Scroll through your Facebook newsfeed, turn on the TV or even log on to Instagram and a barrage of diet or eating advice comes into view. The Squamish Chief caught up with Vancouver Coastal Health dietitian Helen Yeung for a chat about fact versus fiction when it comes to eating “right.” What follows is an edited version of that conversation.
Q: In Squamish, as elsewhere, the raw food trend has hit with the assumption it’s more nutritious. What are your thoughts on adopting a raw food diet?
A: One way to look at it is: Do you define healthy eating as what you include in your diet, what you add, or is it what you are removing from your diet?
When people say, “I cut out sugar,” I will say, “What did you add back?” If they add all these fruits and vegetables and good nutritious foods then that is great. If it’s defined as an exclusion of foods such as, for example, when in a raw food diet you don’t eat cooked foods or whole grains, like oatmeal and rice, meats, even cooked beans, then you are missing out on all those cooked foods that are nutrient dense.
Q: There are a lot of athletes in Squamish who take eating very seriously. We have an increasing number of claims by eateries or individuals that what you eat can help you ‘cure yourself’ or ‘cure cancer.’ What do you think of such claims?
A: In general, eating more fruits and vegetables and eating more plant-based foods helps to reduce your overall risk of disease, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer, but you cannot say that with certainty for an individual. That is why we often talk about reducing your risk of disease as opposed to preventing disease. No one can prevent anything with certainty. I would never say something cures or definitely prevents.
Q: Making or buying so-called healthy smoothies also seems to be all the rage in town lately. Can you talk about that trend?
A: The question I would ask individuals is what is that smoothie replacing? If it replaces skipping breakfast and you are active, then that is a good thing. But I wouldn’t say it is a better choice than, say, eggs and toast and fruit and yogurt – a meal.
If you are making a homemade smoothie it is good to think about what you are putting into it. It’s great to have whole ingredients in a morning breakfast smoothie: a protein, some good oils and some fibre, fruits, yogurt, nuts and seeds – maybe hemp seed, chia seeds or even sesame seeds – soy milk or milk.
Q: Lately there have been headlines about a child taken from his parents in Italy because of the parents’ vegan diet. What are your thoughts on children being on restrictive diets?
A: If you have a very educated vegetarian who has done their research and knows where to find alternative sources of those nutrients, it can be healthy, but for children and especially young children, they have high needs for energy, fats and protein. A high plant-based diet can be very high in fibre that fills them up very quickly, and young children have small stomachs and eat smaller amounts compared to adults. You have to be very careful, and of course I would promote contacting a dietitian. Parents can contact free dietitian services by calling 811, Monday through Friday.
Q: Do you have any tips for children and university students going back to school?
A: Definitely check with the school to see if there are any rules around allergy restrictions. The number one tip is to really plan so that you have the staples in the house. What I start with is a shopping list and I have a Post-it note on my fridge where I write down what I need as I finish it. Get your kids involved in adding to the shopping list. The more that you can involve kids in the planning, the shopping and the preparation, the more likely they are to eat it.
My other big tip is to cook once and eat twice, or more. It takes about the same amount of time to make six meals as it does to make two so you might as well make a larger portion.
Q: Can you speak about the proliferation of gluten-free products?
A: Part of that is marketing in that there are more gluten-free products available. Really, the only people who need to avoid gluten are people with Celiac disease or people with gluten sensitivity. The latest science indicates that it doesn’t really help with weight loss.
Q: Questions around weight loss seem as old as time. The latest I have heard is that what you eat is more important than the amount you exercise. What is your advice for someone trying to lose 10 pounds?
A: The research shows people who are physically active reduce their health risks and, obviously, eating well is part of that. You don’t have to be thin to be healthy. If, in fact, you are active and a bit higher weight, that is healthier than being a normal weight and inactive and eating poorly. It is actually the behaviors and attitudes that are more important than the weight itself. Generally, the healthy weight for an individual is what you would be at when you are eating well and being active.
The recommended amount of exercise is about an hour a day for young people. After 18 years old, the amount drops to 150 minutes a week, minimum. Exercise will help prevent weight gain if you are sedentary.
But often when you do more than one to two hours a day of exercise you just get hungrier and it can lead to increased appetite – you eat more. Eat when you are hungry, stop when you are satisfied and you will get the right amount as long as you are feeding yourself at regular intervals and have a healthy food environment.
