With recent food news in the press, it’s getting even more confusing to know exactly what we should be eating, is it still OK to eat five-a-day or should it be ten? Are we still meant to be eating dairy? Should we be cutting out red meat? Robert Hobson, Healthspan’s Head of Nutrition and a registered nutritionist shares his top ten essential foods we should have in our daily diet to boost our life expectancy.
“Information about nutrition changes often but one thing that does remain the same is that we should be eating a variety of foods from each of the different foods groups in order to get all the nutrients required for good health.” says Robert. “As we age, its even more important that we make the right food choices to support healthy hearts, joints and brain and choosing highly nutritious foods means your making every mouthful count”.
Top ten foods choices
- Oats
- Olive oil
- Natural ‘live’ yoghurt
- Berries
- Beans and pulses
- Lean meats or fish
- Wholegrain varieties of rice (black, red, brown)
- Sweet potatoes
- Green vegetables (kale, broccoli, spinach)
- Nuts and seeds
Top ten foods to avoid
- Processed meats (sausages, bacon, hot dog sausages)
- Soft drinks
- Confectionary (sweets)
- Whole milk and cream
- Popcorn (cinema variety)
- Pizza
- Artificial sweeteners
- Deep fried food
- Packaged white bread
- Shelf stable condiments (salad dressing, ketchup, HP sauce)
- Vegetable oil
Fruits and vegetables not only provide essential micronutrients and fibre but protect us against disease with the help of antioxidants. As thinking changes on the amount of fruit and veg we should be eating, being closer to ten than five-a-day I have also listed a few tips to help you increase your fruit and vegetable intake.
- Don’t forget a smoothie is classed as two of your five-a-day
- Don’t forget to count up the veggies included in homemade dishes
- Add an extra serving of vegetables to your homemade dishes
- Pulses count as one so add a handful to salads, soups and stews
- Snack on chopped fruits and vegetables
Although food should always come first there may be times when you’re struggling to get everything from diet alone, especially more than five-a-day. Try boosting your antioxidant intake with Healthspan’s OptiFive supplement or look at http://nutritionexpert.healthspan.co.uk/diet-and-nutrition
