Healthy Diet To Avoid Health Problem
December 31, 2008 by rainier
By improving your diet your overall health will benefit and you will reduce your risk of developing health problems such as heart disease and diabetes and may protect against other cancers.
How can I make changes to my diet?
Finding reliable information on healthy eating can be an overwhelming and confusing task. This fact sheet suggests ways of making changes to your diet, which may reduce your risk of prostate cancer and improve your overall health. You may find it easier to stick to your new diet if you introduce small changes gradually and set yourself goals.
You must feel happy with your new diet. Eating meals with family and friends is an important part of every day life and changes to your diet should not reduce the pleasure of these social events.
Try to cut down on unhealthy foods but do not totally exclude whole groups of food from your diet. All food groups play a part in making sure you have a balanced diet. Cutting out one food group completely can make it difficult to get the right balance of nutrients that you need. In general, a diet that is good for your heart is also good for your prostate. Ask your doctor to refer you to a Registered Dietitian if you are making big changes to your diet or if you have any other medical conditions that could be affected by your diet.
What is a healthy diet?
The picture below shows the five main food groups and the proportions that you should aim to include in your diet.
For a healthy diet:
• Base your meals on starchy foods like potatoes, rice and pasta. Try wholegrain options such as wholemeal bread, wholewheat pasta and wholegrain breakfast cereals. These are high in fibre and also help you to feel full for longer.
• Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day.
• Include some protein, like fish, skinless chicken and pulses.
• Eat a low-fat diet.
• Cut down on sugar. The healthy daily limit is 70 grams or 17 teaspoons. This includes sugar hidden in soft drinks and processed foods such as cakes and biscuits.
• Cut down on salt. Eat less than one and a quarter teaspoons each day and look out for hidden salt in processed foods. Try using herbs and spices to add flavour when cooking.
• Drink six to eight glasses of water each day. Avoid sugary or fizzy drinks.
You should be able to get all the nutrients you need by eating a balanced diet rather than taking supplements. Supplements may not contain all the beneficial nutrients that are found naturally in food and we do not fully understand the possible harm of taking supplements. Your doctor may recommend supplements in particular cases. For example they may advise you to take calcium supplements if you are on hormone therapy and you are not getting enough calcium from your diet.
