Healthy eating throughout the day
Published by Bupa's health information team, healthinfo@bupa.com, April 2008
Eating regularly during the day is a vital part of staying healthy. This helps to keep your blood sugar levels stable and hunger at bay. Eating regularly also ensures you get all the essential nutrients you need.
How your blood sugar levels affect you
If you go for hours without eating, your blood sugar levels can drop, causing you to feel shaky, weak and nauseous. Low blood sugar levels also affect your concentration, energy levels and mood.
Carbohydrates such as sugars and starch mainly determine your blood sugar levels. The effect of sugars from sweets, biscuits and chocolate is unhelpful because they are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and cause a rapid rise in your blood sugar levels followed by a rapid drop.
The effect of starch from bread, pasta, rice, cereals, beans and lentils is more helpful. These take longer to break down and are more steadily absorbed by your body. This means they are better for keeping your blood sugar levels stable over a longer period.
Aim for a slower burn
You can control fluctuations in your blood sugar levels by choosing starchy foods that are low on the glycaemic index (GI). The glycaemic index tells you how quickly particular carbohydrates will trigger a rise in your blood sugar levels. Aim for foods that have a low or moderate GI count, such as oats, pulses and wholemeal bread.
Apart from stopping you from functioning at your best in the short-term, sharp fluctuations in blood sugar levels can affect your long-term health. Studies have shown that people who eat a lot of high-GI foods have a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Don't skip breakfast
Your blood sugar levels drop at night, so it's important to refuel your body first thing in the morning. You are more likely to snack on sugary foods later in the day if you skip your breakfast. Ideally, breakfast should contain about 25 percent of your daily calorie intake, and have a good mix of starchy carbohydrates, protein and fibre. It's also a good opportunity to add a serving of fruit to help clock up your recommended daily allowance.
Healthy breakfast choices
- Muesli and porridge contain plenty of slow-burn starchy carbohydrates and fibre.
- Fruit such as dried apricots, grapefruit, kiwi fruit, bananas or oranges are rich in vitamins and will help to sweeten your cereal.
- Dairy products such as skimmed or semi-skimmed milk and low-fat yoghurts are rich in protein and calcium.
Make time for lunch
Ideally, lunch should be the largest meal of the day, but often this simply isn't practical. Some people miss lunch entirely, or grab a sandwich and eat it on the move. Stop yourself from falling into this trap by planning ahead and preparing a healthy packed lunch to take to work. Even a light lunch makes it less likely that you will be reaching for the crisps and chocolate mid-afternoon.
A lunch based heavily on carbohydrates can sometimes leave you feeling sluggish and sleepy in the afternoon. Eating protein-rich foods with smaller portions of bread, potatoes and rice should help to prevent this. Adding a piece of fresh fruit or a salad will help to keep you on course for the recommended daily five servings of fruit and vegetables.
Healthy lunch choices
- Protein-rich foods such as chicken, lean meat, oily fish (such as tuna, smoked trout or mackerel), eggs, tofu, and nut or bean pâté.
- Low-fat soup or a sandwich.
- Rye bread, pumpernickel, pitta bread and oatcakes are ideal slow-burning accompaniments for your salad, soup or sandwich.
Snacking sensibly
There is nothing wrong with having a snack to overcome the occasional energy dip during the day. The trick is to go for low-fat snacks that will satisfy your hunger for longer.
- Fresh fruit - apples, cherries, grapes, oranges, pears and plums.
- Dried fruit - dried apricots, apple rings and banana chips.
- Raw vegetables - try these with hummus or low-fat cottage cheese.
- A handful of nuts and seeds.
- Low-fat fruit yoghurt or fruit smoothie.
- Plain digestive or rich tea biscuit.
Drink plenty of fluids
Dehydration causes loss of concentration, dipping energy levels and headaches, and it's easy to forget to stay hydrated when you are busy. Keep your fluid levels up by drinking water, juice or herbal teas. Aim for at least six to eight glasses of fluid a day and limit your caffeine intake.
Further information
- Food Standards Agency
www.eatwell.gov.uk - British Nutrition Foundation
020 7404 6504
www.nutrition.org.uk
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