
certain types of cancer
gout
gall bladder disease
Eat more dietary fibre
According to international recommendations, we should be eating 20-30 g of dietary fibre a day. Most surveys show that western populations don't even ingest half of this amount. Try the following to boost your fibre intake and your health:
Eat more fruit and vegetables every day. Five or more portions of fruit and/or vegetables a day will provide more soluble dietary fibre to your diet.
Purchase unsifted or unprocessed grains and cereals, such as wholewheat, brown or rye bread, wholewheat crackers and crisp breads, unsifted maize meal, Maltabella, oats, brown rice, crushed wheat, or pasta made from wholewheat flour instead of white, refined starches.
Use high-bran cereals such as All-Bran and muesli for breakfast.
Start eating a portion of legumes, which are rich in dietary fibre, every day (dry beans, peas, lentils and soya beans and products).
These simple changes to your dietary habits will benefit all the conditions mentioned above under 'Eat less fat' because dietary fibre helps to dilute the total fat and energy contents of the diet. Dietary fibre will also assist in the prevention and treatment of the following conditions:
constipation
diverticulitis
spastic colon or irritable bowel disease
Do more exercise
If you make a resolution to become more active in 2005, the following tips may be useful:
Start modestly. Don't try to run the Comrades in the first week. Start with the level of exercise you can manage without stressing yourself. If you're exhausted by the exercise you've decided to do, it will discourage you and another one of your New Year's resolutions will have failed.
Get comfortable with the type of exercise you have selected. If you find that you don't like going to a gym, then stop and change over to another form of exercise that suits you better.
Once you feel fully confident with the type of exercise you are doing, try increasing the intensity gradually so that you can achieve more. Don't rush yourself and listen to your body.
Before you know it, you will find that exercise is part of your life and you will start missing it on days when you are unable to participate.
Exercise benefits all aspects of health and all the conditions mentioned above. It also:
prevents osteoporosis
combats depression
helps you to stick to your weight loss diet
firms and sculpts the body (those problem areas that don't react to dieting alone)
boosts vitality and zest for life
These are just a few examples of simple, uncomplicated changes that you can try at the start of this New Year. If you select one simple resolution and work at it, you will be amazed at the difference this will make to your health and quality of life. – (Dr Ingrid van Heerden, DietDoc)
Bookmark with:
What are social bookmarks?