Ideally our everyday eating plan should be based on a wide variety of nutritious plant foods for optimal health. Not only do these foods provide a wealth of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients (like fibre and protein), but they also provide us with a whole range of other nutrients known as ‘phytochemicals’. These compounds are not essential for our body’s normal metabolic processes but are thought to help protect our body against various diseases like heart disease. A researcher recently stated that you can live without consuming phytochemicals, but you’ll probably live longer and healthier if you do! Eating a diet rich in a variety of plant foods offers the best health protection. Phytochemicals of different kinds are found in most plant foods, including nuts, seeds, legumes, wholegrain cereal foods (eg breads and breakfast cereals), soy products, fruits and vegetables. While many supplements which claim to have the nutrients of whole foods have become available, it is unlikely any supplement will provide the same range of phytochemicals found in whole foods – for example, oranges have over 170 different known phytochemicals! With so many benefits of eating more plant foods, here are some tips on how to include more in your daily eating plan:
• Add fresh, tinned or dried fruit to wholegrain breakfast cereals, such as Dick Smith Foods’ Bush Foods Breakfast Cereal;
• Try making your own biscuits, slices or muffins over the holidays, using wholemeal flour or wholegrain breakfast cereals;
• Add mashed lentils or kidney beans to hamburger patties;
• Add a small handful of nuts, like almonds, to stir-fry’s;
• Enjoy a handful of nuts as a tasty and healthy snack;
• Serve chopped vegetables with dips at parties, eg carrots, snow peas, celery, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, capsicum;
• When dining out, order a fresh garden salad with your meal.
This article was prepared by the nutritionists at Sanitarium Nutrition Service.
