Diet,
Nutrition & Healthy Eating
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Diet
- to most of us this conjures up the multitude of “diet “plans,
books, clubs etc that are available, but this is not solely what we
are looking at. We shall be focusing on the various plans out there
and see what they are about under our diet plans page and as always
we want to hear from organisations about how their plans work. Food
choices really do effect your health and that of your children - see
below for the latest news about additives. When it comes to food - it
should be a positive experience - learning about what you are eating
and how to cook healthily can transform bad eating habits.
If
you would like an email or personal consultation with Jessica to find
out more about what you personally should do doing to help you with you
with eating healthily or about living with diabetes please get in touch.
More can be found about diabetes on our new diabetes
page
Many
will have struggled and failed with trying to lose weight but don't get
disheartened. Rather than think just of the pounds to lose start by finding
an old dress / pair of trousers one size smaller than your usual size
and use that as a target instead of the scales. By the time you are in
it your scales will show the results too. If any of you are embarking
on a change of eating habits and want to share your experiences please
get in contact and we will share your diet diary with others to inspire.
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We
shall also be including some advice from nutritional therapist
Jessica Villa on adopting a healthier lifestyle. Jessica was born
in Italy and now lives in England, she is qualified as a Nutritional
Therapist (BSc Hons) and has an MSc in Public Health Nutrition.
Jessica
is able to offer a range of services through from one-to-one nutritional
consultations including support via email, telephone or post or
ask her to run a seminar for your organization, school or charity
If
you have a question to ask her for this page or a topic you would
like to see included then please get in touch.
If
you have a question to ask about your nutrition - email Jessica
nutrition@bigmatters.co.uk
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The
only person that can help you succeed is "YOU"! Now its
time to take action and get in shape once and for all! I am not saying
that weight loss is easy, its hard in fact, but it’s not the
actual process of loosing weight that’s most difficult, it’s
talking yourself into sticking to the plan daily and for long enough
to make a difference.
Think
about this: "it’s the little things that you do that
can hinder your weight loss", like keeping your favourite comfort
foods at home, taking the escalator instead of the stairs, or engaging
in negative self-talk. All your bad habits need to go! And they
need to go NOW!
Below
are five simple reminders that can help you rearrange your lifestyle
to fit your new healthy weight goals:
Kill
off negative self-talk: stop saying to yourself "I'm such a
loser. I will never lose the weight". Instead say to yourself:
"I want to be healthy and I deserve to feel good about myself.
I will succeed!"
Do not label your food as "good"
or "bad". Just think about healthier options and you will
enjoy your food more
Replace negative eating behaviours with new behaviours SLOWLY!
Set achievable goals, do not try to change
everything from one day to another
Try to cut out unhealthy foods and replace them with healthier options
daily
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We
hear over and over about dieting, bad foods, saturated fats, slimming,
but most people are very confused from all this information and
they don't know what to choose. Why not take it step-by-step? To
protect your heart you only need simple changes to your lifestyle
and diet. Simple? Yes it is
Top
10 foods to help your heart:
Oats:
help control cholesterol levels;
Nuts/Seeds: rich in healthy oils;
Green vegetables and Berries: rich in antioxidants;
Avocados and Olive oil: rich in heart-healthy fats;
Oily fish: rich in omega-3
Brown rice: rich in fibre;
Beans and Pulses: lower LDL (bad) cholesterol;
Turkey: the leanest meat of all;
Start eating more of the foods listed above and avoid butter, margarine,
frying, red meat, cookies and cakes.
Also,
walk for about 30 minutes every day and you will see and improvement
in your general health and appearance. Remember that, especially
in the Summer, the body needs antioxidants due to the effect of
the sun on free radicals, so why not start using a multi vitamin/minerals?
If you want more information on which brands are best, just write
to me.
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Moderation,
moderation, moderation!
· Be moderate in everything you do. Drink moderate amounts
of alcohol, eat moderate amounts of food and do not stop exercise
altogether.
· When you dine out in restaurants or by friends and family,
eat grilled fish or lean meat instead of sausages and fatty foods
and avoid creamy sauces or butter. Why don’t you try instead
some nice vinaigrette made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, some
fresh lemon and some freshly ground pepper instead. Choose a baked
potato instead of chips.
· For dessert have fresh fruit salad or strawberries without
cream or ice cream, but with some nice chocolate sauce instead. Of
course, in moderation!
· If you have however had a heavy meal, eat less for a day
or two thereafter, concentrating on fresh fruit and raw vegetables,
low-fat yoghurts, grilled fish and lots of water. Do not forget that
exercise will make you feel reborn, so go for a walk, for a swim or
simply for a little jog in the morning before your breakfast. I promise
you, you will feel like new again!
· Get plenty of sleep since our body recovers while asleep.
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5
steps to a healthy diet:
Eat plenty
of fresh fruits and vegetables, Try to aim for 5 pieces/portions
a day.
• Drink
at
least 1,5L of water a day and reduce to a minimum soft drinks, alcohol
and coffee
• Eat
chicken or fish In preference to red meat and plenty of vegetables
or a big mixed salad.
• Decrease
or better avoid wheat products, such as baked goods, bread, pasta,
biscuits and cakes and dairy foods
• Eat
5 small meals a day and never skip your breakfast
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SALT
What
is ‘high salt’?
Use the following table to work out what your
recommended maximum daily intake of salt should be. Note that you
do not need to eat this much salt - this is an upper limit. With
so much salt added to processed foods it can be surprisingly easy
to go over the limit, especially for children.
Recommended maximum daily amounts for each age group
as sodium as salt
Children 1-3 0.8g 2g
Children 4-6 1.2g 3g
Children 7-10 2.0g 5g
Children 11+ 2.4g 6g
Adult women 2.0g 5g*
Adult men 2.8g 7g*
From: Salt & Health, published by the Scientific Advisory Committee
on Nutrition, 2003
* Note: For simplicity, the recommended maximum for adults is often
averaged to 6g of salt (2.4g sodium) per day.
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Additives -
Making
positive food choices is important and understanding what is in your food
- for example ,It may be a natural additive but do you know what colouring
E120 Cochineal is made from ? A female Dactylopius coccus, a cactus-feeding
scale insect is found in several red coloured food products !
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