Nutrient Poor but Energy Dense
Discretionary foods, also termed as junk and treat foods, are all pervasive these days! They are HIGH ON ENERGY/CALORIES but VERY LOW ON NUTRITION! Sometimes we even fail to recognise their inclusiveness in our diet. From being ‘Sometime’ foods they have become ‘Everyday’ foods! that do no good for our body.
I am going to do a series of posts on Discretionary Foods and their impact on our health.
Tilting Balance
Easy availability at every nook and corner, priced cheaply compared to healthy food options, and the lure of advertising have ensured that most of us, specially school and college children grab junk foods whenever we feel like munching. Satisfying our taste buds, we do not even realise their negative effects on our body.
Why avoid Discretionary Foods
BUY JUNK FOODS and GET LIFESTYLE DISEASES FREE! FREE! FREE!
It is an established fact that high consumption of discretionary foods is associated with increased risk of
- Obesity
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Type 2 diabetes
- Some forms of cancer.
Therefore it is for our own and our family’s health that we are aware of what to buy and eat.
EAT WELL and BE FIT!
High Intake of Discretionary Foods
In my last post I had mentioned that high intake of discretionary foods can lead to lifestyle diseases.
Here I have tried to explain the correlation between their consumption and the diseases through a simple flowchart for easy understanding.
With growing instances of these diseases we have to understand the causes behind them and ow our food choices are triggering a health bomb waiting to explode!
Let’s stop before it is too late!
How to limit Discretionary Foods in our Diet?
Knowing that overload of discretionary foods is bad for health is one thing but knowing how to manage their intake is another.
So, I have put down some very simple pointers that anyone can include in their daily routine to be able to avoid high intake of Junk or treat foods.
You can write to me to understand these better.
Go step by step and you would see a sea change in your thinking and attitude towards food.
Start Early-Prevent lifestyle Diseases
If you have to influence your children you have to lead by example. Everyone in the family especially the mother has to set some ground rules regarding the food being prepared at home or being eaten outside.
And this process has to start during children’s formative years as then it becomes ingrained as a lifestyle…not as a punishment that they feel when they are already grown up. Changing habits then become difficult.
Follow simple guidelines and ensure that they grow to be healthy, fit adults.
