Is your diet balanced? Here, a nutritionist gives a breakdown of the nutrients you need and those you should watch out for on a daily basis
With so many options to contend with, it may feel overwhelming to decide which meals to cook or order if you’re on a health-conscious kick. Do you go for the broccoli wrap or the tofu bowl, caprese salad or chicken soup? While these options could be healthy on their own, what you need to remember is to get a balance of different nutrients.
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For a breakdown on this topic, we spoke to Registered Nutritionist-Dietitian Jo Sebastian once again for her professional opinion on various food topics. Read ahead for her take on the nutrients you need and the ones you should watch out for on a daily basis.
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The nutrients you need
According to Jo, your goal should be to have a balanced diet. This means incorporating carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and healthy fat sources in your meals. Given the traditional Filipino diet, she reminds us to get more unsaturated sources of fats and high fiber.
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“People need 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day. The average Filipino gets around 8 to 10 grams of fiber,” she said. She suggests that the lack of accessible food choices is the reason for the second point, as well as because many people are too focused on restrictions. To boost your fiber intake, she recommends eating more fruits and vegetables.
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“So, generally, carbs, fiber, protein, fats, and then your micronutrients such as your vitamins and minerals,” Jo summarized. To this end, it’s best to get these through food sources rather than through dietary supplements.
Watch out for these
While it’s best to get as many nutrients as you can through what is accessible to you, Jo reminds us that you should still be wary of some things, especially if you have specific health concerns. The first things she mentions are trans fats and saturated fats. “We want to be a little bit more mindful of that because they have a risk of increasing your cholesterol. You also want to be more mindful of your sodium intake, especially if you have hypertension or kidney concerns,” she said. Specifically, it’s recommended that adults limit themselves to no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day.
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“Then you have your added sugars, and you want to be a little bit more mindful of that, especially if you have diabetes,” Jo continued. Notably, added sugars are different from the sugar that’s already present in the food.
All in all, she said to lessen your intake of trans fat, saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars. “Although, sodium is not bad. It’s just that we want to be mindful of the amount, and then your added sugars would be some of the ones that I’d start off being more mindful about first,” Jo clarified.
That being said, Jo emphasizes focusing on addition rather than restriction to ensure a balanced diet. “For me, I personally always recommend focusing on what you can add to your diet first rather than what you have to remove,” she said.
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“So while we can be mindful of specific intakes, I still definitely recommend focusing on the nutrients that you need to actually be adding first before you focus on the stuff that we should be getting rid of or anything like that. Because we’ll notice that by adding, we could possibly already help with that other goal,” she added.
According to Jo, this is because incorporating more of the nutrients you could be missing allows you to feel more satisfied, which in turn allows you to be more in tune with your body.
