Healthy Eating: How to eat better

You are what you eat. We’ve all heard this but what does it mean to eat well?

Hi everyone! Welcome back to our blog. Food-related questions are one of the things we get asked about all the time. We are no certified nutritionists or dieticians but a balanced, healthy and sustainable diet is one of the things we strive for. This involves reading, cross-checking labels, cooking, recipe ideas and most importantly- EATING 🙂

Look around us. There are so many delectable, affordable and satisfying dishes. Let’s take the quintessential Malaysian dish- the nasi lemak. It’s a beautiful dish- rich in flavour and textures, but is it nutritious?

Here are some things we have observed. When it comes to food, most people already know what’s good and what’s bad in general. The challenge is to put it into practise and stay consistent.

There are many misconceptions about food and dieting.

Some of the popular ones are:

• the lesser amount of calories, the better

• Having salads all day every day is healthy eating

• I have to eat healthy only if I am overweight or fat

• I can eat anything I want because my weight is ideal

• carbohydrates and fats are bad

• I cannot eat things that I like because they are all bad for me

Your dietary intake should be looked at as a whole, instead of focusing on one specific food item. Before eating something, think of how this food is going to nourish or help me rather than if this particular food is good or bad.

Take eggs for example. Some avoid eggs because they contain fat and cholesterol. Did you know eggs also contain protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants? So having 1-2 eggs a day as a part of a balanced diet is fine. We’ll use Nat as another example. Nat loves a soft chocolate chip cookie. Yes, baked goods are high in sugar, saturated fat and provide little nutrition. But it makes Nat happy. So Nat has a cookie every now and then because she simply enjoys them, keeping in mind to take them sparingly. This is also another key when it comes to a sustainable and healthy diet.

Here are a few tips we use as a guide, that we’d like to share with you guys! Our sources are from the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines , Recommended Nutrient Intakes for Malaysia 2005, WHO and myfitnesspal.

#1: Consistency is key

Cliche but true. Healthy eating habits, just like other healthy behaviours take time to inculcate.

Stick to healthy eating as much as you can, at every opportunity.

There is no better time than now, wherever you are. Over time, it’ll become a habit 🙂 What we do is- stick to healthy eating at least 80% of the time, while we play around with the other 20%.

#2: Plate Portions

How much do I eat? Is this too many carbs and too little protein? Here’s a simple rough guide that works!

Divide a regular sized plate into 4 quarters. 2 quarters (or half of the plate) should be filled with vegetables/fruits/fibre, ¼ with protein and the last ¼ with carbohydrates.

If you follow this division for most of your meals- you’re on the right track! I know what you’re wondering. Why isn’t fat included in this plate? Well firstly nobody eats fat just like that HAHA. The fats come from the animal protein or oil used in cooking/sauces which is enough. Variety plays a big part in supplying enough nutrients too. So keep changing it up!

#3: Snacking

Who doesn’t like a good snack? Sure ice cream, cake and a bag of crisps are yum!

Have what you enjoy in moderation, maybe about once a week.

If you need to snack after every meal, choose healthier options like nuts, fruits or a flavoured drink that’s low in sugar (black tea with lemon works great for Hana).

#4: Cooking methods

Give a pat on the back if you’re cooking your own meals! Great job!

Choose cooking methods that use none or minimal oil.

Steaming, roasting, blanching, air frying are better than pan/shallow or deep frying. Avoid using animal-based oils (like ghee or lard) or use them sparingly.

#5: Sugar, Salt and Sauces

Limit your intake of all these three items when cooking or making drinks. Excess of these contributes to a lot of chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes. Store-bought sauces (soy sauces, chilli sauce etc), cereals, granola bars, frozen meals and sausages all contain high sugar/salt.

Always choose foods that are closest to its natural form.

This is because processed foods have a lot of additives to make them last long- so be mindful of what goes on your plate!

#6: Fluids and Water

Drink at least 8 cups of water a day. Water is essential to life and makes up more than 50% of our body.

If you take flavoured drinks, always pick low-calorie drinks. Milk, sugar, creamer, syrups all have calories.

Alcoholic drinks too! Apart from milk, most of these provide little nutrition. It’s easy to overlook the calories in drinks- add the calories up, and you’ve consumed a meal’s worth.

Let’s look at a few examples. For perspective:

• An adult man needs about 2460 calories of which <60g fat, <50g sugar and 62g protein

• An adult woman needs about 2180 calories of which <50g fat, <50g sugar and 55g protein

A Tall Coffee Frappuccino from Starbucks has 184 calories, 2.4g total fat and 31.2g sugar. 184 calories are about 2 slices of Gardenia white bread. 31g of sugar is about 6 teaspoons of sugar. In comparison, a Tall Black Filtered Coffee from Starbucks has 3.9 calories, 0.1g total fat and 0g sugar. As you can see, there are minimal calories in black coffee. Source

What about premixed 3in1 or 2in1 drinks? They’re okay, right? Well…

• Milo 3in1 premix (per sachet) has 123calories, 15g sugar and 2g protein alongside vitamins and minerals.

• Oldtown White Coffee 3in1 (per sachet) has 183calories, 13g sugar and 0g protein. So although these drinks are marketed as healthy, easy and delicious, they might not be as healthy as you’d think.

So what then? I can’t even put milk in my coffee or tea?

• 100ml Fresh milk (Farm fresh) has 54calories, 3g fat, 3g protein and a good amount of calcium. So yes they can be included in your drinks but be mindful that they also provide calories alongside nutrition.

These are some of the examples of the options we have around us. It’s fine to have a sweet drink once in a while. Flavoured drinks are great too. Try choosing flavourings that are natural (like lemons) and are zero/minimal in calories.

Remember excess calories equals to excess weight over time 🙂

#7: Calorie Counting- is it really necessary?

In general, calorie counting is not necessary for healthy eating. If you have a particular calorie intake goal and if you have access to calorie counting- then by all means- go ahead. As a general rule, if you are planning to lose or gain weight- you need a calorie deficit or surplus respectively. Calorie deficit means- to lose weight, you need to use up more calories than consumed. You’d achieve this by being more physically active or consuming fewer calories. The opposite applies to weight gain/calorie surplus.

The calorie requirement for everyone is different because we are all unique like that 🙂 As a guideline, the Malaysian RNI 2005 suggests that an adult man (30-50y/o) needs about 2460calories while an adult woman (30-50y/o) needs about 2180calories.

If you are keen to find out your calorie requirement estimate, you can calculate this yourself or use an online calculator- we use myfitnesspal 🙂

#8: Diet fads

Do they work? Yes. Are they sustainable? No. Will you gain back the weight you lost? Probably. Is it torture? Most people do not enjoy it.

Paleo, keto, Atkins, water fasting, intermittent fasting- they all have the same foundation- Calorie Deficit. So if you’re planning to lose weight, focus on consuming less or spending more energy. It helps if you plan your meals well, focus on nourishing the body instead of depriving it. Only then, will the weight loss be sustainable.

A hungry person is never a happy person 🙂

Wow, this sounds like a lot of information to digest (pun!). Yes, it is. Slow and steady is sustainable!

Bottomline- We all need sustenance so control your portions.

Given a choice, choose natural, whole and nourishing meals over-processed, ready-made meals. The occasional nasi lemak with sambal paru, fatty steak, chocolate cake is okay but take them sparingly. If you’ve eaten more than you plan to or if you’ve taken a bit too much of something ‘evil’- it’s okay, eat better the next meal and try staying consistent. Don’t feel bad or guilty. Avoid emotional eating- we’re all guilty of this. If you’ve had a rough day, try activities that can help boost your mood that does not involve eating. Going for a walk, praying, reading, journaling, exercises, talking to a loved one, even breathing exercises can help!

Just like everyone else, both of us have different eating habits.

During stressful times, Hana eats less while Nat eats more. Nat tracks her calories while Hana eyeballs them instead. Hana enjoys a wide variety of food choices while Nat can eat the same thing for days. Hana loves junk food while Nat is more cautious and calculative.

Sure it’s all different for individuals. Today’s the day you’ll start eating better- because you deserve it! So share with us, what changes have you made in your diet?