Diet and Nutrition Part 1!- Now qualified to dish out advice!!

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD!! I love food. I have always loved food! According to my Mother me and my siblings were all weaned at six weeks and potty trained soon after that! Think she may be telling porky pies about the potty training but I do believe her about the weaning! This, along with growing up with parents from the post war generation where you did not leave the table until your plate was clean regardless of how full you were  has possibly resulted in enjoying food far too much! Food is and always will be regarded as an important part of our family life. Social events revolve around food. And lots of it.

Hence I have been on a “diet” since I was about 12 years old. Even at the age of 40, my first thought when I wake up or go to sleep  is not my children, my work, Husband etc. it is food! Beating myself up because I have eaten too much “naughty” food or feeling smug because I have been marvellously “good!” Or what are we eating tomorrow (although as a Mother of two constantly hungry children that is probably considered normal!)

I know the calorie content along with protein/fat/carb ratio of every food. I am constantly looking for the next wonder food. I have shelves and shelves of recipe books and nutrition books. I know the exact path that your food takes from the moment it goes into your mouth to when it comes out the other end!

I have been on the Micro diet, Atkins, Cambridge, Weight Watchers, Slimming World, Slim Fast, South Beach diet, Rosemary Conley, Paleo diet (very windy!), Grapefruit Diet, Cabbage Soup Diet, Egg Diet. Do I need to go on?!

When I was 37 I had a mini stroke. I had had a very stressful few months, I had been on Blood Pressure tablets for 4 years and I was 3 stone- at least – over weight. It was definitely a wake up call. I became fascinated with being healthy. Not just dieting but being healthy in mind and body. I wanted to know more about nutrients and what each food did for my body rather than what I had to deprive myself of to lose weight. I wanted the simple approach, no processed food, no sugar, additives, sweeteners, bulking agents. I have always loved cooking so it became an absolute pleasure finding clean and healthy foods that would help the weight loss but would also have an Holistic approach to my (at the time) frazzled, scared and frightened mind. I wanted to know why we crave certain foods. how we really are what we eat. Most of us will have far too much yeast in our bodies, most certainly if you crave yeasty foods and sugar.

We have an obsession with taking pills in this country. We take pills for one problem and then take pills because of the side effects of the original pills and the cycle goes on and on. Enough! Lets go back to basics!

I started to increase my exercise considerably, I was already doing karate twice a week but started Bootcamps and running on a regular basis. When I first started running, I couldn’t run to the end of my road – 5 houses away. Now I regularly run 10km and more. Weight loss has helped with this, but also the right sort of food.

As much as I felt I knew about Diet and Nutrition, I was not qualified to dish out advice so I decided to do a Diet and Nutrition course. 14 essays and 15 “tests” later I have qualified! So feel free to ask me any questions. Come and see me for advice. I have and always will struggle with my weight. I exercise, not because I  particularly enjoy it – except the social side-    but because I love eating more. I love creating  or following recipes. I devour (literally) recipe books. My Husband, children, family and friends test all my food thankfully enjoying most of it!

My top  tips are:

• Absolutely NO sugar free foods. Sugar free 99.9% of the time means it contains artificial sweetener, normally aspartame. Avoid sugar free at all costs, especially for your children. If you need painkiller syrup for your babies, Calpol still do the original. As much as I hate sugar it does have a pain killing effect. Rather a teaspoon of sugar than a teaspoon of artificial crap.
• If you are doing exercise you need good Carbohydrates. They are essential for energy, muscle recovery and the blood cells. End of!
• Fasting days. Excellent. Give your body a rest, allows the organs to give themselves a boost in order to work more efficiently.
• As much as possible don’t eat after 7pm. Give your body time to digest the food before you go to bed. Also ideal time for your body to fast naturally.
• Try and avoid sugar and white food. When I say white food, I mean anything made with white flour.
• If you don’t already,  try lentils. All different types. They are fantastic. Along with quinoa. Packed full of nutrients they really are the bees knees.
• Eat local and seasonal food as much as possible. It is cheaper.
• If you eat meat, make sure it is good meat. If necessary pay a bit more for a good piece of meat but eat less of it. Trust me, you don’t need as much as you think you do.
• Drink plenty of water. Your wee should be clear. And yes, you will wee more but you need too. It gets rid of toxins. Toxins make you ill.
• If you drink tea and coffee in moderation  then carry on drinking it! If you drink more than 4 cups a day try and cut down. If you have it with sugar try cutting it out slowly. Please don’t convert to sweeteners. If you drink de caff tea or coffee go organic. The product is put through a huge chemical process to become de caffeinated if it isn’t organic.
• We drink semi skimmed or full fat milk. Never skimmed. It doesn’t contain enough fatty acids or nutrients. Full fat milk is only 4% fat. Obviously don’t drink it in huge amounts but a small amount in tea and coffee is fine.

I could go on and on and on talking about my favourite subject but I won’t! I will do that in my next blog. Part 2 coming soon! Please contact me if you want more information or some recipe ideas.

Finally! Remember we are all human. Sometimes we eat too much of the wrong food. Accept it. I will always love chocolate, cheese, fresh white bread and posh salt and vinegar crisps! My 40th Birthday party revolved around cheese and chocolate. I don’t need to say anymore!