It is well understood that maintaining a healthy weight is important for both physical health, and internal physiological health. Weight gain can limit physical function, is related to musculoskeletal pain, and increases risk of other diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer to name a few. And we know also that it is important to ensure a good variety of foods in our diet to ensure we get adequate nutrition to fuel and nourish our body so that it can function efficiently. This means making sure we get the right vitamins and nutrients in our meals.
But, there are a lot of mixed messages out there about what a healthy diet should look like, and what you should be putting on your plate. So what can we use as a reference point for better understanding good eating?
The Better Health Channel, an online community health resource funded by Vic Health has a range of resources for healthy eating as well as disease-specific dietary advice. The information provided is up-to-date and evidence based, and is relevant to the local population of Victoria. You can search the pages for a variety of information relevant to you and your loved ones.
There are some excellent and easy to read information sheets available via their website to help you understand what you should be eating, as well as how much and how often. Here are links to pages that we think our clients at Thompsons Road Physiotherapy might find useful:
- Food variety and healthy diet and advice
- Body Mass Index (BMI) explained
- Arthritis and diet
- Diabetes and diet
- Pregnancy and diet
- Diet and weight loss advice
At Thompsons Road we encourage our clients to maintain healthy lifestyles, and of course we can assist to help get you moving better! Talk to us about exercising and how it can compliment your healthy eating plan.