How close did your competent? doctor get the dietician to meet this?
Oh NO! NOTHING AT ALL!
The 14 foods you should eat every week to stay healthy
Whether you try to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day or 30 different plants per week, when it comes to what we should (and shouldn’t) be putting on our plates each day, the rules always seem to be changing. Which is why nutritionist Dominique Ludwig has stopped eating by numbers and started looking at the bigger picture.
It’s overwhelming to try and hit targets for everything from protein to fatty acids with every plateful,” says Ludwig, the author of No Nonsense Nutrition. “Instead, I assess how I’m doing with my diet based on the bigger picture: the 21 meals I eat each week.”
Ludwig focuses on ensuring she works certain non-negotiable foods into her meals throughout the week. “It’s far simpler to stay on track than trying to micromanage every forkful,” she explains.
Here, she reveals her weekly food heroes.
Chickpeas
We should all be trying to eat legumes three or four times a week. I love those tins of mixed beans, which give you multiple varieties and therefore plenty of plant diversity in one hit. But if I had to pick one, it would be chickpeas. They’re filling, economical and a good source of folate, zinc and magnesium – a real all-rounder.
Chickpeas are also particularly versatile; you can make hummus, toss them in spices and roast them, or add them to salads, soups and casseroles. They are a source of protein and fibre, with half a tin containing around a third of the recommended daily 30g of fibre.
Eggs
Or is your doctor incompetently stuck in the past and still blames cholesterol in your bloodstream from eating eggs?eggs
(37 posts to August 2012)
Please don’t eat egg-white omelettes, though. They taste miserable and, though the white is packed with protein, by removing the yolk you lose so many of the health benefits. The yolk is the part that contains iron, zinc and vitamins A, D and B12, which is so important for vegetarians, who can be deficient. It’s a source of antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin too, which are good for the eyes.
Tinned sardines
Related video: 10 vegetables that aren't as healthy as you think & 10 better ones to eat (The Spicy Chefs)
Additionally, they’re a dietary source of vitamin D and omega-3 fats, which are good for your heart, your brain and your cardiovascular system. The omega-3s in fish are the “active” forms of the fatty acids, so they’re more quickly processed by the body than those found in plant foods. You’ve also got a bit of selenium in there, which supports thyroid function.
Cavolo nero
Cavolo nero is also particularly fibrous, which keeps blood sugars steady, and contains folate for heart health. It’s also an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K1, which we need for blood clotting.
Oats
We should be eating them a few times a week. I always serve oats with nuts, berries, seeds and yogurt to prevent blood sugars from spiking and create a more balanced meal.
Frozen berries
Buying frozen berries is also more affordable, and blackberries, blueberries and raspberries provide all sorts of different polyphenols, including anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, quercetin and phenolic acids, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, so they’re beneficial for heart health. Raspberries and blackberries are a particularly great source of fibre.
Chia seeds
“They do need to be soaked for 20 minutes first before you eat them, though – problems like the seeds getting impacted in the oesophagus are really rare, but chia seeds can swell to 10 times their size, so it’s always best to eat them hydrated.”
Lean beef mince
When it comes to red meat, quality and quantity matter. We know certain cuts are high in saturated fat and that processed meats contain nitrites, neither of which are good if we’re eating them too regularly.
Leaner cuts of good-quality red meat, however, eaten a couple of times a week, are a good source of haem iron – the most easily absorbed form of iron, which is only found in animal products and supports healthy haemoglobin, which carries oxygen around the body, helping to reduce tiredness and fatigue. It’s also a source of B12, which supports energy levels and muscle function, while zinc supports our immune function.
Brazil nuts
You only need a handful of Brazil nuts each week to get all the selenium you need to support your immune system and thyroid function.
I prefer walnuts:
walnuts(18 posts to October 2014)
Coffee
It’s not a food per se, but coffee is an important addition to your weekly intake. Coffee is high in chlorogenic acid, a polyphenol which acts as an antioxidant to support heart health. Up to four cups of coffee a day have also been linked to a reduced risk of frailty, while two to three cups have been linked to a reduced risk of dementia.
It’s also good for the microbiome. There is one type of bacteria – Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus – that is around eight times more prevalent in coffee drinkers. Importantly, even if you don’t tolerate caffeine well, decaffeinated coffee still provides all these benefits.
Cheddar
Of course your competent? doctor told you of the benefits of dairy fat and Grana Padano cheese
- dairy fat (50 posts to April 2016)
- Grana Padano cheese (6 posts to May 2016)
I love dairy. People became nervous of its saturated fat content, but recent research shows that when dairy is fermented to make cheese or yogurt, those fats have a much smaller effect on our “bad” LDL cholesterol than the saturated fat in red meat, butter or coconut oil, for example.
There’s a lot more to it than providing calcium, too. Cheese is a source of vitamins A and D, as well as one of our main sources of iodine, which regulates the thyroid hormones that control our metabolism and energy. Many people in the UK have suboptimal levels of iodine, and with the increase in people switching to plant milks or avoiding dairy for health reasons, there is a risk that we don’t get enough iodine in our diet.
Lentils
For speed, buy them pre-cooked in pouches rather than cooking them from dry – they’re a great fast food to have in the store cupboard.
Dark chocolate
Your doctor should have created diet protocols for this years ago.
chocolate (19 posts to April 2012)
dark chocolate (15 posts to March 2014)
If you don’t like the taste of dark chocolate straight from the bar, you can use it in baking, melt it into coffee or add it to chillies and casseroles.
Tahini
In fact, tahini contains more calcium than milk per 100g, as well as phosphorus and manganese, which play vital roles in bone health. It’s also packed with healthy fats with anti-inflammatory properties. Use it in salad dressings, put it on your porridge or drizzle it over meat or fish. It’s so delicious and nutritious too.
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