Health & Nutrition
Diet Food vs. Healthy Diet Food
The Difference Between Diet Food and A Healthy Diet
Health professionals agree; eating a healthy diet is the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle. When combined with moderate exercise, such as walking or riding a bike, properly fueling your body with naturally nutritious food is the best way to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
Diet Food is typically segmented into categories like sugar-free, low fat, low sodium, low calorie, low carb, etc. and indeed these products deliver fairly well on their promises. However, they are not necessarily Healthy Diet foods. The next time you are considering these diet foods, take a look at the ingredients and the nutrition panel and decide for yourself if they would be considered part of a truly healthy diet.
A Healthy Diet is a balanced diet. It provides the right mix of real foods. These real foods are vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean protein that the body requires every day to stay healthy. It also includes the right amount of fats, but those should be good fats like Omega-3s.
Omega-3 Fats have been shown to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends eating foods rich in Omega-3 fats such as fish, soybeans, walnuts and flaxseed. “Omega-3 fatty acids benefit the heart of healthy people, and those at high risk of — or who have — cardiovascular disease.” (American Heart Association) As you read the ingredient panels on Organic Bistro Whole Life Meals, you will find we include some of these health giving ingredients in each of our recipes.
Carbohydrates are also important to our daily health. Carbs provide the energy that our body requires to make it through the day. The challenge is to manage our intake of carbohydrates to avoid the “spike and crash” effect they can have on blood sugar levels. Low-glycemic Index foods have a minimal effect on blood sugar levels, thus helping to spread the body’s available energy throughout the day. This is particularly important for people who have been diagnosed with Type-2 Diabetes, but also benefits anyone looking to minimize their risk for this disease as well as other metabolic syndromes. All Organic Bistro Whole Life Meals are designed to deliver a Low-glycemic body response.
Dietary Fiber is another key component in a healthy diet. Fiber serves several important functions. It provides the stimulus that tells the brain 'I’ve had enough, I’m full'. This is called satiety – meaning you feel full/satisfied. A lack of dietary fiber in our food can lead to overeating since only a weak signal is sent to say stop eating until long after the necessary calories have been consumed.
Fiber also helps reduce the risk for a number of very serious diseases. According to the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), “High intake of dietary fiber has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease in a number of large studies that followed people for many years.” Continuing to site the importance of fiber, HSPH’s website notes that studies show “a diet high in cereal fiber was linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.” Their bottom line is compelling, “Fiber is an important part of a healthy diet, and you should get at least the minimum recommended amount of 20-35 grams of dietary fiber per day for adults…The best sources are fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and legumes, and whole-grain foods.” (HSPH) Here again, Organic Bistro recipes reflect a healthy balance of all these elements.