Not overweight but unhealthy

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Salty Bear
Posts: 24
Joined: Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:17 am
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by Salty Bear on Wed Jun 06, 2012 3:24 pm

Not overweight but unhealthy

Hi,

I am worried about the eating habits of my father and wondered what advice you could give me to help him lead a more healthy lifestyle.

He is 58 and single. He cooks for himself and rarely goes to much trouble. He has coeliac disease so is limited on what he can eat so plays it safe most days. For lunch he has a gluten free sandwich, packet of crisps and a couple of pieces of fruit then in the evening he will have something like sausages, burgers, GF fish fingers or other kids type food with new potatoes and baked beans. He also puts salt on all his food and has loads of butter. At the weekend he will always have a cooked breakfast, usually fried but then doesn't eat lunch.

He is quite active, on his feet all day at work, walks most days etc but i worry about his diet affecting his health. He isn't overweight so can't see why i worry. Am i right to worry about his diet?

Thanks

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Denise Kennedy
Posts: 34
Joined: Thu May 24, 2012 11:30 am
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by Denise Kennedy on Wed Jun 06, 2012 6:47 pm

Re: Not overweight but unhealthy

Hi Salty Bear - thanks for your post. Your dad sounds as if he has got a lot right - he is active, maintains a healthy weight and is working. He adapts his food intake so as not to eat too much. If someone is not too keen on preparing food, cooking for yourself can be a bit of a chore, so finding some easy ways to inspire and help him develop his culinary range might be the way to go. It maybe that he can't be bothered to cook for himself, or that he hasn't got the skills.

From a health point of view your Dad is a relatively young man with hopefully, many many active years left in him yet. Food can go a long way to helping him remain in good health and if he wanted further information and help I would suggeset that he needs to try to eat more fruit and veg, and possibly more wholegrain (obviously making sure it is gluten free) such as brown rice, brown gluten free pasta. Fibre (found in wholegrain, and fruit and veg) is important for keeping our digestive systems working well, and fruits and veg contain lots of health giving anti-oxidants - particularly thought to help protect against degenerative diseases of old age.

Are there any particular dishes/meals that your dad likes that you could help him learn to cook. What about a healthy shepherds pie (containing lots of veg) that he could then freeze portions of so has got some quick dishes from cooking once? Gluten free pasta with some quick sauces and some additional veg. Fish is really quick to poach - smoked haddock with some new potatoes and broccoli - very tasty. Soup can also be really easy to make and can be frozen. Risotto is an easy one-pot dish and can be made with lots of veg in it, along with your favourite flavours. There are some ideas for basic recipes on our website - these are aimed at people who do not have lots of cooking experience or skills - http://www.cookerychampions.co.uk/cooke ... cipes.html.

I might also suggest that he looks at using frozen veg. This is usually as nutritious as fresh veg but with less waste, particularly if you are on your own. Especially for cooking in one pot meals such as casseroles, frozen is a very good option. I would never be without frozen peas and sweetcorn!!

Perhaps you could invite him around to your house and make some simple easy dishes and engage him in conversation that way. But don't be too pushy - someone will only change when they themselves are ready to make changes. And I am sure he will listen to you - you maybe not just know it at the time. Be positive and use food to inspire. Hope it goes well.
Denise Kennedy
Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist

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