Growing up in the diverse city of Manchester and coming from a family of mixed cultures, I was exposed to various foods. This experience has left me believing there is always something to learn, and just because one culture tells you to cook one way does not mean it's correct. For example, there are so many different culturally correct ways to cook a spaghetti bolognese or risotto/ jello of rice.
Growing up, I knew where food came from, and I was introduced to organic farming and gardening. My mum even went to educate us on the eco system as a part of the food chain, why intensive farming was bad and how organic farming was good for the bees and butterflies. I came to the understanding that food was a lifestyle.
When I moved to university, I met people from all across the UK and around the world. Some knew food, and others did not know that meat came from animals which honestly shocked me. I met people who overate, under ate, counted calories or did not care what they were consuming as long as they enjoyed it. I found it most shocking that I met people who ate only microwave meals or had liquid food substitutes who did not have a health issue. Then, the people assumed that only those who are overweight could get diabetes and other health problems such as obesity. It was shocking that people had so many negative attitudes to food.
I remember this was the first time in my life that I had people who were larger than I make hurtful comments about my weight. They would accuse me of being too slim or not eating enough or that I ate rabbit food or told me they hated me because I was slim. I even had a counsellor accuse me of having an eating disorder because she said, "I looked too thin". Granted, back then, similar to my family, I was naturally slim and tall, and my doctor told me I was average in weight.
Even though it was hard that people were making fun of what I looked like. I rationalised it. I realised that all these people did not know enough about food. They did not realise that food is a lifestyle; food can be medicine, food can harm, food can affect your mood, and food can heal.
When it came to my weight comments, I realised that these people did not really want the best for me. They were not good friends. I did not know the motive behind what they said. All I knew was that this was a perfect example of why it is important to make sure I surround myself with real, honest and kind people—the type of people I can grow with.
The whole experience reignited my passion for food. So I wanted to share 5 of my top food tips.
1. Eat Well
We all naturally come in different shapes and sizes, and depending on what part of the world we are in, we need different nutrients. If we do not get enough of the nutrients that our bodies need to function, we are not eating well.
Eating well also means eating the correct amount of food that your body needs. It is never okay to overeat or under-eat. Your appetite naturally varies depending upon the amount of activity you do within any given day. If someone like me has a naturally healthy appetite, there is no point starving yourself to fit in what society tells us is polite. Avoid extreme dieting or crash dieting at all costs. It just is not good for you full stop. If you want to lose weight, it takes time, so you would have to make some healthy lifestyle changes. That also goes the other way too. You can eat healthy to put on weight without putting yourself at risk of getting a heart attack or other complications from having high processed carb, high processed fat and a high processed sugar diet.
Eating well also means having a varied and balanced diet. The wider the variety of foods, the more nutrition you are exposed to. For example, if you are a picky eater and only eat pizza, chicken nuggets and chips, you're limiting the amount of nutrition your body can intake.
Eating healthy means don't be afraid to eat healthy sugars, low processed such as frozen fruit and veg. Moreover, not being afraid to eat fats in moderation, such as omega 3, cold-pressed oils etc.
2. Eat foods that aid digestion
Our digestive system is so important. Digestion is important for breaking down food into nutrients, which the body uses for energy, growth, and cell repair. A healthy gut contains healthy bacteria and immune cells that ward off infectious agents like bacteria, viruses and fungi. A healthy gut also communicates with the brain through nerves and hormones, which helps maintain general health and well-being. So we must look after it. We can do this by eating plenty of fibre, eating cabbage. Staying away as much as you can from GMO, chemical pesticides, highly processed foods, food additives and colouring. The reality is we are not really designed to break these kinds of things down, so they do take longer to digest.
Suppose you have any allergies or intolerance of any kind and get tested to change your diet to suit you. If you don't want to get tested, avoid the food you can't eat.
3.Get food education
In an ideal world, everyone would grow their own fruit, veg, meat and fish their own dinner. However, this does not happen. So we don't know what the best nutritional value for our food that directly affects us is. For example, if a chicken is reared on mealworms and only one type of grain, that chicken will be mostly fat because mealworms have a high-fat content. The chicken will not be the healthiest because its diet is so limited, and then we eat that chicken and break down the not varied nutrients of that chicken. Whereas if a chicken free-ranged, it would eat meat, grit, fruit, a variety of worms and grains. It is going to have a higher nutrient content. The same can be said with plants, and the type of soil they are grown in affects how healthy the plant is.
Food education is a must because it teaches us how complex food can be. It teaches us how to be more sustainable and if you choose not to eat meat, it gives you options.
4. Stay away from highly processed sugar. Full stop!
Refined sugars may increase your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. They're also linked to a higher likelihood of depression, dementia, liver disease, and certain types of cancer.
5. Eat Wholefoods
The benefits of whole foods or a minimally processed food in your diet include lower rates of heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. Another advantage of eating mostly whole foods comes from the vast array of nutrients acting together. We also get the benefits of fiber and phytonutrients, which protect against chronic diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease. Whole foods are considered “nutrient dense,” meaning they contain various nutrients, while foods that are heavily processed are considered to contain “empty calories".
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