We’ve all probably heard the quote, “You are what you eat”. Here I would like to emphasize on the fact that, it is we, who are responsible for choosing what we want to eat or what we want to feed our families. Dietetics is too vast a topic, yet we ought to know a few basics. If our bodies are human machines food is our fuel.   How well we eat, affects how well our bodies work. Thus balanced diet is that which can provide balanced energy required for use by the body and for storage. We often hear of various types of diets. Well then, when does one need to follow them?

To make it easier for one to understand, I would categorize dietetics into, normal diet, preventive diet, restricted, and special diet.

A normal healthy individual ought to know what a balanced diet is. Whereas for an individual bogged down by a medical condition, ought to know his permissible diet intake with knowledge of pros and cons. This would be coined under restricted diet. Special diets are planned for individuals having some target in mind. For eg, weight loss. We also have preventive diets that are when we know certain foods have the possibility of causing or contributing to certain diseases. We then avoid that class of foods or find some alternatives.

Normal balanced healthy diet:

An individual experiencing no untoward symptoms is known to be in good health. I would like to highlight mental and physical health is of equal importance .Many may be unaware of the fact that certain foods may have an impact on mental health also. A balanced diet is one which consists of vitamins and minerals from fruit and vegetable, carbohydrates from rice, chapatti etc, proteins from meats, fish, milk, pulses, etc in the correct proportion of consumption.

Restricted diets:

Certain diseases bring about changes in the body’s need for nutrients, due to alterations in metabolic and physiological processes or functional disturbances. In advance cases, the changes in nutrient requirement could be attributed to certain structural changes of organ or tissue. For instance a diabetic   should restrict his carbohydrate intake due to lack of functional insulin. He should limit himself to complex carbohydrate like fibre rather than sugars. A publication in the British Journal of General Practice by   Katharine Morrison states, “It is usual for patients with type 2 diabetes to experience a 2–3% drop in HbAIC after 3 months on a low carb diet”. Fats consumed should also be restricted and should be of unsaturated type. Often I’ve seen a diabetic follow a general myth that fruits are bad. On the contrary, fruits are a source of important vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals that are important to the health of everyone, including diabetics. It is important for diabetics to know the fruit ratings based on glycemic index. The glycemic index is a measure of how fast foods containing carbohydrates are converted to blood glucose. Fruits with a glycemic index rating below 50 are optimal for diabetics, in moderation though.

Apple is one such fruit within the glycemic index. It contains a detoxifying agent called pectin. Besides it also contains galacturonic acid which has been proven to lower the insulin requirements of diabetics by up to 35%. Besides fruits contain natural sugars and not refined sugars.

Preventive diets:

Many of us are health conscious. Some of us are health conscious in general and some towards a particular condition. Accordingly one can be guided for prevention of the particular condition or maintain wellbeing in general. One common eg is dyslipidemia.

Dyslipidemia, or high cholesterol levels, which owe its rise to certain foods such as saturated oils, reheated oils, excessive consumption of fats. Heating oil changes its characteristics. Oils that are healthy at room temperature can become unhealthy when heated above certain temperatures. All of these attribute to rise in LDL the bad cholesterol, leading to its deposition along arterial or blood vessel linings. Again there are various factors we need to look into as in, the quantity of consumption. These calculations vary depending on per person and total family size.

Special diets:

We also have special diets for expecting mothers, where certain foods are encouraged for better growth of foetus and maintaining general good health of mother to be.

No matter which category we need to follow, we need to know and choose prudently.

Other key points for good health:

• Avoid overcooking as it reduces nutritious value of food
• Avoid stale foods for built up toxins over time( subject to type of foods)
• Eat fresh as far as possible
• I also emphasize on avoiding eating empty calorie foods and zero nutrition foods’ and artificial energy boosters and refined sugars. (Common food-fads among youngsters)
• Most important of all, drink plenty of water and exercise. Water helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins and exercise too has bountiful benefits.

Health is a multifactorial subject. Every individual can only unearth what is apt for oneself and follow it to his best. The rest we entrust to the Higher up.

Dr. Trisha Torcato Miranda.