living well
Nutrition and Weight
Nutrition is important because what we eat can help prevent disease and maintain health.
To maintain a healthy diet, we should restrict our intake of some foods while adding others.
• Eat more: bread, vegetables, fruit and cereals, such as wheat, rice, oats, barley, rye and corn.
• Eat in moderation: milk, cheese, yoghurt, eggs, fish, poultry, nuts, lean meat and pulses, such as kidney beans, soya beans, lentils and chickpeas.
• Eat less: salt, butter, cream, oil, sugar and margarine. To understand a balanced diet, it is helpful to break what we need into several groups: Carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins and minerals.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates, which include starches, sugars and fibre, provide a large portion of the calories, or energy, in our diet. Foods high in carbohydrates include bread, fruit, pasta, potatoes, rice and cereal. You should try to eat five pieces of fruit and vegetables daily.
Fats
There are two main types of dietary fat: saturated and unsaturated.
1. Saturated fat is found in lard, butter, hard margarine, cheese and whole milk. It also is found in the ingredients that make up cakes, chocolates, biscuits, pies and pastries, as well as in meat. It is a good idea to minimise saturated fat in your diet.
2. Unsaturated fat is found in vegetable oils, oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, pilchards and salmon, and soft margarine. Research has shown unsaturated fats to have a positive effect on health.
Proteins
Proteins are vital to the formation of muscle, bone and connective tissue. Proteins are found in poultry, pulses, beans, nuts, seeds, soya products and vegetable protein foods, such as Quorn and seitan. Meat, fish and eggs also are a good source of protein.
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins and minerals are necessary for health and growth. Eating a well-balanced diet helps ensure that you get all vitamins and minerals, such as salt and calcium, that you need.
• Salt We all need salt, but too much can contribute to worsening medical conditions. Processed foods have large amounts of salt added, as do crisps, salted nuts and most snack foods. It is generally a good idea to reduce your intake of salt.
• Calcium Calcium contributes to strong bones and teeth. Foods abundant in calcium are milk, cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais. Skimmed or semi-skimmed milk and milk products are preferred to whole milk ones because they contain the same amount of calcium but less fat. If your diet is good, you should be able to maintain a healthy weight as long as the calorie intake equals the output used daily by your body. If you have problems with your weight, changing your diet and exercising will help. Always consult your doctor before starting a diet and exercise programme.
Nutrition is important because what we eat can help prevent disease and maintain health.
To maintain a healthy diet, we should restrict our intake of some foods while adding others.
• Eat more: bread, vegetables, fruit and cereals, such as wheat, rice, oats, barley, rye and corn.
• Eat in moderation: milk, cheese, yoghurt, eggs, fish, poultry, nuts, lean meat and pulses, such as kidney beans, soya beans, lentils and chickpeas.
• Eat less: salt, butter, cream, oil, sugar and margarine. To understand a balanced diet, it is helpful to break what we need into several groups: Carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins and minerals.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates, which include starches, sugars and fibre, provide a large portion of the calories, or energy, in our diet. Foods high in carbohydrates include bread, fruit, pasta, potatoes, rice and cereal. You should try to eat five pieces of fruit and vegetables daily.
Fats
There are two main types of dietary fat: saturated and unsaturated.
1. Saturated fat is found in lard, butter, hard margarine, cheese and whole milk. It also is found in the ingredients that make up cakes, chocolates, biscuits, pies and pastries, as well as in meat. It is a good idea to minimise saturated fat in your diet.
2. Unsaturated fat is found in vegetable oils, oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, pilchards and salmon, and soft margarine. Research has shown unsaturated fats to have a positive effect on health.
Proteins
Proteins are vital to the formation of muscle, bone and connective tissue. Proteins are found in poultry, pulses, beans, nuts, seeds, soya products and vegetable protein foods, such as Quorn and seitan. Meat, fish and eggs also are a good source of protein.
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins and minerals are necessary for health and growth. Eating a well-balanced diet helps ensure that you get all vitamins and minerals, such as salt and calcium, that you need.
• Salt We all need salt, but too much can contribute to worsening medical conditions. Processed foods have large amounts of salt added, as do crisps, salted nuts and most snack foods. It is generally a good idea to reduce your intake of salt.
• Calcium Calcium contributes to strong bones and teeth. Foods abundant in calcium are milk, cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais. Skimmed or semi-skimmed milk and milk products are preferred to whole milk ones because they contain the same amount of calcium but less fat. If your diet is good, you should be able to maintain a healthy weight as long as the calorie intake equals the output used daily by your body. If you have problems with your weight, changing your diet and exercising will help. Always consult your doctor before starting a diet and exercise programme.
Being Mindful
Mindfulness is the foundation of an ancient Buddhist practice known as Vipassana, or insight meditation. Western medicine is now recognising it as a tool for dealing with stress, chronic pain and other medical and psychological conditions.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is best described as the practice of being more aware and in the present moment. It involves finding, developing and sustaining present moment awareness. This awareness includes paying attention to everything that exists in the present moment—your breathing, the thoughts passing through your mind, the sounds around you—and understanding the constantly changing nature of the present moment.
Examples of mindfulness practice include:
• Becoming aware of breath and feeling the stomach rise and fall with each breath
• Feeling the various physical sensations of an emotion
• Paying attention to all of the sounds in a room
• Noticing what happens in the body when there is stress
• Watching the thoughts that arise when there is boredom
Benefits of Mindfulness
Research has found that people who practice mindfulness can experience:
• Improved social skills
• Improved working memory
• Improved planning and organisational skills • An increase in self-esteem
• A sense of calmness, relaxation and self-acceptance
• A better quality of sleep
• A decrease in depression
• A decrease in overall anxiety and in test anxiety
• A decline in negative emotions
• Fewer conduct and anger-management problems
Research on Mindfulness
Current research shows the potential for mindfulness to affect the structure and neural patterns present in the brain. Scientists have seen these results last not only during mindfulness practice, but throughout the daily life of practitioners. Thicker cortical regions related to attention and sensory processing have been found in long-term meditation practitioners compared with non-meditators. Studies also have found a correlation between mindfulness practice in couples and an enhanced relationship, as well as benefits of mindfulness on familial relationships. In children and adolescents, studies have shown that mindfulness can improve academic functioning, decrease symptoms of overall anxiety and test anxiety, decrease aggressive behaviour, increase attention, improve social skills, enhance sleep patterns and instill an overall sense of calm.
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is best described as the practice of being more aware and in the present moment. It involves finding, developing and sustaining present moment awareness. This awareness includes paying attention to everything that exists in the present moment—your breathing, the thoughts passing through your mind, the sounds around you—and understanding the constantly changing nature of the present moment.
Examples of mindfulness practice include:
• Becoming aware of breath and feeling the stomach rise and fall with each breath
• Feeling the various physical sensations of an emotion
• Paying attention to all of the sounds in a room
• Noticing what happens in the body when there is stress
• Watching the thoughts that arise when there is boredom
Benefits of Mindfulness
Research has found that people who practice mindfulness can experience:
• Improved social skills
• Improved working memory
• Improved planning and organisational skills • An increase in self-esteem
• A sense of calmness, relaxation and self-acceptance
• A better quality of sleep
• A decrease in depression
• A decrease in overall anxiety and in test anxiety
• A decline in negative emotions
• Fewer conduct and anger-management problems
Research on Mindfulness
Current research shows the potential for mindfulness to affect the structure and neural patterns present in the brain. Scientists have seen these results last not only during mindfulness practice, but throughout the daily life of practitioners. Thicker cortical regions related to attention and sensory processing have been found in long-term meditation practitioners compared with non-meditators. Studies also have found a correlation between mindfulness practice in couples and an enhanced relationship, as well as benefits of mindfulness on familial relationships. In children and adolescents, studies have shown that mindfulness can improve academic functioning, decrease symptoms of overall anxiety and test anxiety, decrease aggressive behaviour, increase attention, improve social skills, enhance sleep patterns and instill an overall sense of calm.
Stress and Relaxation
Millions of people around the world suffer from stress. Most stress is work-related, although there are many other factors that contribute to stress, including divorce, marriage, moving house and redundancy.
Too much stress can become a noticeable problem in your life in a number of ways. Emotionally, feelings of panic, anxiety and helplessness are common for people under too much pressure, as are fatigue and depression. Stress can cause or contribute to the occurrence of many physical ailments, including high blood pressure, headaches, upset stomach, ulcers, insomnia, obesity, a weakened immune system, heart disease and strokes.
Keep Stress Levels Manageable
Try to remember the following tips:
• Prioritise—put what really matters in your life first
• Plan ahead around any difficulties you foresee
• Communicate your worries or concerns to those you feel close to
• Maintain a good social circle of friends and family
• Exercise regularly
• Keep regular hours
• Treat yourself once in a while
• Concentrate on your weak points and improve your strong points
• Aim to keep in perspective
Don’t be too hard on yourself
• See your doctor if you have any medical concerns or health worries
• Relax—have short breaks throughout the day when possible
• Delegate work when possible
• Co-ordinate your time to
incorporate leisure time
• Eat sensibly and have “meal times”
• Attempt to make time for yourself daily
• Enjoy yourself with your family and friends
There are many advantages to regular relaxation. It helps improve sleep, which increases your mental and physical wellbeing. If you are anxious and tense, even a small effort to relax can help a great deal.
When you seek relaxation, do so in a way that works for your mind, body and environment. Among the many methods you might choose are aromatherapy, yoga, listening to a relaxation tape or just lying down and being aware of your body while breathing in and out slowly.
You do have to work at combating stress to gain the full benefit. Try to establish a daily routine. More important, enjoy yourself, which really is the best cure.
Millions of people around the world suffer from stress. Most stress is work-related, although there are many other factors that contribute to stress, including divorce, marriage, moving house and redundancy.
Too much stress can become a noticeable problem in your life in a number of ways. Emotionally, feelings of panic, anxiety and helplessness are common for people under too much pressure, as are fatigue and depression. Stress can cause or contribute to the occurrence of many physical ailments, including high blood pressure, headaches, upset stomach, ulcers, insomnia, obesity, a weakened immune system, heart disease and strokes.
Keep Stress Levels Manageable
Try to remember the following tips:
• Prioritise—put what really matters in your life first
• Plan ahead around any difficulties you foresee
• Communicate your worries or concerns to those you feel close to
• Maintain a good social circle of friends and family
• Exercise regularly
• Keep regular hours
• Treat yourself once in a while
• Concentrate on your weak points and improve your strong points
• Aim to keep in perspective
Don’t be too hard on yourself
• See your doctor if you have any medical concerns or health worries
• Relax—have short breaks throughout the day when possible
• Delegate work when possible
• Co-ordinate your time to
incorporate leisure time
• Eat sensibly and have “meal times”
• Attempt to make time for yourself daily
• Enjoy yourself with your family and friends
There are many advantages to regular relaxation. It helps improve sleep, which increases your mental and physical wellbeing. If you are anxious and tense, even a small effort to relax can help a great deal.
When you seek relaxation, do so in a way that works for your mind, body and environment. Among the many methods you might choose are aromatherapy, yoga, listening to a relaxation tape or just lying down and being aware of your body while breathing in and out slowly.
You do have to work at combating stress to gain the full benefit. Try to establish a daily routine. More important, enjoy yourself, which really is the best cure.
