Do you think you eat healthily? World Obesity Day

At BGuara, we’re committed to helping you start looking after your diet. To this end, we are joined by Miriam Carruesco, from Naval, a registered dietitian and nutritionist in Aragón, whose interest in health and nutrition led her to specialise in the field; she currently sees patients in Barbastro, Huesca and Sariñena.

Miriam is going to give us some tips on how to start looking after our diet – or do you think the walks we’ve suggested are going to sort themselves out?

The relationship between diet, exercise and health

There are other important factors that influence our well-being, such as physical exercise, adequate rest and stress management. All of these, together with a healthy diet, will help us to stay healthy and strong.

There are various ways to get daily exercise: going to the gym, working out at home, going for a walk… And on our days off, we can make the most of them by going hiking in the Sierra de Guara or cycling. Taking part in sport in the great outdoors brings us many benefits, as, whilst keeping active, we synthesise vitamin D, a very important hormone in our bodies that we obtain from sunlight. We’ll also be helping to relieve the stress of daily life and breathing in fresh air.

The consequences of a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle

A poor diet, combined with a sedentary lifestyle, stress and lack of sleep, increases the risk of developing certain diseases and/or conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and obesity, amongst others.

The basics of healthy eating

To improve your diet, start by prioritising fruit and vegetables, and include both animal protein (meat, fish, eggs, dairy products) and plant-based protein (pulses, soya, tofu). The grains you eat should be whole grains, as they provide more nutrients (brown rice, wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, potatoes), and round off your meals by adding healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil, nuts, avocado and olives.

Nutrition for cycling and other endurance sports

When exercising, you should also pay attention to your diet to ensure an adequate intake of nutrients, so as not to compromise your performance and endurance. When it comes to cycling, a sport that requires energy to keep pedalling for several hours, we must ensure that our body can obtain the energy it needs. The main fuel for our muscles is carbohydrates, but we mustn’t forget to include protein (to build and repair tissue) and fats (to absorb fat-soluble vitamins and provide essential fatty acids), as well as staying well hydrated before, during and after exercise.

What to eat before and during a bike ride

Foods rich in carbohydrates include: fruit (bananas, grapes, etc.), cereals (bread, pasta, rice), pulses and root vegetables. Foods rich in protein include: milk and dairy products, lean meats (chicken, turkey, etc.), eggs, and fish (salmon, tuna, trout, etc.). And foods rich in healthy fats include: vegetable oils (extra virgin olive oil), nuts (cashews, walnuts, peanuts, etc.), fish (salmon, herring, etc.) and avocado.

To maintain the reserves of energy in our muscles and avoid exhaustion during exercise we can supply carbohydrates of carbohydrates from rapidly absorbed (banana, energy bars, gels, sandwich with cheese, jam, turkey…) and good hydration with water and mineral salts.

Nutrition for post-workout recovery

After physical exertion, our body needs to recover, so we should also pay attention to our diet and include foods such as eggs, nuts, oily fish, cereals, meat, leafy green vegetables and fruit.

How to improve your eating habits

Although our diet has changed significantly in recent years, as we now have access to an increasing number of packaged products containing large amounts of added sugars, additives, fats, salt, etc., we must pay attention to the food we buy and prioritise fresh, healthy options, focusing on vegetables and fruit, pulses, nuts, whole grains and extra virgin olive oil as our main source of fat. We should also include both animal and plant-based protein in every meal. Our main source of hydration should be water, and let’s not forget to exercise daily, manage our stress properly and get a good night’s sleep to help our bodies recover.

I hope these general recommendations have been helpful, and if you have any questions or would like to change your diet to improve or maintain your health, please get in touch with a dietitian-nutritionist for advice.

Miriam Carruesco, Dietitian and Nutritionist