“You’d better eat an apple!” Did you hear that quite often as a child? And I guess that’s what your kids are hearing from you now, too. It’s absolutely right: children should eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible. Learning healthy eating habits and regular exercise prevent diseases of modern society, such as obesity, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and tooth decay. But how can we get our kids and us adults to enjoy carrots, bell peppers and the like and do not reach for the bag of chips? The problem is that in most cases the forbidden things taste really good.
It’s OK, instead of you shouldn’t.
Harvard Medical School in Boston has thought about this and developed the “It’s OK” principle. This principle is based on suggesting healthy food to children and, of course, to adults; offering it and making it palatable. It’s not about imposing bans. Prof. Dr. Kurt Widhalm from the Medical University of Vienna also considers disciplinary advice with a raised finger to be an obstacle. “Bad food,” Widhalm says, “doesn’t exist. It about the total diet.” For example, the beloved cutlet does not have to be banished completely. It’s enough if we make the usual side dishes, such as vegetables or salad the main course and add the meat as a delicacy. This also means the cutlet is better metabolized.
The Harvard Medical School principle therefore focuses on the positive. We will show you exactly how this works here in seven steps.
1. It’s OK to eat all the vegetables you want.
Knock yourself out! If you’re eating a lot of fresh, seasonal vegetables, then you’re doing quite a bit right. The more colourful your dish of vegetables, the better. This means you are supplying your body with many important vitamins and minerals. You can also treat yourself to delicious, juicy fruit. However, vegetables are less sugary, so bell peppers, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and the like should make up the main part of your diet.
2. It’s OK to eat good fat.
Fats have been demonized for a long time. There are also good fats and you are welcome to use them for cooking and making salads. Good fats are, for example, oils with polyunsaturated and monunsaturated fatty acids, such as rapeseed or olive oil.
The consumption of meat and sausage, on the other hand, should be reserved as something special. Because sausage products contain the fats that are not so healthy.
3. It’s OK to provide your body with protein.
Fish, poultry, pulses such as lentils or beans and nuts are best suited for this. About ten percent of our diet should consist of protein-rich food.
4. It’s OK to eat whole-grain products.
Whole-grain products contain lots of good fibres. They provide satiety, promote digestion and can lower blood sugar and improve cholesterol levels. A quarter of our daily diet can consist of whole grain products.
5. It’s OK to drink a lot of water.
How much fluid a person needs daily varies from person to person. If we sweat a lot, we also need a lot of water. If water tastes too boring at some point, you can also quench your thirst very well with unsweetened tea. And if you’ve spent two hours playing sports, you can also gulp down a sweetened lemonade.
6. It’s OK to snack several, small meals.
If you snack on a few vegetables, fruit or nuts from time to time, you probably won’t get the huge appetite for high-calorie food. Therefore, snacks are absolutely allowed. And if you cut the fruit or vegetables into small pieces, the kids will also want to get their hands on them.
7. It’s OK to have breakfast later, too.
Not everyone has an appetite early in the morning. People with low blood pressure often don’t get a bite in too early in the morning. Therefore, it is especially important for children that they take their breakfast with them to school and have the opportunity to eat it there.
So, in summary:
We at SanLucar think the “It’s OK” principle is great. Instead of prohibitions there are offers and they all sound delightful and delicious. And now we say to our children much more often “It’s OK…”.
Source: Austria MADONNA
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