Whelehans pharmacy healthy eating with aisling murray

Top 10 tips on maintaining a healthy diet (Part 2)
I am often asked how to maintain a healthy diet as part of my work as a nutritionist. Thus I decided to give my top tips on how to maintain a healthy diet. I gave you my first five tips last week; here are the final five.

6. Keep hydrated. Try drinking up to eight glasses of water a day.  Dehydration can lead to a number of side effects such as constipation, stomach pain, low energy, confusion or dizziness and headache. Thirst can also be mistaken for hunger so I recommend sipping on water throughout the day to avoid dehydration.

7. Eat oats in the morning. Porridge oats are a mood booster and a fibre rich carbohydrate. Evidence indicates that porridge and other whole-wheat or whole-grain foods increase the release of serotonin in your body. Oats are also low GI foods (GI stands for glycaemic index) and means they release sugars into your blood stream over a longer period of time, keeping you fuller for a long time (so you are not craving for a snack mid-morning) and regulating your sugar levels.

8. Decrease caffeine intake. Like most things, moderation is key when it comes to caffeine; for example, one or two cups of coffee a day is okay, drinking more can create problems. Caffeine can increase irritability and can cause a crash in energy. Everyone reacts differently to caffeine so knowing your own body is important. If you are sensitive to caffeine, decrease the quantity of teas, coffee, energy drinks and carbonated drinks in your diet.

9. Read food labels. We all know that we need to limit salt and sugar intake in our diet but they can also be hidden in our food. Under EU legislation, all pre-packed foods require a nutrition label which offers information on energy in kilojoules (kJ) or kilocalories (kcal), usually referred to as calories. Additional information includes protein, carbohydrate and fat content. Vital information is also offered on saturated fat, sugars, sodium and salt content. This is especially important to read if you are on a salt or sugar restrictive diet. All nutrition information is provided per 100 grams and sometimes per portion of the food.

10. Make changes gradually. Doing a number of major changes all at once to your diet means you are more likely to go back to your old ways of unhealthy eating. I always recommend a food diary, taking note of the foods you eat over a 3-5 day period means you can see where your unhealthy habits present themselves. For example eating too few fruits and vegetable portions or eating too many fatty foods. Gradually introduce one extra piece of fruit or vegetables a day or cut out one unhealthy food from your diet altogether. If there is a food that you enjoy but it’s high in fat or salt try to choose a low (fat, salt sugar) options or eat smaller portions.

Whelehans Nutrition Service
Whelehans nutritional service is a private one to one advice service with our nutritionist Aisling Murray. Aisling’s areas of interest include weight loss management, nutrition education and food intolerance. Our nutrition service offers you the chance to change your life in a positive way by focusing on your overall wellbeing as well as the chance to follow up on your progress.

To be continued…..next week article I will give another five top tips.

Aisling Murray has a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and offers a one to one specialist nutrition service at Whelehans Pharmacy. Call Whelehans at 04493 34591 for an appointment