Everyone else is perfect, aren’t they?
Believing in ourselves by taking control, update on diets, and the importance of food types.
The topic of food, diets and weight can be overwhelming for many. During our courses we speak about the benefits of adopting a Mediterranean diet. With so many fads, promising instant results, and perfect people on social media, learners often get confused and frustrated. Dr. Lupi helps us understand a little more.
Q: Social media seems to reflect that everyone else is perfect, now we need to find balance. I find this overwhelming, what can I do?
A: Yes, it absolutely is overwhelming to search for perfection. We need to be mindful of social media and the messages we consume. You can take a positive step. Curate the feed of information that comes via your screen.
Each one of us can control our screen time. We CAN decide who we follow and WHY we read what we read. Or NOT.
A good rule of thumb I follow is “how do I feel after reading this?”. If I feel overwhelmed or “less than” others, then I see that as a good signal that what I am reading or following is not nourishing me. That is when I click “unfollow”. I know that I am looking after myself.
When we make active decisions about our health, it’s very empowering. Curating the media feed that you’re watching is a great way to start.
Q: A learner told us that they had struggled with disordered eating and body dysmorphia, what positives can they use to see this differently?
A: The first step for anyone who struggles with body dysmorphia and disordered eating, is to believe that you can get better. Without this important belief, it is difficult to seek and accept help.
Second, recovery from disordered eating is a difficult road that requires specialized help and therapy. You will need to be consistent and not give up. You’ll also need a certain amount of determination.
Third, sometimes reading about healthy eating and nutrition can be triggering. It helps if you remind yourself that you are in control of what you read or listen to. And it’s important to choose the time when you read or listen to the information.
What is helpful to one person might not be helpful to you in that moment. Keeping these three points in mind can help you reflect and accept where you are in your journey of recovery.
Q: Why is cooking minimally processed foods important?
The fewer processed foods we consume, the lower our overall mortality. This is especially true of specific mortality from certain cancers.
In other words, minimally processed foods with fewer additives can add to our life span. Also, our health improves, because our chance of obesity and diabetes, hypertension, and intestinal disease, such as diverticulitis, go down.
Minimally processed foods have less sugar, less salt, and more fibre, which promotes healthy gut bacteria to grow. They also have a richer vitamin and mineral content.
All of these are reasons to reach for fresh vegetables and fruits more often. We can also benefit from eating whole grains which preserve the integrity of the grains. For example, wholewheat instead of refined flour.
Q: Why is using a Mediterranean diet helpful? Learners can have a difficult time accepting that this way of eating can bring positive changes. Could you please help us understand more, thank you.
The Mediterranean diet has well-researched health benefits. These include a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. It is helpful as a guide for including more fresh, minimally processed foods into the diet for just about anyone.
It is easy to get information on the Mediterranean diet, and fairly easy to follow, since the cost of the ingredients is generally lower than that of say, a keto diet based on more animal products.
Q: Is using a Mediterranean diet the only way, what alternatives are available? How can I use food I can afford in the same way?
The DASH diet is also a good diet to follow for heart health, and it is fairly similar. In general, if one is not interested in following a specific diet, the rule of thumb is;
Minimum of three, and preferably five servings of vegetables per day
Some fruit
Plant-based proteins such as lentils or beans
Whole grains that are not stripped of fibre
Some heart-healthy fats like avocados, nuts, vegetable oils, fish including oily fish,
Minimizing meat products particularly processed meat.
Q: There’s a cost-of-living crisis. I worry about managing the cost of ingredients. Any hints, and tips?
A: Yes, my biggest hint is to learn to love legumes, particularly lentils. They are cheap, cook reasonably fast and do not need pre-soaking. They also taste amazing when cooked with minimal skill.
When I was a medical student and had very little money for food, I learned to love lentils and beans. Your intestines may take a little time to get used to them. This is particularly some legumes such as chickpeas and beans. They should be introduced slower, for example in half a cup servings per day or every other day. You can increase from there.
It is really important to pre-soak the beans and chickpeas. The soaking process helps your digestion and absorption of the helpful nutrients. The other tip is to cook with vegetables that are cheap and in season. These might include onions, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower. These are often easy to cook and may cost much less than say red peppers.
When it comes to expensive vegetables, I buy them in bulk at the end of summer. I then use my beloved dehydrator to dehydrate them. They can be stored in the fridge for the year. They taste amazing in my lentils!
Thank you, Dr Lupu, for your detailed answers. You’ve explained how we can all take steps to eat more veg and plant protein.