They don't have an elixir of life, but, ordinary food in their hands becomes healthy. A little bit every day adds up to a giant leap for health: they rarely get cardiovascular diseases, have light physiques, and always look younger than their actual age... Let's take a look at the 7 golden rules that 6 nutritionists jointly uphold.
1. Food brings happiness.
“Humans should learn to appreciate every bite of food that goes into their mouths,” said Leslie Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “Food should be enjoyable. Even for foods you don't like, you should learn to imagine their positive side.” Bonci's breakfast usually starts with a cup of yogurt, imagining herself in a boundless pasture, surrounded by the fresh scent of grass; if there's fruit in the yogurt, think of lush fruit trees with golden papayas and bright red apples; add some nuts, and you'll feel as if you're in a lush forest. A lunch rich in high-quality protein is indispensable with seafood like fish, shrimp, and scallops, as if swimming in the sea. “So, eating, like kissing, requires your full-hearted devotion.”
2. Don't deliberately choose low-fat foods.
“50% less fat, several times the price,” this is how nutritionists see low-fat foods. “Skimmed” means the food undergoes more processing, and they are not conducive to forming correct eating habits—you always feel that since the calories are low, it's fine to eat more. “I eat a piece of chocolate after dinner every day,” said Barbara Rolls, a professor in the Department of Nutrition at Pennsylvania State University. “The key is self-control: one piece, just one piece.”
3. Drink wine.
Drinking wine is a common hobby for these nutritionists, and they prefer it over beer or spirits. “Every dinner, I have a glass of white wine, which makes the meal perfect,” said Dr. Ellie Krieger, a nutritionist and host of the TV show “Healthy Appetite.” “If I'm eating out, I'll have two glasses of wine.” Wine contains a large amount of antioxidants such as resveratrol, which not only adds to the enjoyment of dinner but also protects the cardiovascular system, killing two birds with one stone.
4. Choose fish over beef or lamb.
“When dining out, fish is the best choice,” believes Lisa Young, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at New York University, because cooking fish can be difficult, so many people are too lazy to make it at home. Therefore, when eating out, options like Japanese sashimi, Chinese turtle soup, Thai curry fish, or Spanish grilled fish are all good choices. “For health reasons, I eat fish at least three times a week. Beef and lamb are not bad, but compared to fish, their nutritional value is indeed inferior.”
5. Don't fear carbohydrates.
“Many people say carbohydrates are the root cause of obesity, but I don't fully agree,” says Dawn Blatner, a nutritionist at the Northwestern Health Research Center in Chicago. “French fries are unhealthy, but the problem is in the 'frying' not the 'potatoes.' It's best to choose slow-digesting carbohydrates; it's fine to eat sweet potatoes, potatoes, or oatmeal for all three meals.” On the contrary, those so-called healthy “high-protein, low-carbohydrate” diets are not endorsed by experts, as too much protein can burden the kidneys, which is not worth the gain.
6. Eat a wide variety of vegetables.
“Set a goal for yourself to eat every variety of vegetable in the market within a month. This is actually not hard to achieve,” says Kathy McManus, from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. “A vegetable salad or soup will include at least 3-5 different vegetables, and there are only about thirty to forty types of seasonal vegetables each season.”
7. Exercise almost every day.
“Although I study nutrition, I know that to balance out the food I eat, I need to exercise for at least an hour every day,” says Kathy McManus, and other nutritionists agree with her view. Although their food preferences differ, their views on exercise are consistent—walking, jogging, and swimming are the best exercises, and everyone should participate.