What a balanced diet consists of
Complex Carbohydrates
To get started the best thing to do is to introduce whole grains to your diet. This alone will make a big difference to your health.
Whole cereal grains, complex carbohydrates, are the foundation of our good health and therefore the center of a healthy diet. This means that we eat whole grains at every meal. These grains give us stamina, a sense of well-being and the energy our body and mind needs to function optimally.
Proteins
The next component of a healthy diet is good quality protein. Protein is found in grains, vegetables and in higher concentration in fish, beans and bean products.
Proteins are made up of twenty-two building blocks called amino acids. Nine of them are called essential because the body cannot produce them and therefore they must be absorbed from our food.
Protein is used by the body to build and repair body tissue – the solid matter of our muscles, organs, glands, bones, teeth, skin, nails and hair.
We compliment our whole grains with dishes using a protein rich food once or twice a day. Learning how to cook beans and bean and gluten products in delicious and easy to digest ways is the key. When prepared properly these foods have a satisfying richness and the variety of tastes and flavours you can create with these foods is endless!
Fats
Good quality fats are unsaturated fats found in beans, fish, some vegetables and very plentifully in nuts, seeds and oils. These are the healthy fats our bodies need.
Unsaturated fats act as lubrication in the body promoting healthy cell function. We take these foods in moderation as even healthy unsaturated fats in excess can cause health problems.
Use organic unrefined oils for cooking such as sesame oil, extra virgin olive oil, sunflower oil and corn oil.
Use small amounts of raw, boiled or toasted nuts and seeds to add variety, richness and texture to your meals and as snacks. Emphasize temperate nuts and seeds that are not too fatty like: sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts.
Nut butters such as peanut butter, sesame butter and tahini are great as spreads and for sauces and dressings.
Vitamins
Vitamins are responsible for the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. They are also responsible for building body tissues and for cellular energy exchanges.
It is simply important to have a good variety of natural foods in our diet in order to get adequate amounts of all vitamins.
Minerals
Minerals are another important aspect of a healthy diet. When we eat quality organic foods and get a good variety, our body can absorb minerals from grains, beans, vegetables and in abundance from sea vegetables.
High quality sea salt is also important as it nourishes our body with the minerals and trace elements it needs to regulate the acid alkaline balance, the hormonal activity, the enzymatic activity and the electrical movement in the nervous system.
We also need good minerals for our body to oxygenate itself, for healthy bones, teeth and overall vitality.
Sea vegetables are used in small quantities daily, like wakame in soups and Kombu in vegetable and bean dishes and nori as a garnish for soup or to make sushi rolls with.
Enzymes
Enzymes are necessary for the breakdown, and assimilation of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
We get enzymes from raw vegetables, pressed salads, and naturally made pickles (raw vegetables that have been preserved with a salty agent and are not pasteurized). Pickles are easy to make and should be eaten daily in small quantities for good health.
We also get good enzymes from naturally aged miso and shoyu. These seasonings are used daily in small quantities to season our food.
In hot weather and when we are eating fish it is appropriate to eat fresh raw salads and temperate climate fruits in season such as apples, pears, melons, cherries and berries.
Make pressed salad up to 4-5 times a week. This is a way to cook vegetables without heat that retains all the enzymes! Because the cell walls of the vegetables are broken down in the pressing process, pressed vegetables are much easier to digest and the nutrients are more accessible than from raw vegetables.
Vegetables that work well for pressed salad include: cabbage, Chinese cabbage, parsley, watercress, celery, rocket, radishes, daikon, carrots and turnips.
Be aware that microwave cooking and food irradiation destroys the enzymes in our food.