Daily diet

Question
QUESTION: Hello

I was wondering if you could give me a bit of feedback on how am eating ?I would like to think that I eat quite healthily, but I hear such conflicting messages in the media about what is and what isn抰 good for you that I just don抰 know anymore!  Here is a typical daily diet for me ?I would be grateful to hear what you think of it: -

Breakfast:
Porridge (oatmeal) made with skimmed milk
Glass of orange juice
1 banana

Mid-morning snack:
TREK protein bar

Lunchtime:
Sandwich made with wholemeal bread ?I usually have chicken, egg or low-fat cottage cheese in it.
1 small pot low fat  natural yoghurt (150g)
Piece of fruit ?usually an apple, a pear, grapes or 2 satsumas.

Dinner:
I usually have some fish like salmon or a tuna steak with new potatoes and vegetables, or with wholemeal rice and vegetables.  A couple of nights a week I usually have wholemeal pasta with a tomato sauce and some tuna or chicken, with some salad on the side.
Then for dessert I have another natural yoghurt and some berries, e.g. blueberries, raspberries or strawberries.

Before I go to bed I also have a glass of skimmed milk and a couple of oatcakes as this helps me to sleep.

I also drink lots of green tea and water throughout the day. I don抰 really drink alcohol.

Does this sound ok to you? My main worry is that I eat too much sugar (albeit natural sugar) because of all the milk, yoghurt, fruit and vegetables that I eat ?for example, a large banana contains about 30 grams of sugar and my TREK bar has another 25g, the orange juice has about 20g and the milk on my porridge is about 15g. That means that I have had 90g of sugar before I have even eaten lunch ?and 90g of sugar is the recommended daily allowance for a woman! Adding it up, I think I have about 150 ?160g per day. I always thought that eating those foods was good for me, but recently I have been hearing a lot about how eating a lot of sugar will make you fat, even if the sugar is from natural sources.  Do you think I need to change my diet?

Thank you!!

Keira

ANSWER: Hi Keira,

When I look for a healthy diet I look for balance, variety, and moderation. What I see in what you sent me is a nice balance of fruits, vegetables, dairy, whole grains and protein.

The healthy diet recommendations are still including sugar from milk and fruit, because if you try to reduce your carb intake too much, the only alternative is raising your intake of protein and fat--both of which also have limits recommended for optimum health.

You simply cannot avoid everything there is to eat because of something you hear in the media, nor can you eat ALL of what you hear are "miracle foods" :)  Remember that moderation, balance and variety are key!

See more at www.choosemyplate.gov on a healthy diet!

Laurie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Laurie

Thank you so much for your rapid response. To clarify, you don't think then that eating about 150g of sugar per day is too much for me if it is natural?

Thank you!

Answer
Keira,
I can't perform an individual assessment on you personally, being that we are on the Internet. I can say that the daily food intake you provided looked healthy and well-balanced.
The problem with sugars could be (A) some one is eating so much that hey cannot use all the calories they are ingesting so they gain weight and become fat. Or (B) the sugar they consume is providing them with calories that are devoid of nutrition, as in sweetened beverages (soda), candies and cakes.

Neither one of these appear to be an issue in your diet.

I hope that helps!
Laurie

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