HEALTHY EATING
What does healthy eating consist of?
Every single food we eat contributes uniquely to our nutrition,
and each nutrient plays a specific role in our bodies. Therefore, it’s essential to include a wide range of healthy food in our diets to safeguard against malnutrition and non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes.
A simple way to select our daily nutritional requirements for good health is by following the Healthy Eating Pyramid
Animal protein
Lean meat, fish, eggs
A varied diet is recommended, alternating the foods of this group: fish (white and blue); seafood; eggs; and white meat, such as chicken, turkey or rabbit, or from lean pork such as loin or sirloin, etc., which contain high levels of vitamins A, B and D.
Cereals or grains
(if they are wholegrain, even better)
Avoid refined flours, refined cereals and sweetened cereals in your daily life.
Whole grains have a lower glycaemic index, and more fibre and nutrient-rich minerals.
Healthy fats
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated
You need small quantities daily and you can get them from plant sources such as extra-virgin olive oil.
Dairy products
Milk, yoghurt, cheese and milk by-products
They provide the amino acids needed by the body to function. In fact, milk contains bioactive peptides, which are beneficial to the immune, cardiovascular and digestive systems.
Vegetables, fruits, vegetables and pulses
The basis of your diet
A healthy diet should be based on the daily consumption of these foods. They should be the basis of your diet.
Grasas saludables
Monoinsaturadas y poliinsaturadas
Necesitas pequeñas cantidades todos los días y las puedes conseguir a partir de fuentes vegetales como el aceite de oliva virgen extra.
Animal protein
Lean meat, fish, eggs
A varied diet is recommended, alternating the foods of this group: fish (white and blue); seafood; eggs; and white meat, such as chicken, turkey or rabbit, or from lean pork such as loin or sirloin, etc., which contain high levels of vitamins A, B and D.
Dairy products
Milk, yoghurt, cheese and milk by-products
They provide the amino acids needed by the body to function. In fact, milk contains bioactive peptides, which are beneficial to the immune, cardiovascular and digestive systems
Cereals or grains
(if they are wholegrain, even better)
Avoid refined flours, refined cereals and sweetened cereals in your daily life.
Whole grains have a lower glycaemic index, and more fibre and nutrient-rich minerals.
Vegetables, fruits, vegetables and pulses
The basis of your diet
A healthy diet should be based on the daily consumption of these foods. They should be the basis of your diet.
A person should consume between two and four servings of milk per day
depending on their age and physiological condition (pregnancy, breastfeeding, etc.)
General recommendations:
- Always choose water as a main drink for correct hydration.
- Limit salt and added sugar.
- Use herbs and spices to add different flavours and aromas to your dishes.
- Keep active.
What does a healthy meal consist of?
For a balanced diet, we need to know the right proportionsof the food groups we should consume daily.
This is very simple using the Plate Method.
50%
fruit and vegetables(35%
vegetables and 15% fruit)
Consuming at least one vegetable dish and minimum two servings of fruit a day is recommended.
25%
Wholegrain cereals, which provide fibre (wheat, barley, oats, etc.)
Includes all types of wholegrain bread, rice, pasta and potatoes. These cereals help to prevent insulin spikes.
25%
animal and vegetable high-biological value proteins.
This group includes meat, dairy, fish, eggs, pulses and nuts.
General recommendations:
- Drink water to stay hydrated and avoid sugary drinks.
- Choose healthy oils, especially olive.
- Sunflower, corn and soya oils are also valid.
- Avoid hydrogenated vegetable oils.
What do dairy products provide us with?
In addition to being a basic food in the first stage of life, milk contains a wide variety of nutrients (fat, protein, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins) that play a fundamental role in our diets.
Milk is also a main source of calcium in our diets, not only due to its high content in this mineral, but also to its high bioavailability (effectiveness) thanks to other components such as lactose, which not only helps in the absorption of calcium, but also is beneficial to our intestinal flora.
The composition of dairy products can vary greatly, so they cover a multitude of consumption habits and different nutritional uses depending on the health of each person.
Recent studies
Recent studies show that milk is the most important source of natural bioactive components* and its effects on health go beyond the mere sum of the individual effects of its nutrients.
Recent studies
Other studies also associate the consumption of full-fat dairy products with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease**.
* Hess, J.M., Jonnalagadda, S.S., Slavin, J.L. Dairy Foods: Current Evidence of their Effects on Bone, Cardiometabolic, Cognitive, and Digestive Health. Compr Rev Food Sci and Food Safety, 15, 251-268(2016).
** Nestel PJ, Mellett N, Pally S, Wong G, Barlow CK, Croft K, et al. Effects of low-fat or full-fat fermented and non-fermented dairy foods on selected cardiovascular biomarkers in overweight adults. Br J Nutr. diciembre de 2013;110(12):2242-9.
** Givens DI. Milk in the diet: good or bad for vascular disease? Proc Nutr Soc. febrero de 2012;71(1):98-104.