Maybe mother did know best when it came to putting inexpensive, nourishing, tasty but uncomplicated food on our table

My mother had a sixth sense about nutrition. Somehow, on a very tight budget, she fed 10 of us with healthy, nourishing meals for years – and we all learned from this. A different time, yes, but slow-baked sausages, mash and parsley – no need to add fat or butter – with carrots and silverbeet is a regular dish even today.

The plain, simple, common-sense approach to food still works best and what we eat in our early years can have a significant effect on what happens later.

In many ways, nutrition and eating have become far too complicated. Mixed messages force us to choose between tasty and healthy foods.

A healthy lifestyle means we need good nutrition because diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes are very much connected to the way we eat.

We all want to be healthy, to eat food that will not harm us or our family and have the occasional takeaway, free of guilt. But we are faced with so many foods lacking vitamins, fast food chains, different farming and food processing methods and junk foods that cost less than fresh foods.

Many New Zealanders have improved their eating habits. But some still eat too much saturated fat, salt and sugar and not enough starchy carbohydrates or dietary fibre.

We all need a balance of proteins (body tissue builders), fats and carbohydrates (heat and energy givers), water (body cleanser), minerals (bone and blood) and vitamins (life and health). Food labels help but can also confuse and mislead, especially for anyone with special dietary needs. ‘‘All natural ingredients’’, ‘‘no additives or preservatives’’, ‘‘no cholesterol’’ can mean something else. ‘‘No added sugar’’ may still contain natural sugar. ‘‘Lite’’ or ‘‘Light’’ can also mean the colour of the food. Check all labels very carefully.

Healthy food choices aren’t always expensive...

• Find the local markets for fresh, cheap fruit and vegetables and eat plenty of them.
• Don’t skip breakfast and make the most of it.
• Try cereals with high fibre, low fat and low sugar, or poached egg on wholegrain toast.
• Pick low fat or skim dairy products including cheese and spreads. Get to know your good and bad fats – balance your red meat with some oily fish meals each week.
• Eat (and drink) only moderate amounts of sugar.
• Watch for the salt (sodium) hidden in foods, especially takeaways.
• Drink plenty of water and be physically active.

Mark Twain insisted: ‘‘Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.’’ More reasonably, Judith Morley-John, a nutritionist with the National Heart Foundation, says: ‘‘Enjoy three meals a day, selecting from dishes that encourage you to eat plant foods and fish, and with little or no dairy fat, meat fat or deep fried foods.’’ In the end, eating sensibly means fewer illnesses, better sleep, less stress and better sex.

(Published in the Sunday News, 12 July 2009)

More everybody MYHEALTH columns from Barbara Docherty

Barbara Docherty is a registered nurse and clinical lecturer at the University of Auckland School of Nursing, and writer for the everybody.co.nz website. The opinions contained herein are those of the author and not necessarily those of the publisher or sponsor. Copyright UBM Medica (NZ) Ltd.