Eating (mostly) well

There seems to be an endless supply of opinions on what and when to eat for best  health. This is a topic that I have looked into for my own health and well-being. I’ll share a few things here that I have found helpful. You may want to consult a nutritionist or dietician for professional advice.

I generally try to keep in mind Michael Pollan’s advice from his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. When we had a farm share, the plant part was easy. Now, I have to work a little harder to make sure I get enough vegetables and fruits.

Farm share pick ups. Photo by my share partner.

The nutritionist at my clinic says to eat 9-10 servings of vegetables and fruit a day. That is a lot! Other guidelines say 5-7 servings. How do you know if you are eating enough vegetables and fruit? I try to choose recipes that already include vegetables. Even when they do, I often add extra or have more veggies as a side dish.

For examples of what counts as a serving, I like the explanation from Australia’s Eat for Health. It includes the weight of the serving as well as measurements in cups.

The nutritionist recommends a focus on whole foods. Avoid eating too much added sugar is another goal. She understands, however, that we live in the world. Celebrations or restaurant meals may result in some less-than-ideal food options. She recommends a goal to eat well 80% of the time. I find this is usually manageable. A tip is to look at restaurant menus ahead of time to find some better choices.

Another source of information is government food guides. There are differing opinions on whether what is recommended in the US Guide is really a good plan. The US Guide is supposed to be updated in 2020. Canada updated their guide this year. The Canadian Guide includes recommendations on what to eat, along with recipes. It also discusses food-related habits. Cooking more often and eating meals with others are two suggestions.

Having a longer overnight period (typically, 9-12 hours) without eating also seems to have health benefits such as better management of blood sugar and heart health. For example, if you finish dinner by 8pm and eat breakfast at 7am, you have fasted 11 hours. I started doing a longer overnight period without eating and it was easier than I expected. The Nutrition Awareness blog has a post about restricting your eating window. The author is a dietician.