Diet and nutrition are important factors in the promotion and maintenance of good health throughout the entire life; their role as determinants of chronic non communicable diseases is well established and they therefore occupy a prominent position in preventive medicine.1 According to World Health Organization (WHO, 2015) 38 million people die each year from non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Following a diet is not always easy, and it is often abandoned too soon.
Diet isn’t an exact concept. Everyone should follow a diet that promotes health, even if he is not overweight.
It is important that everyone follows a personal diet, because we are all different from one another.
TIPS FOR EATING HEALTHY
A plate of food should have half the volume filled with vegetables or salad, leaving one quarter for a serving of lean protein & the other quarter for a serving of whole grain lower GI starch. Include some healthy fat in every meal.
The BYB plan
This is a simple feeding plan. BYB means build your body.
Allows you to keep your blood sugar stable and at the same time to balance calories and macronutrients.
The specific part is personal, based on the characteristics of each person.
The basic scheme includes foods divided into different groups. This is the same for everyone. We use the American Dietetic Association food exchange lists to check out serving sizes for each group of foods and to see what other food choices are available for each group of foods.
The Food Exchange List is an effective dietary tool to help individuals’ manage their dietary modifications in relation to non communicable diseases. Food Exchange List (FEL) is a user friendly tool which was developed to help individuals to aid healthy eating habits and follow a specific diet plan. This may be a helpful supplementary strategy when helping patients prevent or manage non-communicable diseases that are affected by diet especially those with diabetes.
There are 3 main food groups (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and their respective exchanges:
- CARBOHYDRATES:
A carb exchange is a portion of food that contains 15 grams of carbohydrates. The following foods contain carbohydrates:
Starches (Cereals, grains, pasta, bread, snacks, biscuits, starchy vegetables, dried beans, peas, lentils. Fruit (Fresh, frozen, canned, dried, fruit juices) Milk (low fat, fat free and full fat milk and milk products) Vegetables
2. PROTEINS : A protein exchange contains 7 grams of proteins
(very lean, lean and medium fats proteins)
3. FATS : A fat exchange contains 5 g of fat
(oils, butter, margarine, seeds, avocado, olives)
Now we can give you the Food Exchange Lists
1 Group: Carbohydrates
2) PROTEINS
3) FATS
Other carbohydrates
Next time we’ll show you how to develop a personalized diet.
Bibliography
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5673747/
- www.gifoundation.com
