Tips for a healthier life

We all have commitments in life, each one of those can differ from person to person, whether you are a student, have a high-profile career or whether you have family commitments, we all suffer from the pressures of time which impact our dietary choices! Perhaps that microwave meal is easier and you think it gives you more to kick back and relax? Or whether you turn to the cafeteria at lunch breaks.

However, I’m sure you will find yourself feeling hungrier more often and sooner, this causes the awful cycle of more unhealthy choices such as snacking throughout the day causing an overconsumption of calories.

So what we suggest is food planning, we help you to understand the wants and needs of the body and how to overcome these. This banishes that intensity of hunger and prevents us from turning to the closest snack we have to curb that habit! When you plan we set out 4 key steps:

1. Eat ideally 5 types of different nutrient-dense food groups at meals for instance: proteins, grains, fruits, vegetables, and dairy. If consuming 5 is a challenge at first begin with 3 and progressively introduce another each week until you reach 5. After all, the more nutritional groups you put on your plate will increase the number of vitamins and minerals you consume!
2. Remember to target more types of food each week, target 30 different foods in your nutrient-dense groups, avoid the repetitive buys they lack nutritional content! Picking up the same oats every morning with an apple is not substantial enough! Choose the oats, add milk, add chia seeds, strawberries, blueberries, nuts and more!! Count those foods!!
3. Think moderately remain focused on healthy foods, but this does not mean you have to restrict yourself entirely from enjoying a food you love! It’s all about balance!! Focus less on labelling foods good or bad, instead choose 85-90 per cent of foods that are in those healthy groups we’ve talked about! Then leave the 10-15 per cent for the foods with less nutritional value.
4. Eat clean by this we mean putting down those processed foods, put back the foods with labels on! It’s as simple as choosing the orange juice NOT from concentrate, the pressed whole orange juice, baked potatoes rather than pre mashed potatoes, and whole fruits rather than those fruit packed energy bars. The natural products that are either none processed or lightly processed will often contain a higher nutritional value with less trans fats, sodium and all those health corrupting ingredients!! Our genetics need us to sustain eating that is wholesome to prevent us from a chain of genes that develop chronic long term health complications and instead steer us towards a better quality of life that is healthy and sustainable.