Author:Tricia Towsey

November 23, 2020 In Blogs By Tricia Towsey

Understanding Energy Balance and Obesity

Understanding energy balance can help you to develop strategies to reduce obesity. In order to reduce obesity, it’s necessary to have a basic understanding of energy balance. This understanding is important, as it will help you to develop strategies. But before starting to understand what energy balance is, it’s advisable to examine the obesity problem that is currently affecting so much of the world’s population.

Globally, obesity has now reached epidemic proportions. Each year at least 2.8 million people die because they are overweight or obese.

The many health problems that obesity brings with it include:

High blood pressure (hypertension)
Problems regarding cholesterol
Type 2 diabetes
Coronary heart disease
Stroke
Gallbladder disease
Osteoarthritis
Sleep apnoea and breathing problems
Many types of cancer
Low quality of life
Clinical depression, anxiety and other mental disorders
Body pain and difficulty with functioning physically.

Covid-19 Pandemic

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, numerous studies have reported that many of the sickest patients are/were overweight or obese. As the year has progressed, it has become clear from these studies around the world that being overweight or obese puts you at a much higher risk of contracting Covid-19, and dying from it.

During August of 2020, in the first meta-analysis of its kind and which was published in Obesity Reviews, an international team of researchers gathered data from dozens of peer-reviewed papers capturing 399,000 patients. It was found that obese people who had contracted SARS-CoV-2 were 113% more likely to die – compared to people of a healthy weight – or to be hospitalised, 74% more likely to be admitted to an ICU, and 48% more likely to die.

These statistics indicate that there’s even more reason to lose weight than ever before. Therefore you should consider losing at least some weight, even if you’re only slightly overweight and getting your energy balance correct. Now is the time to act. The stakes are higher than ever. Furthermore, it’s highly recommended that you look at Family Wellbeing Coach Membership Site. Here you will find numerous resources that will help you to embark on your weight-loss voyage.

Obesity used to be associated only with high-income countries. Now, however, obesity is also prevalent in low- to middle-income countries.

Body Mass Index

Body mass Index (BMI) measures your weight in relation to your height.

Other methods to measure body fat include measuring skinfold thickness with calipers, underwater weighing, bioelectrical impedance, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and isotope dilution. However, these methods are not always available, and are either expensive or need to be conducted by highly trained staff.

The following are the BMI classifications:

Below 18.5 is underweight
18.5 to 24.9 is normal weight
25.0 to 29.9 is Pre-obese
30.0 to 34.9 is obese
35.0 to 39.9 is severe obesity
40.0 to 49.9 is morbid obesity
50.0 and over is super obese.

Worldwide Obesity Crisis

Obesity exists all over the world. However, some countries are more affected by obesity than others. Although it’s not unusual to assume that the populations of the world’s richest and most developed countries are the most obese, this isn't necessarily so. Two of the most developed countries in the world are the United States and the United Kingdom, yet, when comparing levels of obesity, they are ranked 12th and 36th respectively. Obviously we aren’t exercising nearly enough and, consequently, our current energy balance is in disarray.

Many of the world’s smaller nations are classified as being the most obese. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that the ever-rising cost of healthy food, coupled with food scarcity in underdeveloped nations, is a contributing factor to this obesity.

Countries with Lowest Obesity Levels

According to the WHO, the world’s least obese countries have obesity rates of lower than 2%. Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Eritrea and Madagascar are the five least obese countries in the world.

These figures could be somewhat misleading because it’s highly likely that some of these countries show low obesity figures because of malnutrition. Conversely, it’s possible that they have a natural way of handling energy balance as, in rural areas, many people are performing manual labour.

However, some of the research findings have indicated that the numbers of overweight and obese people in rural areas are constantly increasing. Unfortunately, ultra-processed foods are becoming part of the everyday diets of people living in rural areas, and cheaply made motor vehicles and mechanised farming equipment are also changing the lifestyles of rural people.

Genetic Tendencies

Take India, for instance. According to the WHO, the country has an exceptionally low incidence of obesity. Nevertheless, it’s a known fact that Indians have a genetic tendency toward abdominal obesity, and this is intensified by a general craving for chocolates and sweets, most especially in the city areas. You will therefore find, for example, that an area such as Delhi has an exceptionally high rate of obesity, whereas Tripura, a hilly state in the north-eastern part of the country, and is predominantly rural, has an extremely low prevalence of obesity. At the present time this gives India a somewhat low average, although this will no doubt change before too long.

It’s important to understand that, in order to reduce obesity, you will need to modify both your energy intake and your energy expenditure if you want to attain a perfect energy balance, and not focus only on the one or the other.

Energy Expenditure

Energy expenditure is the amount of energy that a person needs to carry out physical functions such as breathing, blood circulating, thinking, digesting food and exercising.

If you want to prevent weight gain, you must ensure that your energy intake is balanced with your energy expenditure. This equation is referred to as your energy balance. Therefore, you need to work out how many calories your body requires so that it can operate at an optimal level, and how much energy you are getting from your food consumption.

Energy is measured in calories, and your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is the number of calories that you burn each day.

What are calories?

A calorie is defined as a unit of energy that your body can obtain through eating food. In nutrition, calories are usually displayed in units of thousands. An amount of 1,000 calories equals 1 kcal (kilocalorie).

Today, most nutritionists prefer to use joules as the measurement of energy: 1 calorie equals approximately 4.18 joules (or 1 kcal equals 4.18 kJ). The energy values of food labels are generally displayed as both kJ and kcal.

As most people prefer to talk in terms of calories (kcal), this term will continue to be used in this article.

Energy Density

The amount of energy that any food contains per gram is known as its energy density, so you can describe fat as more energy dense than protein or carbohydrate.

Choosing foods that are less calorie dense, meaning you get a larger portion size with a fewer number of calories, can help you to lose weight and control your hunger.

One kilocalorie (1 kcal) is equal to 4.18 kilojoules (4.18 kJ).

Fat contains 9 kcal (37 kJ) per gram
Alcohol contains 7 kcal (29 kJ) per gram
Protein contains 4 kcal (17 kJ) per gram
Carbohydrate contains 3.75 kcal (16 kJ) per gram (for the purposes of food labelling this is rounded up to 4 kcal per gram).

So, how many kcal per day does your body require to function efficiently?

Energy is provided by the carbohydrate, protein and fat in your food and drink. It’s also provided by alcohol. Different foods and drinks provide different amounts of energy. You can find this information on all food labels.

This is a good question, but it’s very difficult to calculate your metabolic rate without the use of high-tech scientific equipment under laboratory conditions. The number of kcal that is required daily will vary from person to person, depending on such imponderables as body size, sex, body composition, genetics and activity levels.

Furthermore, no one's energy expenditure is exactly the same every day. Therefore, to get the most out of an energy expenditure calculator, use it merely as a guideline for your daily calorie intake. You can adjust the numbers as needed, based on changes in your activity level, or changes in your weight.

The following is a rough guide that most people use.

Average Energy Requirements

Estimated average energy requirements for the average adult:

Age	Men	Women
19 to 49 years old	2550 Kcal per day	1940 Kcal per day
50 to 59 years old	2500 Kcal per day	1900 Kcal per day

The recommended daily amounts shown in the table above are merely guidelines regarding the average requirements for the 'average' healthy individual of average weight and activity levels.

The so-called 'average adult' refers to a healthy individual between the ages of 19 and 60 years. The assumption is that the person, male or female, is of average weight and activity levels.

This excludes pregnant and lactating females as well as any individual suffering from any serious illness. It also excludes individuals who are extremely active.

Energy Balance

Now to get back to energy balance. And here you will need to reach and maintain a healthy weight for your overall health and wellbeing. This will involve learning how to balance energy coming in with energy going out.

Now let's consider the different variations that can occur with the energy-balance equation.

Energy intake = energy expenditure

As a result of this equation body weight, or more accurately your body fat reserves, remain the same.

Energy intake > energy expenditure

If you consume more energy than you expend then the extra energy will be stored as fat and body weight will increase.

Energy intake < energy expenditure

If you consume less energy than you expend then your body weight will decrease.

The extra energy that your body needs – energy that’s not being provided by food – will be provided by breaking down your stores of body fat, and you will consequently see a loss in weight or body fat.

Always bear in mind that your weight fluctuates constantly depending on several factors, including your hydration status.

Note that it’s quite possible to become thinner without actually seeing any change in your weight. This will happen when you lose body fat while at the same time you gain muscle. Your weight may stay the same, even while you lose inches (or centimetres). This is a happy indication that you're moving in the right direction.

Calculate Your Daily Calorie Requirements

The calculator below will help you to work out how many calories you require to reach your goal. This is based on your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is adjusted to take into account your activity levels on a daily basis, which will give you an estimation of your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).

BMR and TDEE

Basal Metabolic Rate, also known as BMR, is the amount of energy your body burns at rest daily. So, it is the number of calories required to keep your body functioning while you are not doing any physical activity.

Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is an estimation of how many calories you burn per day when exercise is taken into account. It is calculated by first figuring out your Basal Metabolic Rate, then multiplying that value by an activity multiplier.

To make it easier for you, this calculator does that for you. Just use the advanced mode button to count your total energy expenditure which will take your activity levels into account.

The calculator uses the Harris Benedict Equation. This is a formula that uses your BMR and then applies an activity factor to determine your total daily energy expenditure (calories).

The only factor omitted by the Harris Benedict Equation is lean body mass. Remember, leaner bodies need more calories than less leaner ones. Therefore, this equation will be accurate in all but the very muscular (will under-estimate calorie needs) and the obese (will over-estimate calorie needs).

Tracking Your Intake

These days it’s easier than ever before to track your calories and macronutrients by using, for example, websites and apps such as Myfitnesspal. The latter has databases of foods and it actually allows you to use your phone to scan the barcodes of foods that you’ve eaten.

You may also need to use a scale to make it easier to measure your food more accurately. Make sure that you consistently track everything that you eat.

Weighing Yourself

Although it’s important to keep track of your weight when you begin your journey, it’s equally important that you take your particular personality into account.

Many people find that weighing themselves every day provides a sense of accountability and helps them to understand and appreciate their level of progress. So if you’re able to look at the overall picture and don’t allow yourself to stress about the various fluctuations, then by all means go ahead and weigh yourself daily.

But if you’re the sort of person who finds that the numbers on the scale have the power to affect your mood – or even cause you to give up virtually before you’ve started – then it’s better to weigh yourself less often.

When losing weight, you’ll be aiming to lose from one to two pounds (500g to 1kg) per week.

BMR Calculator


  TDEE Calculator

Making Adjustments

The calculator above will give you an estimate of the calories and macronutrients you require each day. But remember that you might need to make some adjustments from time to time. If your weight doesn’t change as you had hoped, don’t be afraid to make some small adjustments. For example, if your aim is to lose weight and your weight has remained constant, reduce your intake by 50 calories per day.

This should come from carbs (4 calories per gram) and/or fats (9 calories per gram). Your protein intake should remain the same. Repeat this process as necessary to keep reaching your goals.

As you can see, getting your energy balance right is the most important part of the weight-loss process. You will find all the information that you need on my membership site, so have a look at Family Wellbeing Coach Membership Site before booking a discovery call.

January 23, 2020 In Blogs By Tricia Towsey

The Mediterranean Diet has Many Health Benefits

The Mediterranean diet has become extremely popular, and for good reason. Its popularity started soaring after 1993, in which year the Harvard Medical School announced the results of a range of intensive studies on the diets of the countries with a coastline washed by the Mediterranean Sea. The findings indicated that carbohydrates and fats were definitely not the chief cause of heart disease and obesity in this region. In fact, the study went considerably further with the announcement that the correct carbohydrates and fats should form the foundation of a diet that was extremely healthy. By way of proving this contention, the researchers laid stress on the extremely low rates of diabetes, heart disease and obesity throughout the entire Mediterranean region.

Vegetables are important in the Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet has become extremely popular, and for good reason. It should come as no surprise to anyone that healthy eating is an obvious way of lowering your chances of suffering from health issues. So why did it take so long for Western people to eat healthily? Like regularly following the Mediterranean way of eating, for instance.

In recent years the Mediterranean diet has become increasingly popular as it is easy to follow and less restrictive than other diet plans.

Not only do many dieters, but also medical professionals and nutritionists, believe that the Mediterranean diet is perfect if you want to achieve a healthy weight, keep your blood pressure low and reduce your chances of heart disease.

Where does The Mediterranean Diet Come From?

The Mediterranean diet didn’t become well and truly popular until nearly twenty years ago when the Harvard Medical School published its findings on the extensive research it had carried out on the food eaten by the inhabitants of countries bordering on the Mediterranean Sea.

The findings of the research were remarkable. It was found quite conclusively that the diet eaten by the inhabitants of countries such as Italy, Greece, France and Spain was to be highly recommended to the rest of the world for naturally leading not only to a healthy weight loss but also to significantly lowering the chances of having a heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes and even premature death.

This diet sounds like the panacea for a long and healthy life, doesn’t it?

So what exactly is this diet and can it assist you in losing weight and increasing your chances of leading a healthy life? The first part of the question is easily answered, and the second requires some clarification.

What is The Mediterranean diet?

Technically there is no such thing as a 'Mediterranean' diet. There is no single way of following it. The diet combines the way in which the inhabitants of Mediterranean countries enjoy their food.

Naturally there are variations to the diet, sometimes because of locality and sometimes because of personal taste. In spite of these differences, all of the variations that were studied were based on identical amounts of food groups and calories. Moreover, all of them used olive oil as their major source of fat.

It’s worthwhile noting that olive oil helps to reduce cholesterol and decrease your risk of developing certain types of cancer.

Furthermore, at 40% of total calories from fat their diets consisted of much more than the recommended dietary reference intake (DRI) for fat in adults of 20% to 35% of total calories from fat.

There was no doubting the facts. So surely it must have been the type of fats and carbohydrates that made the difference.

Food Guidelines for The Mediterranean diet

The following facts and suggestions are based on the findings of the investigation:

1) Carbohydrates

Wholewheat pasta is a good carbohydrate in moderation

A total of some 60 percent of your carbohydrates should come from grains, fresh vegetables, whole rice and fruit.

Included in the diet are whole-grain breads and cereals, polenta (boiled cornmeal), and pasta that should never be made from refined white flour.

It is far better to use whole-grain flour.

2) Red Meat, Poultry and Fish

Use limited amounts of red meat, poultry and fish. Typically, the average adult Mediterranean inhabitant consumes roughly 15 ounces (around 440 grams) of red meat and poultry each week.

And add another five to 15 ounces of fish per week, which accounts for the bulk of their meat-protein consumption.

The Typical American Diet

How does this compare with the typical American diet? There’s no comparison. The average American diet generally includes steak for dinner on one night, and chicken breast the following night, and so on. So a single US resident consumes, on average, 120.2 kilos of meat each year.

The Typical British Diet

An average UK resident eats 84.2kg of meat each year, putting it 30th on the list. So while we are cutting back we still have a long way to go as we’re consuming over three times the amount that should be eaten on a Mediterranean diet.

For an interesting map and further information you should have a look at The Telegraph website.

3) Is olive oil a wonder food?

No, of course it isn’t. There’s no such thing. But it is mono-unsaturated, which means that it’s a ‘good’ fat. Mono-unsaturated fats assist in lowering cholesterol levels – not increasing them. They are healthy ways of increasing fats to your diet, and your body needs a certain amount of fat. Don’t be put off by the word ‘fat’. It’s not a swear word that you shouldn’t use in public!

4) Physical activity

Physical activity is another vital component of the average Mediterranean adult’s lifestyle. A typical day in the region will include walking, not driving your car, and physical activity in the fields or in the home and in recreation. Physical activity is vital to your losing weight, and in sustaining your new weight after reaching it.

Healthy Carbohydrates and Exercise

Healthy Carbohydrates in the Mediterranean Diet

Remember that, if you want to lose weight on the Mediterranean diet, then you should base your meals on healthy carbohydrates. These are brightly coloured vegetables, leafy green vegetables, whole grains and meals.

Eat only small amounts of meat, which means no more than three to six ounces per day. Get the fat you eat from vegetable sources or from fish oil.

The Mediterranean diet goes much further than being simply a weight-loss routine. It's a whole new way of eating that will help you to reach your optimum weight, and keep it.

And never forget that it’s also important to exercise regularly.

A Good Mediterranean Breakfast

So, bearing all the above in mind, what can be suggested as a good way of starting the day? A healthy breakfast should consist of plenty of fruit, vegetables, fish, whole grains and seeds. An alternative suggestion is to eat avocados and eggs, or Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and flax seed.

Generally, the Mediterranean diet allows limited amounts of meat and bacon. Always avoid processed meats wherever possible, but for lovers of pasta there’s good news. Along with other foods such as fruit, vegetables, olive oil, beans, legumes, seeds, herbs and spices, pasta is the basis for the Mediterranean diet.

Milk and cheese are perfectly acceptable, as long as they are in limited quantities. Even chocolates are allowed. But remember that moderation is always the key. If you don’t drink wine then grape juice is equally good for you.

A final thought

To end off, the hustle and bustle of life in America and northern Europe is an important factor in the success of the Mediterranean diet. And it’s not so much because of what Westerners eat. It’s also because of the speed at which they gulp down their food.

Furthermore, reducing stress can help you keep your heart healthy and cut down on the amount of stress-induced eating that Americans in particular indulge in, whether or not they eat Mediterranean food. Have a look at the post detailing the surprising facts about a balanced diet and health.

January 17, 2020 In Blogs By Tricia Towsey

Healthy Fat Burning Foods Can Help you Lose Weight

Healthy fat-burning foods can help you lose weight and, let’s face it in these days of convenience foods, that’s not an easy task.

If you’re overweight, that doesn’t make you a bad person. You’re simply overweight. But it’s important that you lose the extra weight so you’ll look good, feel healthier and develop a sense of pride and self-esteem. Once you’ve lost the weight, you’ll need to maintain it.

In this article you’ll discover how to lose weight in a safe and painless manner. If you're trying to lose weight, the safe rate of weight loss is between 0.5kg and 1kg per week. That's between approximately 1lb and 2lb a week.

Lose weight faster than this and you're at risk of health problems that include malnutrition and gallstones, as well as feeling tired and unwell. Once you start to lose weight you’ll feel more energetic than before without feeling deprived.

Most people pack on extra weight by eating the wrong foods. Add these fat-burning foods to your diet and, at the same time, change your poor eating habits. This is the key to long-term weight loss, and gaining knowledge about eating correctly will help you to make the necessary changes to your diet. What you need is a long-term eating plan offering a sustainable and nutritious lifestyle. What you don’t need is a fad diet that promises that you will lose a huge amount of weight in a very short space of time.

How Eating has Changed and Why You need Fat Burning Foods

Eating has changed since we lived in caves.

When humans lived in caves, they didn’t know anything about preserving and storing food. They spent all their waking time and energy hunting and gathering food. When they had it, they gobbled it down instead of storing it in pantries or cupboards. Instead, they stored energy in their bodies in the form of fat to burn during periods when there was little or nothing to eat.

Each year, it was absolutely vital for them to put on a good layer of fat during the warm months. That was the only way they could guarantee their survival during the winter months. And since women bore the young, they needed more energy to sustain themselves and their babies, and that meant they were usually heavier.

Even though we no longer live in caves, we have inherited and maintained this basic mechanism for fat storage from our hunting and gathering ancestors. Each one of us is born with a certain number of fat cells. How many of these fat cells you possess depends on genetics. If you have a lot of fat cells, maybe your ancestors were the biggest people in the tribe, which was a good thing because they had the best chances of survival. However, managing these fat cells can be difficult, and using certain fat burning foods can definitely help.

You can Never Get Rid of Fat Cells

You can never get rid of fat cells but, unfortunately, you can add to them. Depending on what you eat, your body will manufacture new fat cells and, like those you were born with, they never go away.

That doesn’t mean you’re doomed to be fat once you put on extra weight. It’s possible to shrink fat cells, which is what happens when you lose weight by burning the fat stored in those large fat cells.

Think of them as balloons that shrink when you let the air out. Burning off the fat in your fat cells has the same effect as letting the air out of a balloon.

A good weight-loss programme requires a certain amount of restriction of calories. You burn off the fat by eating fewer calories and becoming more active. To guarantee a lifetime of weight-control success, you have to change the type of foods you eat, so that your diet is more balanced and you get the vitamins, minerals, trace elements, protein, fat and carbohydrates your body needs to thrive.

Extremely Low-Calorie Diets don’t Work

Thy hypothalmus keeps you at an even weight.

Extremely low-calorie diets may help you shed pounds quickly, but they’ll lead to failure in the long run. That’s because humans are genetically protected against starvation. During food shortages, your body slows down your metabolism and burns less energy so that you can stay alive.

A part of your brain, called the hypothalamus, keeps you at an even weight by creating a ‘set point’. Your body is biologically and genetically determined to weigh within a certain weight range, called the set point.

The hypothalamus determines this point based on the level of consumption it’s used to getting. It seeks to keep your weight constant, even if that point is over what it should be.

When you drastically cut back your food intake, your brain thinks your body is starving and, in an effort to preserve life, it slows your metabolism. This is a natural physiological response, and the technical term for it is adaptive thermogenesis.

Consequently, you grow hungry, lazy and you crave food. This can cause you to stop losing weight and will make you feel so miserable that you abandon your weight-loss efforts and regain the weight. How can you compensate for this metabolic slow-down? The answer is that you have to change the nutritional composition of the foods you eat.

Metabolism-Friendly diet Foods

A metabolism-friendly diet includes a significant emphasis on an array of:

Vegetables
Fresh fruits
Lean protein, such as chicken or fish
Beans
Seeds
Nuts and legumes
Dairy
Healthy fats, such as those found in avocados, mackerel, salmon and olive oil.

That’s how you’ll avoid putting your body into starvation mode or adaptive thermogenesis.

In fact, you’ll be able to eat more food and feel more satisfied while consuming these foods. This eating plan is based on the Mediterranean diet. As this is such a successful way of eating, I have written a short course for you.

Plant foods break down slowly in your stomach, making you feel full for longer, and they are rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements, carbohydrates and protein for energy and muscle-building. This allows your body to burn off its excess stored fat.

Fat Burning Foods

Each one of the following foods is thought to promote weight loss as they possess properties that improve your metabolism. It’s believed that these foods can suppress your appetite for junk food and keep you healthy. You can include these foods in any sensible weight-loss plan.

Hunger is satisfied more completely by filling your stomach. Filling it with the right foods is the trick, and adding some of the foods listed below accomplishes that better than any others. At the same time, they’re rich in all the nutrients that your body needs for good health.

Remember that any of these foods can be included as part of a well-balanced diet. You should never exclude any food group completely from your diet, unless you suffer from a particular allergy, have a medical problem, or for ethical or religious reasons. On the other hand, relying on only one food or food group to attain your goals is also not a good idea.

Many people have a sensitivity to certain foods (milk and wheat, for instance) and suffer various complications if they consume large amounts. In these instances, small amounts of the offending foods can be eaten with no ill effects.

I don’t believe that there are any wonder foods, and what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another.

Try these Fat Burning Foods:

Apples
Beans and pulses
Berries
Broccoli
Buckwheat
Cabbage
Carrots
Chicken
Coffee
Cottage cheese
Figs
Fish
Grapefruit
Greens
Kiwi fruit lettuce
Leeks
Mustard
Melons
Oats
Onions
Pasta
Sweet potatoes
Peppers
Potatoes
Soups
Spinach
Tomatoes
Yogurt
Whole grain bread.

These fat-burning foods will get you on the right road to improving your health. You’ll find more information on each food and the effect that it has in an e-book, which is free on my membership site. If you’re really keen to get started on a new lifestyle, but you don’t know where to start, I suggest that you contact me so that we can work out a plan for you.

December 30, 2019 In Uncategorized By Tricia Towsey

Intermittent Fasting Works-Focus on When You Eat

Intermittent fasting needn't be like this.

Intermittent fasting has not only been proven to be effective in achieving weight loss but also it has several notable health benefits.

And, in addition, it’s not at all that difficult to achieve so why are we not trying it?

Well, I've got some good news for you. You’re already fasting! For at least six to eight hours in every 24-hour period, you’re already going without food.

Fasting is defined as a period of time during which you don't ingest any calories. So, by definition, you're already fasting for six to eight hours while you sleep, unless you’re one of those people that gets up for a midnight snack! The only thing that remains is for you to add a few more hours to that fasting window.

Now you have a fasting time-frame and the hours left in the 24-hour period are termed your feeding window. In the feeding window you can eat your normal three meals. Of course, it helps if these three meals are healthy and not composed of processed meals and other unhealthy foods.

So all you're doing is adding some order to this pre-existing pattern. This is what's so awesome about intermittent fasting. You're not really doing something completely new. Sure, this takes a bit of doing because we all are creatures of habit, but it can be done.

The problem is that, for the average person, this feeding window lasts over 15 hours and can go well past dark, which is directly at odds with your biological clock. Remember that once it gets dark, the brain releases melatonin and your body starts preparing for sleep. This is not a time to be eating!

Eating Late Makes you Fat

I’m sure you know that what you eat can have an impact on your waistline. But it turns out that it’s when you eat that has the most impact. Michael Roizen MD has written that it’s time we started paying attention to our ‘food clock’.

‘As we eat late, we get fat,’ Dr Roizen says. ‘It adds to our waist size, it adds to inflammation and it adds to type 2 diabetes. Studies show people gain weight when they eat calories at night.’

So there you have it! Stop eating when it gets dark. Try to stretch your breakfast to a little later than usual and you will get all the benefits of intermittent fasting.

Intermittent Fasting and Insulin Resistance

While doing intermittent fasting you should breakfast well.

Your body becomes more insulin-resistant as the day goes on. This means that sugar stays in your bloodstream and is transformed into fat.

In fact, Dr Roizen recommends eating 75 percent of your daily calories before 2 p.m. Breakfast and lunch should be your largest meals, and dinner the smallest.

This gives weight to the saying ‘Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper’. This was written by American author and nutritionist Adelle Davis in her 1954 book Let’s Eat Right to Keep Fit.

I’ve always been a fan of breakfast because the word itself literally means ‘breaking the fast’ and you would assume that you should do this with a healthy meal.

Instead of doing this, many of us either skip breakfast altogether or eat sugary processed cereals, white bread with jam, bagels, muffins and pastry. Breakfasts are substantially different around the world and it’s most interesting to see just how much food, or how little food, the various nations eat for breakfast.

Now remember that intermittent fasting isn’t about starving yourself. Make sure that you get plenty of protein and healthy fat for breakfast and lunch, and you won’t feel so hungry later in the day.

Pick your Feeding Window for Successful Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting means fasting for a number of hours out of 24.

Choosing your feeding window is the most important step in intermittent fasting. A lot of people would tell you that they have an ideal schedule for you. Don't listen to those people! Everybody's different.

Some people are night owls. They're most effective and creative late at night. They wake up at 6 in the evening and they continue until 6 in the morning. That's when they sleep.

Other people are early birds. They wake up really early. We're talking about 3 a.m. and that's when they do their best work. By the time noon rolls around they're winding down.

Most people are somewhere in between. You have to pay attention to your body rhythm. If you’re an early-morning person, it doesn't make sense to adopt the schedule of a night owl. You're certainly not doing yourself any favours. And the reverse is also true.

This means that when you're picking your feeding window, you have to look at the time when you're most active and when you are most likely to eat. For instance, does your work schedule afford you the time to eat a healthy meal?

With this information in mind, you can decide on a feeding window that suits you. There are various recommendations regarding intermittent fasting and I’ve written a whole course that tells you exactly how to go about it. You can find everything you need to know about intermittent fasting on my membership site.

Decide on a Start Date for Intermittent Fasting

A lot of people might think that this is so basic that I shouldn't even be talking about it. Well, a lot of people make all sorts of plans to change their eating habits but never quite get around to doing it.

Deciding on a starting date is one of the most important decisions you will have to make regarding intermittent fasting. When you decide on a starting date, you want to pick a date that you’re quite sure you will be able to stick to. This is the date that your new eating pattern starts. It’s important, so make sure that you’re physically, spiritually and emotionally prepared for it.

Plan your Meals for the Rest of the Day

With intermittent fasting, feeling full is important.

The name of the game, when it comes to intermittent fasting, is satiety. This is the sense of fullness you get from your food. Just be careful not to fill up with unhealthy foods as this person is doing! Some of this is a physical feeling of satiety, but it’s also mental and emotional. If you're the type of person who eats food for comfort, then your satiety levels are quite different from those of people who eat because they're hungry.

If your cravings can easily be taken care of by drinking water or a non-calorie drink, then you know you're on the right track. On the other hand, if your cravings are so intense that you can't help but eat something, then you might want to look at what you're eating during your feeding window and make some changes.

Drink when You get Hungry

A lot of people think that, when hunger pangs hit them, they have to automatically rush to the fridge or make a quick stop at the nearby McDonald's or fast-food chain store. It doesn't have to be that way.

Pay close attention the next time hunger pangs hit you:

Did they last forever?
Were they excruciatingly bad?

If you're honest about it, your hunger pangs aren’t really as bad as you think, and having a drink when you get hungry may just do the trick.

At the very least, this takes your mind off your hunger pangs. Drink filtered water and not fizzy or sugary drinks. You'd be surprised as to how effective drinking water is when dealing with hunger pangs during intermittent fasting.

Extend Your Hunger Waiting Time during Intermittent Fasting

Dont raid the fridge for junk food during intermittent fasting.

Everybody has a hunger waiting time. It's like a fuse. You can stay hungry for a period of time until you break down completely and raid the fridge, or order out, or even make a stop at the nearest fast-food joint.

Everybody's different. Some people can wait a little bit longer. Others fold like a house of cards when the hunger pangs come. It doesn't matter whether you’re a person who completely folds the moment you get hungry or you can last quite a bit. There's always room for improvement. If you feel that you have no willpower and you just have to eat whenever the hunger pangs get to you, resolve to wait it out for two minutes. That's your starting point.

Once those two minutes pass, go ahead and eat. But make sure to resolve that the next time you feel those dreaded pangs of hunger you're going to try to scale up from those two minutes. Next time, shoot for three minutes, then four, then five. I think you know where I'm going with this.

Never underestimate your ability to adapt. What's crucial is that you're conscious of the adaptation process. This enables you to wait out your hunger pangs.

So this is an outline of intermittent fasting, but I urge you to go to my membership site to do the intermittent fasting course or you could go to a page on this site to find out about diet and health.

Depicting woman with closed mind as oposed to open mind

December 9, 2019 In Blogs By Tricia Towsey

Open Your Mind to New Experiences and Possibilities

You should open your mind to new experiences and consider new possibilities, as this is the only way of growing mentally and spiritually.

There’s an old saying that goes like this:

‘There is plenty of food for every bird, but it is not thrown into the nest.’

So what does this mean? Well to me it means two things. The first is that the society that we live, finds many people going through life with the same mindset and routine that they have been following for any number of years. Considering all the frenzied schedules everyone supposedly must stick to, and the massive amount of cares and responsibilities that define modern life, this is certainly an easy cycle of life to fall victim to.

There is Enough of Everything for Everyone

The second is that it refers to the fact that there is enough of everything i.e. money, food and housing to go around. However you need to think outside the box and be open to new possibilities in order to benefit.

When reaching a certain age, by far the majority of men and women form a definitive idea of what they trust and believe, and how they will do things and run their lives moving forward. This, many people no doubt will say, is a quite natural thing to do once you’ve reached adulthood and are maturing into what can be termed the independent phase of one’s life.

That’s all good and well, but the problem with this process begins when you become so set in your idea of what life is all about that your mind becomes irrevocably blocked off from new ideas and you can't consider new possibilities.

Is Life Meant to Be Repetitive?

At some stage during the monotonous and repetitive nature of day-to-day life, many of us tend to forget that life itself is actually anything but repetitive. Far from it. Of course, there are certain facets and characteristics of your life that re-occur on virtually every single day, but this generally constitutes only a very small part of your existence. It happens as you gets older, and sometimes long before, when your mind becomes shut off from the ‘bigger picture’, and the stimulating and virtually unique experiences that could and should occur in your life all the time tend to pass you by.

One of the important factors that supports what can be termed the close-minded approach to life is our normal human inclination to try to seek comfort in what can be termed ‘the known’. Most of us were brought up to feel safe and protected whenever things are familiar and foreseeable. That’s quite normal. Each of us creates a comfort zone in which we feel safe and secure as we pass through the different stages of our lives.

Open your Mind or Stay in your Comfort Zone

An open mind keeps you out of a virtual jail

Almost without exception we all have comfort zones to a lesser or greater extent. Familiar things such as the town or city you’ve lived in since you were a child, the company you’ve worked for since you finished studying, the exact same resort you go to each summer without fail for your annual holiday, these are all typical examples of comfort zones. Although there’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these examples, consider that perhaps you’re stuck in a rut. Consider that what you always thought was your comfort zone has in reality become your prison. Has hesitation, perhaps even fear, prevented you from experiencing anything that is new and therefore different and unfamiliar?

Irrespective of whichever season of life you find yourself in, you can rest assured that you have not learnt, and will not ever learn, all that there is to know. Life is too wide-ranging, multi-faceted and short for you ever to experience everything that there is to offer. That being the case, if it so happens that you are nestling comfortably and securely in your comfort zone with a tough and hard-bitten mindset that doesn’t welcome change, you won’t be able even to begin to comprehend what is out there and waiting for you!

Look Through the Lens of an Open Mind

Newsflash alert! Life is very short. You are not meant to spend it in a continuous cycle of normality. If for a moment you can look through the lens of your open mind, the clarity of your mindset will allow you to see everything on which you have been missing out. Make a point of venturing out and try to experience all kinds of new things at every chance you get. A good place to start is to go to the page on family life coaching where you'll see why you should have a life coach to open you up to new possibilities.

Yes, of course it can include that overseas holiday you have been thinking about for years but keep putting off. It doesn’t even have to be nearly as grand as that. Read a new book by an author unfamiliar to you, try hiking a local trail that you heard recommended, or attempt taking up a new hobby you’ve been thinking about but have never found the time for, anything that will break the cycle of normality. You need to remember that it’s perfectly acceptable to place yourself in situations that are a little strange and uncomfortable, maybe even scary. Remember too that growth will never take place if you’re still stuck firmly in your comfort zone. For some other ideas have a look at Live Your Life on Purpose.

It doesn’t matter how fixed, even obligatory, your daily routine may be, it can always be changed in some way, or moved every now and again. A really meaningful and fulfilling lifestyle is one that is filled with exciting new thoughts, ideas and experiences. So don’t waste your valuable time searching for shelter within the known and the commonplace. Open your mind, get out there and consider new possibilities.

November 13, 2019 In Blogs By Tricia Towsey

Six Outdoor Activities that Reduce Stress and Improve Mood

Outdoor Activities help reduce stress, anxiety and depression, and maybe even improve your memory. Although stress is something that everyone encounters, it is also something that you can easily reduce if you just put in a little effort.

What are You Worried About

Whether you are worried about your job, your family, money, or love, stress takes its toll on your body and your mind, but a little bit of outdoor activity every day can help lower those stress hormones and leave you feeling much better.

Spending time outside does not have to be just for those who enjoy hiking in the woods or riding their bike. There are plenty of activities that you can do outside that give you the benefit of leisure time, exercise, and spending time with friends while reaping the many benefits of being outside, breathing in the fresh air, and soaking up some natural vitamin D from the sun.

How Being Outdoors Reduces Stress

get in contact with nature during outdoor activities.

Science Daily reports as follows: ‘Taking at least twenty minutes out of your day to stroll or sit in a place that makes you feel in contact with nature will significantly lower your stress hormone levels. That's the finding of a study that has established for the first time the most effective dose of an urban nature experience. Healthcare practitioners can use this discovery, published in Frontiers in Psychology, to prescribe 'nature-pills' in the knowledge that they have a real measurable effect.’

If you're not sure what physical effects stress has on your health and wellbeing, it's time to find out now. Once you've done this you can read on, and find out how being outside in the fresh air can reduce stress.

Natural Light and Fresh air Boost your Mood

Sunlight increases the release of serotonin.

Sunlight increases the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is a mood-boosting hormone and helps a person feel calmer and more focussed. Melatonin, on the other hand, is released when it’s darker and this helps you to sleep.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

A shortage of exposure to the sun has been associated with a fall in your serotonin levels, which can lead to major depression. This is called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). You’re more likely to experience this type of depression in countries where the days are short and there’s a lack of sunshine in winter.

A number of treatments are available for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), including cognitive behavioural therapy, antidepressants and light therapy. With light therapy, a light box mimics natural sunlight that stimulates the brain to make serotonin and reduces excess melatonin.

Give your Mind a Rest with Outdoor Activities

You don't need any special equipment for outdoor activities.

The outdoors belongs to all of us. ‘You don't need any special equipment — the outdoors is available wherever you are, just outside your door,’ says Tina Vindum, a faculty member of the American Council on Exercise and the author of Tina Vindum's Outdoor Fitness: Step Out of the Gym Into the Best Shape of Your Life.

Your Mind is Aware of the Changing Terrain

‘When you exercise outdoors, your mind is aware of the changing terrain. Whether you use the hills, the sand on a beach, or a winding path, your mind has to focus differently than it would on a flat gym floor.’

~ Tina Vindum's Outdoor Fitness: Step Out of the Gym Into the Best Shape of Your Life.

Tina has a fabulous YouTube channel with lots of outdoor activities and exercises.

Take a 30 Minute Break Outdoors

Walking on a beach, can make your body feel revitalised.

Hiking, climbing, running or walking along outdoor trails or on a beach, can make your body feel revitalised. Just moving at a steady pace for a half hour can make you feel like you’ve had a holiday. Researchers at Stanford noted that participants who spend time in nature during outdoor activities showed less neural activity in the part of the brain associated with depression compared to people who are indoors a lot.

Six Stress-Reducing Outdoor Activities

Yoga

You may not immediately think of yoga when you think ‘outdoor activity’, but you might want to reconsider. Not only is yoga a fantastic way to reduce stress and relieve tension, but outdoor yoga combines these benefits with the added advantages you get from spending time in the fresh air out with nature. Yoga is great for people of all skill and ability levels because it can be easily adapted to fit where you are in your current practice, and outdoor yoga is gaining in popularity. Whether you like doing your own routine, get your training from streaming sources, or you prefer a class, you can find an outdoor yoga practice that works for you.

Biking

Many people with joint issues or other limitations find that biking is the perfect activity for them. Biking is a minimal impact activity that also has benefits your health and lung health. Those who engage in cardiovascular activities like biking have lower stress levels because this type of exercise produces serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps you cope with stress while boosting your mood. Biking allows you to explore where you live from a new perspective and can help you meet new people, too.

Gardening

Playing in the dirt is not just fun for kids! The act of planting something and tending to it as it grows not only reduces stress but also helps relieve depression. Spending time outside, enjoying fresh air and sunshine while you plant and tend to your garden enables you to relax, makes you feel more connected to nature, and provides you with a sense of purpose and accomplishment when your labours are rewarded with flowers, vegetables, fruits, or beautiful, green plants.

Water Sports

Spending time on or near water is a tremendous stress reliever. There are many ways to enjoy water, including swimming, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, surfing, and snorkeling. Whether you live near a pond, a lake, a river, the ocean, or a swimming pool, taking advantage of water sports is a terrific way to relax and lower your stress levels.

Walking

Simple walking is a wonderful way to increase your activity levels as well as reduce stress. Walking can be very meditative, which helps decrease tension and help you cope with worry. Walking your dog gives you and your furry friends time in the outdoors, and those who regularly walk their pets have lower levels of stress hormones.

Playing Outdoors

Play isn’t just for kids and it’s a surprisingly effective way to improve your health and reduce your stress levels. So if you have children be sure to get outside and play with them as much as possible. Ball games are always a fun activity but the sky is the limit.

Even if you don’t have children you can always join in with other family members or just get a group of adults together. Just let your hair down and bring your inner child out.

Final Thoughts about Outdoor Activities

No matter the causes of stress in your life, taking time out of your day to spend moments outdoors can help reduce your stress and leave you with an improved outlook. The more active your outdoor activities are the more endorphins and feel-good hormones you will release while you are also getting the physical health benefits of increased exercise.

Do remember that you should wear the correct footwear and be careful to look after your feet. In addition to these outdoor activities, you must take control of your life in order to reduce stress.

November 13, 2019 In Blogs By Tricia Towsey

A Healthy Diet isn’t about Restrictions and is Not Complicated

Following a healthy diet is really not complicated and has nothing to do with restrictions or deprivation. Unfortunately, the food we eat is not always healthy as a very busy lifestyle can cause us to buy for convenience. We tend to rush into the store and buy ready-cooked or pre-chopped food and there is very little in the form of nutrients left by the time the food lands on the table.

Are you Feeding your Body or Your Apetite?

Most of us genuinely believe that we’re feeding our bodies when we eat, but much of the time we’re only feeding our appetites! The nutrient content in the fruit, vegetables and packaged food found on your supermarket shelves can vary considerably and, once it’s hung about in your fridge for some time, and then cooked, it can be even lower.

Talking about cooking, it's a good idea to look at this article that explains the best cooking methods.

Here are a few examples:

An orange may provide from 60mg of vitamin C to 180mg (some provide none at all)
A hundred grams of wheat germ (about 3 cups) provides from 2.1 mg to 14 mg of vitamin E
A large carrot (100gram) can provide from 70 to 18,500iu of vitamin A
Vitamin B5 found in whole wheat flour from 0.3 to3.3mg
Spinach can contain 0.1 to 158mg of iron
Lettuce can contain from 0.1 to 16.9mg of manganese.

What makes a Healthy Diet

While it is important for you to eat healthy food such as fruit and vegetables, the quality is paramount in order to supply the nutrients that your body needs. For this reason you should look at the guidelines below.

Choosing and Storing the Food that You Eat:

Buy locally-grown produce in season
Store foods in cool, dark places to delay oxidation and read the article about food storage tips to ensure that your food is delicious and nutritious
Avoid refined oils stored on supermarket shelves for weeks and exposed to light as they are already damaged when you buy them
Consume food soon after purchase
Eat organic, where possible, as it has higher levels of vitamins and minerals and other anti-oxidants. This is important as antioxidants prevent disease and help you stay young
Eat as much unrefined food as possible, as manufacturing practices cause the loss of vitamins and essential fats
Cook at low temperatures, as 20% to 70% of the nutrients can be lost in cooking
Frozen is better than canned, if fresh is not available. Canning is done at high temperatures which decrease the nutrient content
Store grains (flour and cereals) in the freezer, if you have space, in order to protect them from rancidity, insects and moulds
Alternatively, glass containers on a cool and dry shelf will do
Remember that nuts contain oil and should be stored in the freezer to stop them from going rancid.

Promote Natural Health with Super-foods

Super-foods are mostly plant-based foods but also include some fish and dairy. These foods are thought to be nutritionally dense and therefore good for your health.

Super Foods

The foods listed below are considered to be super-foods; however, there are no set criteria for determining if a food falls into this category:

Blueberries
Salmon
Kale
Acai berries
Avocados
Ancient grains such as quinoa
Beets
Nuts
Coconut products
Sweet potatoes and squash
Beans.

Is the Term ‘Super-Food’ a Marketing Tool

Many people claim that use of the term ‘super-food’ is mainly a marketing tool used by manufacturers to shape the public's perception of their products.

However, consuming foods that are packed with nutrients is clearly a good idea, so why not make them part of your healthy diet.

Remember that the term ‘healthy diet’ refers to consuming a variety of nutritious foods in the right quantities and at the right time.

Eat the Best Quality Food in the Right Quantities

Eating the best quality food in the right quantities is the main ingredient when considering food and health. Don't always believe what you read on a packet though as there's a massive controversy over food safety.

People make the wrong choices when it comes to healthy diet.

Unfortunately, many people make the wrong choices when it comes to a healthy diet, and, even more alarming, many foods on supermarket shelves are woefully short on nutrients.

If you want more information about this, you can read the surprising facts about balanced diet and health.

Your body is made up of about 63% water, 22% protein, 13% fat and 2% vitamins and minerals. It therefore requires a balanced diet of vitamins, minerals essential fats and complex carbohydrates to stay in peak condition.

A Healthy Diet Shouldn’t be loaded with Sugar, Fat and Additives

The food industry conditions us to eat foods laden with sugar, fat, additives and preservatives. Foods are refined in order to make them last longer, but that also makes them deficient in nutrients.

The Food Industry is Linked to Profit

Always remember that the food industry is, understandably, linked to profit and you should train yourself to read labels and make your own decisions on nutrition.

My aim here is to give you the basic information on food and health so that you can make the correct choices, together with details of where you can dig deeper if you want to know more.

Healthy Diet and Fat

About 40% of modern diet-ideal is 20%.

There are two types of fat, i.e. saturated fat and unsaturated fat. Saturated fat is found in meat and dairy products and is not essential in the diet. In fact, you should keep the consumption of saturated fat to a minimum.

Unsaturated fats are far healthier and are split into two types. These are monounsaturated fats, of which olive oil is a rich source, and which should still be used sparingly, and polyunsaturated fats which are found in seeds and nuts and are an essential part of food and health.

Healthy Diet and Protein

12% of modern diet-ideal is 15%.

There are 25 different forms of protein and they are the building blocks of the body. Both the quality of the protein (determined by the balance of the amino acids) and the quantity that you eat are important as they are essential for growth and the repair of body tissue. They are also important for the manufacture of hormones, enzymes, antibodies and neurotransmitters, and help transport substances around the body.

The best quality protein foods, in terms of amino-acid balance, are eggs, quinoa, meat, fish and seed vegetables such as peas, beans and lentils.

Healthy Diet and Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are the main fuel for the body and there are two types:

Fast releasing being sugar, honey, malt, sweets and most refined foods. These give a sudden burst of energy followed by a slump.

Slow releasing being whole grains, vegetables and fresh fruit. These contain more complex carbohydrates together with fibre, which help to slow down the release of sugar.

Glycaemic Index and a Healthy Diet

The glycaemic index (GI) is a measure that ranks foods according to their effect on your blood sugar levels.

The following are the three GI ratings:

Low: 55 or less
Medium: 56–69
High: 70 or more

Foods with a low glycaemic index should be your preferred choice, as they are slowly digested and absorbed, causing a slower and smaller rise in blood-sugar levels.

On the other hand, foods with a high glycaemic index should be limited, since they are quickly digested and absorbed. This results in a rapid rise and fall of blood sugar levels.

Foods are assigned a GI value only if they contain carbohydrates, so foods such as beef, chicken, fish and eggs won’t be found on a glycaemic index list.

Ice Cream has a Low Glycaemic Index

While a low GI diet can help stabilise your blood sugar levels you shouldn’t become too hooked on it as it has a number of drawbacks.

The GI of Foods can be Difficult to Calculate

The GI of foods can be difficult to calculate for the following reasons:

GI does not provide a complete nutritional picture of a particular food
There are many unhealthy foods with a low GI (ice cream and custard)
Foods are consumed as part of a larger meal, making the GI of a meal difficult to predict
GI does not take into account the number of carbs you eat, which is an important factor in determining the impact on your blood-sugar levels.

Glycaemic Index doesn't Always Reflect How Healthy a Food is

So the glycaemic index does not always reflect how healthy a food is. However, it has a number of potential health benefits, including reducing blood sugar levels, aiding weight loss and lowering your risks of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

The main problem is that, when considering glycaemic index and a healthy diet, it’s important to also consider the carbohydrate content and glycaemic load of a food.

November 11, 2019 In Blogs By Tricia Towsey

Surprising Facts About Balanced Diet and Health

Having a balanced diet requires you to become educated about what a healthy eating plan is. A balanced diet is all about eating a wide variety of foods in moderation. Sounds very simple but, with the food industry trying to hoodwink you every step of the way, it’s not that easy unless you take the time to educate yourself.

With much of our food being highly processed and filled with additives, it’s difficult to know what to eat to stay healthy. But through this site you’ll have all the information you need to make healthy choices.

Eat a Balanced Diet

Having a balanced diet means eating many different types of foods, and not limiting yourself to one specific food group or cutting any food groups out.

A balanced diet is one that gives your body the nutrients it needs to function correctly, so it’s worth spending the time to find out more information. Remember that a healthy diet isn’t about restrictions and is not complicated.

To get the proper nutrition from your diet, you should consume the majority of your daily calories in:

Fresh fruits
Fresh vegetables
Whole grains
Legumes
Nuts
Lean proteins.

Get the Balance Right

Getting the balance right is important as you may eat too much of a particular food or not enough. You may consume foods that have little nutrition, or consume too much or too little in general.

Again this is down to education as portion control is an aspect that needs to be carefully considered.

When to eat is another factor as the debate rages on about whether you should eat breakfast or not. The main thing is to fuel your body and brain regularly with enough healthy food to keep both your mind and your body strong and alert. Mindful eating will help you to be aware of what you eat, and the effect that it will have on your body.

If you’re not able to take control of your eating habits, you may find that other areas of your life are out of control. It’s not unusual for comfort eating or binge eating to take hold if you’re troubled by other areas of your life. Remember that a balanced diet will improve your mood and many other areas of your life, so it’s really worth the effort.

About Calories and a Balanced Diet

Nutrition facts help with a balanced diet

The number of calories in a food denotes the amount of energy stored in that food. Your body uses calories from the food you eat for walking, thinking, breathing, and many other important functions.

You need to eat around 2,000 calories every day to maintain your weight, but that figure varies depending on your age, gender, and physical activity levels. For instance, men generally need more calories than women, and people who exercise need more calories than people who are sedentary.

The source of your calories is as important as the number you consume. Empty calories are those that come from:

Sugar
Cakes
Biscuits
Sweets
Soft drinks
Fruit-flavoured sweet beverages and other foods containing mostly added sugars (including high-fructose corn syrup)
Fats such as margarine, shortening and other fats and oils.

Diet and Health Tips

To help you I’ve put together these diet tips to improve your lifestyle and help you feel on top of the world. If you like to have your information short and to the point, you can read the tips on this page. But if you like to have in-depth information you can follow the links through to the relevant pages.

A Diet that is Additive Free is the Key to Staying Healthy

Research has linked nutrition to many chronic health problems, therefore a balanced diet that is additive free is the key to staying healthy.

You cannot look or feel good if you are diseased and your body is aching, so changing the food that you eat is the first thing on the menu:

Additives in food are bad for you but this is quite contoversial
Antioxidants protect your vital organs
Balance your hormones
Boost your immune system
Crash dieting is not good for you
Eat 80% alkaline-forming and 20% acid-forming foods
Eat a multicoloured variety of foods
Eat in a relaxed atmosphere
Eat only when hungry
Free radicals age you so make sure you eat plenty of antioxidant foods
Fried food (especially deep fried) can harm you
Grow your own vegetables and sprouts
Ice cream and very cold drinks are not good for your digestion
Boost your immune system
Improve your digestion
Keep fast foods to a minimum
Keep free radicals in check
Leave an hour between waking up and eating breakfast
Leftovers are bad for you
Locally grown produce in season is best
Lower your homocysteine levels
Make your own bread
Only eat honey that has not been heated
Organically grown is best, so try for at least 50% organically grown
Out with the junk food
Probiotics are good for your digestion
Red meat is best consumed prudently
Restrict calorie intake
Seeds and nuts are good for you
Stay away from genetically engineered foods
Stay slim
Store nuts and seeds in the freezer
Supplement with vitamins and minerals only where really necessary
Choose the right cooking methods
Use ghee in your cooking
Use honey as a cure
Store foods correctly.

Taking the above ideas into account, together with a balanced diet, will set you on the road to good health. Having wellbeing coaching or doing one of my courses will definitely help you lose weight and improve your health.

November 10, 2019 In Blogs By Tricia Towsey

Food Storage Tips to Ensure that Your Food is Delicious and Nutritious

Safe food storage is extremely important to your health

Safe food storage is important to your health, so after you have bought fresh food within its ‘sell by’ date you need make sure that you preserve the nutrients.

As you know, I am all for fresh organic food, but for foods that you are still buying from the supermarket please take note of these guidelines. These labels do not guarantee the safety of food and should be used only as a guide.

What you Need to Know about Food Storage and Dates

Shelf Life

Shelf life is the length of time that perishable items are allowed to stay on the shelves before they are considered to be unsuitable for sale or consumption.

Shelf life relates to food quality, whereas an expiration date, which is sometimes used as a food label, relates to food safety. So if you have not used the food by that date, toss it out!

‘Best before’ Date

‘Best before’ is a date sometimes (depending on which part of the world you are in) shown on food and drink, and is intended to indicate the date before which you should find the food to be of the best quality.

After that date the food may not taste so good, but it could still be OK for consumption. I use the terms ‘OK’ and ‘Not suitable’ as, in my view, it is best left alone! These foods are likely to have deteriorated in flavour, texture, appearance or nutrition.

‘Use by’ Date

Foods that have a use by date must not be eaten after that date. This is because these foods deteriorate quickly and are no longer acceptable to eat. Follow food storage instructions carefully for these foods (for example, product must be refrigerated). Freezing food preserves it past the labelled date.

‘Sell by’ Date

The sell by date is the last day the foods are on offer for sale, although the food is, supposedly, still safe for consumption.

Most stores will rotate stock by moving the products with the earliest dates to the front of the shelves, allowing them to be sold first, so if you move those aside you can usually get hold of the fresher items.

When you're shopping you should buy perishable foods, like meat and milk, last. When you get home, refrigerate or freeze them first. For safe food storage always store meat, poultry or fish in the coldest part of the refrigerator and use them as soon as possible.

Put purchase dates on packaging and rotate your food supplies on a regular basis. Be sure to always use the ‘first in first out’ rule. For more information on food safety and storage have a look at this publication, which provides handling tips and recommendations for safely storing food.

Food Storage in your Fridge

Refrigerating your food correctly is important to ensure that it remains safe to eat, and harmful bacteria don’t spread from raw food to other foods. But what goes where in your fridge?

Top Shelf

This is what should go on the top shelf:

Dairy Products

Milk (can also go in the door)
Yoghurt
Cream
Butter
Eggs (in their box).

Middle Shelf

This is what should go on the middle shelf:

Convenience foods

Leftovers (if you insist on them)
Cooked meats
Prepared salads.
Packaged and ready meals
Cream cakes.

These should all be kept in sealed containers to prevent contamination.

Bottom shelf

This is the coldest part of your fridge:

Raw foods

Raw meat
Poultry
Fish.

Ensure that each item is wrapped or stored in a sealed container.

Crisper Drawers

Fruit
Vegetables
Salad greens.

Clean your fridge often for safe food storage

Make sure that your fruit, vegetables and salad greens are wrapped to stop them from drying out. Wrap salads and herbs in a damp paper towel to keep them fresher for longer.

Your fridge should be set at a temperature of between 3° and 5°C so that harmful bacteria cannot multiply. At this temperature your food will be kept safe to eat.

Make sure that your refrigerator is not overloaded as the door could be stopped from closing properly. Cramming your fridge full of food stops air from circulating around the food. Your fridge should be cleaned regularly to prevent cross contamination.

Food Storage and Wastage

Storing food correctly will help you minimise food wastage. According to WRAP, UK households waste seven million tonnes of food every year, five million of which are edible. Remember the longer you keep foods, especially if they're cooked, the less vitamins, minerals and antioxidants the food contains.

Some General Guidelines for Food Storage

Keep eggs in their original carton on a shelf in the fridge. Egg boxes are designed to store them safely
Refrigerate jams, pickles and sauces after opening
Defrost food only in the refrigerator, not at room temperature
Marinate food in the refrigerator. To make a sauce from a marinade, keep some aside and use that
Store foods in cool dark cabinets away from appliances that produce heat
Buy fresh-looking packages. Dusty cans or torn labels can indicate old stock. Do not purchase dented or bulging cans
Cook just enough for one meal or freeze left-overs as soon as they’ve cooled
Clean your fridge regularly
Thaw your fridge regularly to avoid a build-up of ice
Never put hot food into the fridge. This will cause the temperature to rise and lead to food spoilage
Remember the most basic rule: when in doubt, throw it out.

While healthy people can withstand the vast majority of food-borne illnesses, even a day or two of cramping and a runny tummy are very inconvenient. These can cause serious imbalances in your body, leading to aging and disease. Healthy food storage is therefore extremely important. But no matter how healthy your diet is, if you don't store your food correctly it will not do your health any good.

So I'm sure that you'll agree that food safety and how you cook your food is can impact on your health.

November 9, 2019 In Blogs By Tricia Towsey

Best Cooking Methods and Should Food be Cooked at All

There has been much discussion about the various types of cooking methods and cookware. Unfortunately, more than half the nutrients in your food can be destroyed in cooking and storing. To help with this your food should be stored correctly and these food storage tips will point you in the right direction.

The main enemies of vitamins and minerals are heat, water, oxidation, light, acid, alkali and time. The action of enzymes in the foods can also be a culprit.

Should Food be Cooked?

Many whole food gurus believe that food should be eaten raw. On the other hand, the Ayurvedic cooks (Ayurveda is a practice that originated in India and is about 5,000 years old) believe that food should be cooked, as it is difficult to digest when it is eaten raw. They also believe that it is far more comforting and enjoyable when cooked.

As usual, I tend to take a middle road and eat cooked vegetables and plenty of fresh raw fruit and salads. Come to think of it, I quite often cook my fruit as well! Remember that, if you cannot shop often, frozen foods could be more nutritious than fresh.

So you can cut your losses and significantly increase your nutrient intake by the care you take in choosing, storing and cooking foods.

You see, it is all about what cooking methods you use to cook your food. So, now that you have got the best ingredients, let's talk about how you are going to cook them.

These are the Different Cooking Methods

Frying Food

For instance, one of the worst cooking methods is frying food in oil (especially deep frying). The resultant temperatures (in excess of 200 degrees centigrade) produce free radicals as well as destroy the nutrients, such as vitamins A and E, that protect us from these chemicals.

When frying meat at a high heat, carcinogenic substances are formed, especially if the meat is really well done. So the moral of the story is, if you are going to eat meat (sparingly) it should be medium or rare.

When oil is heated it oxidises and becomes harmful to the body. So, rather sauté food using a small amount of ghee (clarified butter), butter or olive oil and then add a little water and cover with a lid to steam fry at a much lower temperature. Take care to add only a sprinkling of water at a time.

Steaming

One of the healthiest cooking methods (especially for vegetables) is steaming, as boiling in water leaches out the nutrients and flavour. Steam for short periods so that the vegetables keep their colour.

Long-cooking vegetables like potatoes, beets and turnips, which can be cooked in their jackets, can be boiled without losing any value. Add salt (sparingly) to vegetables while cooking so that they stay firm and absorb the flavour. A dab of oil or ghee can also be added during cooking.

Roasting

Roasting vegetables, especially the long-cooking variety such as beets and carrots, in a little ghee or oil works well as the sugars caramelise, enhancing their flavour. The only vegetables that can’t be roasted are leafy greens such as spinach.

Grilling

The grilling of food is fine but, to cut down on carcinogens, don’t blacken or over-cook it. Grill only lean cuts of meat, removing the skin from chicken and the fat from steaks. To be really safe, rather grill fish and try to cut down on the meat! I use a small counter-top grill that I have had for many years.

Barbecuing as a Cooking Method

Barbecuing (the great South African tradition) is not the best cooking method when you are talking about healthy food.

Unfortunately, when you barbecue (or braai if you’re South African) meat, the fat that drips onto the coals produces carcinogenic (cancer forming) substances in the smoke.

When barbecuing, two types of carcinogens are formed. PAHs are formed in the smoke and coat the food, which we ingest.

HCAs are formed when extreme temperatures cause a reaction between the food's amino acids and creatine (a substance found in muscle). Follow these tips for safer barbecuing:

Pre-cook your food to reduce time on the coals
Oil the grid to prevent burnt particles from sticking to the food
Increase the distance between the food and the hot coals
Barbecue with charcoal or hardwoods that burn at lower temperatures. Take care that the wood has not been treated with chemicals or is not from poisonous plant material
Clean the grill vigorously between barbecues to remove debris so that there is no build-up of carcinogenic substances
Marinating meat prior to cooking may help to decrease carcinogenic compounds in the meat. A combination of cider vinegar, mustard, lemon juice and salt significantly reduces the HCAs in grilled chicken. Red wine or beer can also be added to marinades, but cut out sugars and oil. These can actually increase HCAs and PAHs.
Cut down on the frequency of barbecues.

Microwaving

Microwaves have become indispensable in the kitchen.

Now we get to the contentious issue of microwaved food! Since the first affordable microwaves arrived way back in 1967, they’ve become indispensable in the kitchen. That is for most people, but not for me. Many years ago, when my microwave started making a strange noise, I threw it out and have never looked back.

Microwaving Good or Bad?

I can’t say for sure whether cooking in a microwave is damaging to your food, or even to your DNA. Prestigious sites such as Harvard Health Publishing, The Health Sciences Academy and Kris Kresser are in favour of them. On the other hand, a site called Healthy Choices sites a number of studies warning against the use of microwaves.

Many of these studies were carried out years ago and you need to ask yourself whether the production of microwaves has improved over the years (I’m sure that it has). Another aspect that has improved is the way in which these studies are carried out. I’m sure that too has improved, and I wonder if those studies are still valid.

In ‘A Comparative Study of Food Prepared Conventionally and in the Microwave Oven’, published by Raum and Zelt (one of the studies mentioned on Health Choices), the following is stated:

‘A basic hypothesis of natural medicine states that the introduction to the human body of molecules and energies, to which it is not accustomed, is much more likely to cause harm than good.

Microwaved food contains both molecules and energies not present in food the way humans have been cooking food since the discovery of fire.’

I would entirely agree with that statement and, for that reason, I avoid microwaved foods. An interesting read is my article on the natural health controversy and food safety,

What to Use as an Alternative to the Microwave

But what to use as an alternative to the microwave? Since I disposed of my microwave I have used a small convection oven and would never use anything else.

It can be used for cooking, heating and defrosting and, once you have mastered the art, you can cook a roast chicken with potatoes and vegetables within a space of 45 minutes. You can also cook the most amazing low-fat chips. What a bonus!

Slow cooking in a crock pot is a wonderful cooking method for busy cooks. Prepare the food in the morning before you go out for the day, and your meal will be ready for you when you return in the evening!

The bread machine is another wonderful invention. Put the ingredients into the machine before you retire at night and wake up to the glorious aroma of (additive free) fresh bread in the morning.

By following these links you'll find more surprising facts about a balanced diet and health and a healthy diet that includes antioxidant foods .