Top seven tips for wellbeing

culled from:bodyandsoul.com.au

1. Real food first

Eat "real" food, in a state as close as possible to the way it is in nature. Choose minimally processed grains and grain products - brown rice over white, rolled oats over instant, muesli over sugar-coated breakfast cereal. Choose less common grains such as freekeh, quinoa or bulgur, and a wholegrain, traditionally produced bread such as sourdough. Favour whole fruit over products made with "real fruit". And prepare more of your own food from real ingredients rather than opting for factory-produced packaged meals.

2. Exit the additives

Eat food without added chemical flavourings, colourings and preservatives. The best means of ensuring this is to read the ingredient list and choose products for which you recognise all of the ingredients as individual foods. For example, consider these two tempting snacks:

• Granny Annie's Hand-picked Garden Treats

Ingredients: potatoes, vegetable oils, salt

• Big Hot Monster Bites

Ingredients: corn, vegetable oil, cheese powder, salt, buttermilk powder, wheat flour, whey protein concentrate, tomato powder, flavour enhancers (621, 627, 631), onion powder, whey powder, garlic powder, dextrose, sugar, emulsifier (339), food acids (270, 330), natural flavour, spices, colours (129, 150, 110).
Which one would you choose? Don't get bogged down in nutrition labels, simply read ingredient lists to ensure you're not eating a cocktail of chemicals mixed with a highly refined base ingredient.

3. Know the locals

Eat food that is grown or produced locally as often as you can. On the face of it, it seems marvellous that we can eat our favourite fruits and vegetables all year round, but what has been lost in this mass movement of food and drink is the essence of seasonal eating. Just think of the delicious taste of your first fresh mango of summer - one of the few truly seasonal foods left in Australia. More importantly, consider the burning of fuel and subsequent environmental damage from long-haul travel. Buying home-grown benefits our farmers, secures greater numbers of domestic food industry jobs, maximises our chances of enjoying truly fresh produce and reduces our environmental footprint.

4. Meat with substance

Choose meats that are as close as possible to the past. This means lean cuts to keep saturated fat levels down while obtaining all the protein, vitamins and minerals available in animal foods. One of the healthiest, most environmentally friendly meats in Australia is kangaroo.

5. Reconnect with nature

Give consideration to animal welfare and how meat is produced. Buy meat produced without antibiotics or hormones; free-range or organic (if you can afford it) is best. Without getting into a debate on the ethics of eating animals, most of us who do choose to eat meat like to think the animal had a happy life. We must reconnect with where our food comes from, not turn a blind eye to what happens before it appears on the supermarket shelf.

6. Eat something fishy

As a nutritionist I have a real dilemma with fish. On one hand I know we need to eat more of it, particularly oily fish, that provide long-chain omega-3 fats essential to our health. On the other hand, our oceans are being overfished with serious consequences. Many species are already coming close to being wiped out and the widescale adoption of modern fishing techniques is damaging fragile marine ecosystems. I recommend you read Australia's Sustainable Seafood Guide produced by the Australian Marine Conservation Society to help you decide what to select. By buying our fish and seafood responsibly we can gain both the benefits of eating this fabulous food without risking the future of our precious marine system.

7. Go the veg

While nutritionally I support the eating of animal products, ethically, and perhaps also environmentally, I fully understand vegetarianism. But if you choose not to eat animal products, you must take care in planning your meals to ensure you get an adequate intake of nutrients. Include legumes, whole grains, fruits, vegies, nuts, seeds, dairy foods and eggs (if you're not vegan). Tofu and other soybean products are a fantastic source of protein and are essential in any vegan diet. The more restricted your diet, the greater risk there is of nutrient deficiencies, so be adventurous. A varied plant food diet can in fact be nutritionally better than a poorly selected carnivorous diet.