Nutrition: What to do when I don’t like eating fish, veg or dairy?
updated the 17 August 2015 à 14:23We consume more than 80,000 meals in a lifetime and that is 80,000 occasions to not stick to the public nutritional advice. Is that harmful? Not necessarily. 4 dieticians-nutritionists help us establish our own healthy guidelines for balanced diets.
“When it comes to food, do not feel obliged,” that is the new advice from nutritionists. But how do we do that when the media is pushing the three public health messages of ‘five fruits and vegetables a day, 3 dairy products a day and have fish three times a week’ in order to be healthy?
And what happens when two out of these three approaches aren’t compatible? Or when our tastes counter these scientific messages?
For Florence Pujol, a Parisian dietician, the best way is to lose control. “Eating a steamed fish with green beans when your urge is to eat pasta with butter instead is absurd. If you don’t fulfill your urges in time, they will come back stronger later in the day and you will eventually give in.”
The instructions from the health messages are just simple benchmarks. “It is a general indication of the direction to take, and not an imposed route,” she insists. Still not convinced? Another dietician, in charge of creating healthy meals diet for nurseries, elderly homes and local businesses, also recommends flexibility in respect to public health slogans – “one fruit and one vegetable per day is enough.” It may be far from the official message in the public health slogans, but it is closer to what is on meal plates.
In 2006-2007, less than one in two (43%) reported eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Should the remaining 57% worry then? And does it mean that people who do not like having fish, meat or dairy products are risking their health? Here are some alternatives for nutritional guidelines.
– If you do not like fruits and vegetables.
– If you do not like meat or fish
– If you do not like dairy products
Mathieu Rached
