Are you having a healthier 2018?

Are you having a healthier 2018?

We all know this is the time of year many people make decisions to change themselves with new year resolutions. Have you ever wondered where the tradition of new year resolutions came from? According to finder.com.au Julius Caesar declared 1 January the date to mark the beginning of each new year in recognition of Janus, the Roman God of beginnings, endings, transitions and time. The Roman people began making resolutions around this time. The most popular resolutions people make include: getting out of debt, learning something new, meeting a new partner, volunteering, traveling and several about improving health such as sleeping more, quitting smoking, drinking less alcohol, improving fitness and eating more healthily.

We thought we’d share a little information on how to eat more healthily when you are restricted to a gluten free diet.

According to Health Direct the 5 food groups are still the best way to eat for health, with a focus on variety each day from across these groups:

  • Vegetables and legumes (beans)
  • Fruit
  • Proteins – lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes (beans) tofu, nuts, seeds
  • Milk, cheese yoghurt or alternatives
  • Grains and cereals (gluten free grains include: buckwheat, corn, millet, montina (Indian rice grass), quinoa, rice, sorghum, teff, wild rice)

They also offer guidance on appropriate portions which is often a challenge for many of us, knowing how much to eat of each type of food. If measuring cups really aren’t your thing though, here’s a great list from spoonuniversity.com of suggested ‘life hacks’ to help manage portions.

Now there are so many schools of thought on how to eat ‘most’ healthily, the internet is full of diet concepts but here are a few I’ve heard about recently that you may wish to research further, discuss with your health care provider and decide if they might suit you:

Grain free diet – now this would make accommodating coeliac requirements so straight forward, though you’d still have to watch out for the sneaky ways gluten is used in things like condiments and of course for cross contamination. Some menus now offer ‘paleo friendly’ dishes which are grain free.

Intermittent fasting ­– this is an option my own GP recently suggested to me as having a strong evidence base of health benefits when done with a variety of nutritious foods listed above including:  improved blood glucose control and fat burning, the body can better activate cellular repair processes, decrease triglyceride and cholesterol levels, which are associated with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, promote longevity and protection against inflammation and disease.

The worlds healthiest diets –  This is an interesting article I stumbled across recently comparing the key themes and food types eaten in the healthiest parts of the world. It profiles the Mediterranean diet, the New Nordic diet, the traditional Okinawa diet, the traditional Asian diet and the “French Paradox” diet. Click here to read more

Which ever way you choose to tackle your health this year, we think it’s always important to remember that small changes really to add up and are usually so much easier to maintain. So, whatever your goal, also try to set yourself some user friendly ‘mini goals’ that are really achievable and keep you moving towards a healthier you in 2018 and beyond.