Day 1: Analyze your eating
Few people are truly conscious of how much they eat, how often they eat,
and exactly what they eat and a food
diary is a great tool in increasing such awareness. Most women are in
denial about their eating habits and a food diary or reporting their daily intake
may be a reality check. Seeing your habits in black and white will give a true
idea of the cause and effects in your diet. This can be a daunting prospect
initially, but while you may be hesitant to look at your habits this closely,
it is a vital step to switching from a mindset of dieting to a focus on
lifestyle change.
A good food diary should record
more than just calorie intake. Use it to record the emotions, situations, and
triggers that cause you to overeat or make poor food choices. In fact, your
food diary may end up being more about your feelings than food which is valid
as there is more often than not a connection between emotions and food.
A food
diary will help you identify your emotional eating triggers, and guide you in
making the link between eating and emotional queues or triggers. Once aware,
reviewing a food diary will allow you to plan alternate activities to eating
before the eating behaviour or situation arises again and it will be a tool to
trace back in time to see where you went wrong when the number on the scale
does not leave you satisfied.
Day 2: Feed your cells
Our
bodies have trillions of mitochondria— components of our cells that crank out adenosine
triphosphate, the molecule essential to all metabolism and energy creation. To
keep them “fat and happy,” try to eat a diet high in the B vitamins (including
B6, B12, folic acid, niacin, riboflavin and thiamine).
Most
people consuming a varied and balance diet of whole-grains, meat, chicken and
fish will be consuming enough B-vitamins. Those who exclude certain food groups
from their diet should discuss with their dietitian or doctor before taking a supplement.
The B-vitamins are a group of vitamins that play a role in metabolism of
the cell. The B-vitamins include:
·
Vitamin B9 (folic acid): involved in the development of growing embryons,
thus pregnany women and thos trying to conceive should consider folic acid
supplements to their diet. Dietary sources include dark green leafy
vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, Swiss chard, broccoli, watercress, as well
as dried beans, peas and legumes
·
Vitamin B1s: Vitamin B12 is of concern in vegetarians and vegans as it
is not available from plant sources and only in animal sources. Those with a
diet deficient or animal products should consider taking a B12 supplement.
Day 3: Sip it good
One of the corner stones of a healthy diet and clean system is good
water intake. Toxins building up will contribute inflammatory responses. Aim
for at least 8 glasses (or 2L) of water per day or 30-40ml/kg/day. A good
indication of sufficient fluids is pale coloured urine. Jazz up water with
slices of lemon or orange and fresh mint leaves for a refreshing drink, or add
lemon juice to a cup of hot water in the cooler months.
Day 4: Start strong
Eating soon after you wake up will awaken the body
and kick start your metabolism for the day. Start the day with a well balanced
breakfast of lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats for
sustained energy levels. Adding sufficient protein and healthy fats aids in the
slower digestion and release of sugars into the blood resulting in constant
blood glucose levels. Oat based cereals with milk and pumpkin seeds or nuts,
scrambled egg on low GI bread or berries and plain yogurt as protein source
srinkled with some nuts and seeds will all do the trick.
Day
5: Manage the munchies
Snacks
should be readily available to prevent you from reaching for convenience and
most of the time not-so-healthy options. Preparing a daily lunchbox is one of
the better ways of making sure your food for the day is ready. Snacks should be
low in GI to prevent energy spikes and drops. This may include low GI crackers
with cottage cheese, biltong, a small tub of yoghurt with a fruit or a handful
of nuts. Again, combining the carbs with a protein and a fat will slow down the
digestion and regulate the release of the sugars into your blood, controlling
both sugar and insulin levels.
Day 6: Go pro
In recent years probiotics have become the new buzzword in scientific
circles. Probiotics are good bacteria that confer health benefits when eaten in
adequate amount. Probiotics can be consumed in the form of supplements, or
included in the diet in foods such as fermented products like yoghurt, milk,
kefir, sauerkraut, and tempeh.
Optimally, the good beneficial bacteria should predominate over
potentially harmful bacteria. During illness or through poor dietary practices,
the unfriendly bacteria are afforded the chance to multiply and grow causing
gastrointestinal upsets and ill health. Consuming probiotics leads to an increase
numbers of probiotic bacteria in the gut, which would naturally decrease over
time once ingestion stops. When ingested, probiotics pass through the stomach
unaffected by acids and enzymes, entering the intestine and multiplying to live
on the intestinal cell surface.
Through a combination of these mechanisms, bad bacteria are effectively
booted out of the gut and the good bacteria thrive and grow.
Some of the potential health benefits of probiotics
in adults include alleviation of conditions of the gut such as:
- irritable bowel syndrome (IBS),
- inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis);
- treatment and prevention of diarrhoea
(particularly in diarrhoea associated with anti-biotic use),
- thrush,
- lactose intolerance
Other health condition still under investigation
includes colon cancer, peptic ulcers. Probiotics are also
recommended for general health and well-being as evidence suggests they may
improve immune function.
Day 7: Just brew it!
Recent revelations
about the power of green and white tea are impressive. One of the most useful
properties of the surely is the relaxing effect as stress can spur on the
inflammatory effect. Furthermore, it is loaded with antioxidants which fight
against free radicals, all the bad guys present in an inflamed body. Even when
you are using it just for comfort, don’t hold back- d
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