Do certain foods and eating behaviours influence our happiness?

[உடையார்]

Do certain foods and eating behaviours influence our happiness?

We are what we eat, says Dr Rosemary Stanton, who explains why what we put on our plate can put a smile on your face.

What should we be eating for happiness?

Dr Rosemary Stanton says: It is difficult to be happy if you're not healthy. And it's not just what you eat, but where. Try sharing a table with your family when you eat and turn off the television. This is vital for children: young children's speech develops much faster when they eat at a shared table. In teenagers, those who eat with their family are less likely to get into trouble at school, or with the law, are less likely to smoke, drink alcohol at risky levels or use illegal drugs. When we sit with others to share a meal, we also share the day's good and bad moments. That's got to be better than taking your snack to your bedroom or the TV room.

Which foods should we avoid?

Processed junk foods and drinks as a starting point. You don't have to eliminate what you love, just enjoy them in small qualities. Much of the stuff we eat is mundane: biscuits, salty or sugary snack foods, poor quality pizzas or burgers. You can just as easily replicate your favourite foods at home. They'll taste nicer, healthier and, even better, cost less.

Can being happy make you slimmer?

Being slim certain doesn't make you happy. Although when we're happy with ourselves – whatever our weight – we tend to eat more healthily and mindfully. There is no doubt that being overweight is very often associated with health problems, which is certainly a cause of unhappiness. However, this doesn't apply to everyone – some unhappy people eat too much; others become very thin because they can't be bothered eating when they're on their own.

Are happiness and weight connected?

They can be. Unhappiness is associated with people trying to get to a weight that is inappropriate for their body type. Staying active, eating healthily and maintaining a weight within your healthy range is likely to be associated with happiness. And it's a myth that fat people are happy. The many overweight and obese people with health problems are not happy.

What are the biggest mistakes we're making in our diet?

Excess. The excessive number of waste due to drinking bottled water or sugar-containing drinks, when we have a supply of safe tap water, create so many environmental problems. We also eat too much beef, which has a negative effect on our health and the environment.

Packaged or high-processed foods are not just detrimental to our health, they've created a scenario whereby people think that they can pop a supplement or buy an expensive 'functional foods' to rectify the problem. Food waste is also a huge problem. We eat too much and waste too much. The 7.5 million tonnes of edible food we throw out each year would provide three hearty meals a year for 13.6 million people.

Dr Rosemary Stanton is a leading Australian nutritionist.

[akootha]

மேலைத்தேய நாடுகளில் மக்கள் உடல்பருமன் பெறுவதற்கு ஒரு காரணம் 'பசிக்கு மட்டும் சாப்பிடுவது அல்ல', அதாவது அவர்கள் 'நாம் சந்தோசமாக இருப்பதற்காக சாப்பிடுகிறார்கள் (happy food) '. இன்னொரு மொழியில் சொன்னால், 'உருசிக்காக சாப்பிடுகிறார்கள்'.

அதேவேளை பல 'வேகமாக சாப்பிடும்' (fast food) இடங்களில் இடப்படும் எண்ணெய், 'ச்சீஸ்', 'டிப்', 'சோஸ்', 'க்ரீம்'.. என பலவகை 1000-2000 கலோரி உணவுகளை இணைப்பதால் உடல்பருமன் ஆவது ஒரு நோயாக பார்க்கப்படுகின்றது. அரசுகளும் பெரிதாக ஒன்றும் செய்வதில்லை, காரணம் இந்த உணவகங்கள் பணத்தை கட்சிகளுக்கு வாரி இறைப்பது.

[SUNDHAL]

இன்றைய இயந்திரமான காலப்பகுதியில்.....குடும்பத்தோடு சேர்ந்து உண்ணுவது என்றது மிக மிக குறைவு...ஆனாலும் குடும்பத்துடன் இனைந்;து இரவு உணவாவது உண்ணுவது எல்லாருக்குமே நல்லது...அந்த வகையில் இந்த கட்டுரையிலும் அதை வலியுறுத்துகிறார்.....இனைப்புக்கு நன்றிகள்....