5 Small changes to make a BIG difference to your health
1 Eat more good fat
When trying to lose weight the first thing many of us cut down on is fat, the contrary to belief is not the healthiest or most effective approach. This food group is a vital source of energy and helps you feel fuller for longer, the trick is to be smart about your fat. Think about a Mediterranean diet, good fats from seeds nuts, fish and avocados not pies pastries and processed foods.
2 Eat with the seasons
If you are eating the recommended 5 a day or more fruit and veggies, well done you, But do you tend to stick to the same things? An Apple a day, a banana after a class – just munching through fruit and veg because it’s good for you is not fun, If you aren’t enjoying what you eat you will find it difficult to any sort of eating plan. If you mix up your fruit and veg you are more likely to get all the nutrients you need, plus you are less likely to get bored.
Try and eat fruit and veg that are produced locally, not only will you be doing your bit for the planet reducing food mile, but it will taste better as it will be in season and be ripened naturally, Be better for you at the nutritional content will not deplete with storage or transportation and not to mention that it is normally cheaper!
3 Try being flexitarian
What the heck? A modern term for not eating meat a few days a week a semi–vegetarian, conservative estimates say 1/3 of the land worldwide is used for growing crops to feed animals. By going veggie a couple of times a week you can increase the amount of vitamins and minerals you eat on those days, not to mention that a diet consisting mainly of fruit and vegetables is lower in calories, ideal for helping you drop a few pounds.
4 Don’t Diet!
What! Yeap don’t diet, if you are a yo-yoer a few pounds on and a few pounds off, following a strict eating plan and thinking of things as being good or bad, you will end up feeling deprived and start having cravings, Stop focusing on the food itself and thing about your relationship with food. Concentrate on the way food tastes its textures the way you feel eating it, take your time and really enjoy it. Listen to what your body actually needs, how many times have you craved or fancied something tried to avoid it and picked at the fridge on “better” foods, only not to feel satisfied and eating what you wanted in the first place. Surely allowing yourself to eat a little of what you fancied in the first place would have made more sense. Give yourself permission to eat what you want and ENJOY it!
5 Sugar
Like fat sugar is often seen as the enemy and most of us opt for diet versions of food and drinks, We all know sugar is bad for us, but the downside is so is too much artificial sweeter, some research is not actually saying that sweeteners will make us put on weight not lose it, and leads to raised levels of diabetes and heart disease, Try and stick to natural sweeteners not white refined sugar. These natural sweeteners come with additional health benefits also. Coconut sugar as probiotic properties that will feed your gut as well as lots of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, Maple sugar also is a good alternative and has added manganese and calcium and can be used as a direct sugar alternative in cooking and baking, also in drinks.