World Food Day: Let us promote sustainable living & healthy diet!
World Food Day is celebrated every year on October 16th across the world. It stands for promoting awareness and eradicate hunger, instill food safety and to encourage action which supports food security and nutritious diets for all worldwide.
It is the time when we all need to take action and start promoting sustainable living, reduce carbon footprint, educate our children the importance of healthy foods and the shortcomings of junk foods, choosing the right foods, knowing our fats, importance of organic farming and to reflect on the environmental impact of the foods we eat.
Here are some ways to instill appropriate eating habits in our children and educate them about impact of proper food on our body-
1) Vegetables, vegetables, and vegetables
It is not just beneficial but is essential to fill, one-third of our plate with vegetables each time. Not only that, it is also essential to have all-veggie meals several times every week. When it is said, to eat a rainbow, it is possible only if that rainbow comprises all colored vegetables present out there. And this can be accomplished by adding all these colors in one meal, or in various meals. But it is certainly, a necessity.
2) Address hunger in right way
Hunger cravings must be satiated with right kind of food and not with junk food options. Whenever you have an occasion of munching on to something, go for fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, wholegrain bread and cereals, instead of processed foods filled with preservatives and extra sugars.
3) Saturated Fats Vs Unsaturated Fats
Saturated fats have very little nutrition value and are much more difficult to digest than the unsaturated fats in our human body. Some common sources of unsaturated fats are avocados or avocado oil, olives and olive oil, peanut butter, nuts, and seeds such as almonds, peanuts, cashews, and sesame seeds. Whereas we must avoid using saturated fats such as cheese, butter, ice cream, high-fat cuts of meat, coconut oil.
4) Go for probiotics
In your diet and educate kids about the importance of having these in adequate amounts in one’s diet. Probiotics such as yogurts, cream cheese, sour cream, fermented beans, fermented vegetables, should not be alienated from our kid’s vocabulary and taste palette.
5) Brown Rice over White Rice and whole-grain cereal over-processed white flour
Always opt for brown rice over white rice, and wholemeal cereals such as buckwheat, millets, etc. over the processed flours and pasta, etc. Brown rice has much more nutrition dense and contains a lot more fiber than the white rice. White rice is also a lot starchier than brown rice.
Food is the most required element for having a good life. One can’t think well, love well, or sleep well if one has not dined well.
