Foods to eat every day how about those lists?

We are a nation of people who love food and who know all about flavor. We eat for pleasure, more than just to fill our stomachs. Perhaps it is for this reason then that before we even go to bed, we think about what we'll have in the morning, and right after lunch, we start pondering what to eat for dinner. When you add to the mix what experts on how to live and eat healthily have been proffering up over the past few years, the fact is, we have become bombarded with information and ideas on how to eat. We get all sorts of advice, as to how much water to drink every day, or how much of certain foods to eat or to avoid. We hear all about the supposed 2.5 liters of water we are meant to drink daily as well as the handfuls of walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts or the various amounts of milk, coffee, garlic, parsley and fruit that should generally be entering our systems. Some well-known Turkish health experts like Dr. Mehmet Öz and Dr. Osman Müftüoğlu lead the list-makers when it comes to what we should be eating (and drinking), and how much.

As though all of the above were not enough, experts also talk about how our daily meals should be divided between three main and three snack meals. But, as also mentioned above, even the recommended snack foods on this list are enough to fill you up for the day, so who would have room for main meals after this? We decided to head to the real experts to see if they could straighten out some of this information for us.

Information must be provided and understood correctly

Dietician Taylan Kümeli notes that there is a lot of misinformation floating around on the topic of foods that should be eaten daily and that this misinformation often leads people astray. For example, while it is a scientific fact that drinking 12 glasses of water a day is helpful, there are people for whom drinking just three glasses of water a day is actually better. In other words, personal diet programs really need to take into account a person's specific weight, age, height, genetic makeup and health in order to be correct and effective.

Kümeli says dietary recommendations need to be interpreted properly. While some dieticians note that people should definitely be drinking two glasses of milk per day, “milk” could mean a wide range of dairy products, including ayran, yoghurt or kefir. And as for the oft-heard admonition that we should all be having “a handful of hazelnuts, five walnuts or 40 grams of almonds a day,” Kümeli says yes, but not all of them in one day. The last group of foods is all high in fat, so that choosing to eat a handful of one of them or in fact combining them to equal 40 grams altogether is perfect for one day.

Dietician Taylan Kümeli: People need to be familiar with their own bodies. They need to listen carefully to advice from experts but keeping in mind their own personal needs. To tell people that they should eat five portions of fruit per day is advice that is wide open to interpretation. You cannot just have all the fruit you desire that is high in the glycemic index in one day. This includes fruit like figs, melons, bananas and grapes. Two mandarins are one portion, so you could eat six mandarins in one day. But you could not have six figs or six melons or six bunches of grapes in one day. You have to pay attention to details when following experts' advice. Another example: If you have high blood pressure, heart disease, panic attacks or a rapidly beating heart, you should not be drinking coffee. If you have anemia, you should not drink tea, or you should drink it with a bit of vitamin C. Outside of this, though, there is no real scientific evidence showing the harmfulness of coffee or tea. So if you don't have any of the above-mentioned problems, you could drink coffee or tea daily in small amounts, and of course, it's always better to do so without sugar.

Three portions of fruit, two portions of vegetables

Dietician Dilara Koçak: Eating a balanced diet depends on eating a measured amount of varied kinds of foods. Apples are great for you, but if you consider that you should be eating three to four portions of fruit daily, you could fulfill this criterion with just apples. Or you could use up your fruit intake by eating three dried apricots. You can have a couple glasses of coffee or tea per day, as long as they are without sugar and cream. If your stomach is not too sensitive, you could eat a clove of garlic a day. Adults can have eggs two to three times a week, children can eat them every day. A general piece of advice for health is that you should be eating three portions of fruit and two portions of vegetables per day.

Benefits of recommended foods

5 walnuts: Supports brain function, gives energy to the body, strengthens memory, helps constipation, diarrhea and digestive problems.

A handful of hazelnuts: Gives strength and energy to the body, helpful for the heart and coronary system, prevents anemia, supports bone density.

40 grams almonds: Helps prevent heart disease, rich in vitamin E and antioxidants, slows down ageing.

1 clove of garlic: Prevents blood clots, regulates blood pressure, works as a natural antibiotic.

3 apples: Lowers levels of bad cholesterol, cleanses the blood, helps skin diseases heal, protects the kidneys due to its function as a diuretic, has positive effects on the liver, heart and brain.

5-6 dried apricots: Nourishes the skin, moisturizes and softens, prevents constipation, alleviates physical and mental fatigue.

1 sprig of parsley: Contains lots of vitamin C, gets rid of stomach and intestinal gas, cleanses the blood, eliminates toxins from the body, works to prevent kidney stones and hardening of the arteries.

2.5 liters of water: Gives energy, speeds up the metabolism, helps weight loss, softens the skin and keeps it fresh-feeling, cleans many of the organs in the body, eliminates stress, eliminates fatigue.

Two cups of coffee: Protects the brain from cholesterol.

Three glasses of tea: Helps prevent breast cancer, reduces risk of stroke.

3-4 glasses of green tea: Speeds up metabolism.

Two glasses of milk: Helps prevent osteoporosis and works against intestinal cancer, fulfills calcium needs, strengthens teeth and bones.

5 portions of fruit: Fulfills a wide range of vitamin needs.

Fish three times a week: The omega-3 in fish is a shield that protects against hardening of the arteries, balances out cholesterol, supports brain function, helps learning facilities and prevents the growth of tumors as well as neurological and psychological diseases.

3-4 eggs a week: The vitamin A in egg yolks is very important for eye, dental and bone health. Very few foods contain the levels of vitamin D that egg yolks do, and this is critical for bone development in young children. There are 13 different vitamins and minerals present in eggs.