Wow! I cannot believe it has been 2 months since I have written a post. I assure you, it is really just a coincidence that it has been the 2 Summer months. So, how have you been? I hope you spent as much time as possible enjoying the outdoors, laughing with your friends and family, eating the foods that always taste best in the summer and feeling grateful for all that sunshine!
Don’t get mad at me for bringing this up, but as Fall approaches, I start to think about our health and what we can do to offset the backlash of the colder months. The first thing that comes to mind is what we eat, the correlation between what we consume and how we feel, think and act is too important to be ignored. Many of our health issues, emotional fluctuations and negative thought patterns can be improved through proper nutrition. This is not to suggest that all your problems can be solved with food (although I have given it my all with mango cheese cake), but it is always a great place to start…
NOURISHING OUR BODIES
The healthiest nutrition plan, involves whole natural foods, dark leafy greens, deep coloured fruits, whole grains, healthy essential fats and lean protein. You can make these foods part of your daily meals and snacks by verifying that they include 40% complex carbohydrates (i.e. whole grain bread or rice, leafy greens, berries, nuts and seeds etc…), 30% lean protein (i.e. all white poultry, yogurt, fish, tofu/tempeh, legumes-beans and lean meat etc…) and 30% healthy essential fats (i.e. fatty fish, nut butters, olive oil etc…). Eating this way will keep your energy levels high, your blood sugar stable and your metabolism running at its best. I use the above as the foundation of my nutritional plan but have found, in my efforts to achieve optimal health, that by developing some basic eating habits I manage to eat well every day without giving it much thought. I do not deprive myself, measure calories or starve. I do however, eat well and often, maintain a healthy active lifestyle and really enjoy food.
- Eat Something Every Few Hours. I believe in the concept of eating well and often but not a lot! Small consistent portions throughout the day keeps your body fueled and you at your most effective. To achieve this you must have healthy snacks on hand, not boxed goods with a shelf life that’s stamped healthy, but foods that you recognize in their most natural form - raw almonds, fruit, carrots sticks etc…
- Minimize or Eliminate Your Processed Juice, Coffee and Pop Consumption. I only drink water, herbal tea or fresh vegetable juices. It has taken me a long time to really enjoy these liquids alone, but the payoff has been incredible. The stimulant effect in one glass of juice, cup of coffee or can of pop is usually enough to wreak havoc on your body’s natural functions; giving you a sharp boost of energy and the inevitable crash that follows when your body rapidly burns through these sources of false energy. If you eliminate or minimize these beverages, you reduce your daily caloric intake - meaning less guilt about dessert, you improve your moods - seriously, you will not be as irritable and you reduce long term side effects to your health - if you look up some of the ingredients in processed juice, excessive caffeine and pop, you will find some answers to the source of your headaches, digestive issues and seemingly incessant weight gain.
- Eat Foods You Recognize. This was the simplest habit for me to adopt. I remember hearing a quote that said “I will not pretend that what I put into my mouth does not matter.” These days it really does matter; there is a lot of research out there about our food, the food industry and how it is negatively affecting our health. The problem is where do you start and how do you make it easy? It can actually be quite simple (and significantly more affordable): do not eat anything with ingredients you do not recognize, if you do not recognize it, know that it is not fuel and your body will more than likely have trouble digesting. Foreign chemicals in our body do a number of unpleasant things, cause headaches, mood swings, challenge digestion, cause long term health problems and most often weight gain. Another way of looking at this is to stay out of the middle isles of the grocery store or only go to farmer’s markets. Anything with a shelf life is not good for you. Which brings me to…
- Eat More Foods with Colour. Vegetables, fruits, natural brown rice, beans, salmon etc… generally speaking foods that are naturally rich in colour are good for you. Every time you eat something just ask yourself if what you are about to consume is composed of bright coloured natural foods and if not can you add or replace something to fit that description?
- Try to Stop Eating So Late. I know you have heard this before but it really works. Try not to eat past 7 p.m. or at least 2-4 hours before going to sleep. You will wake up rested and hungry, starting your day with breakfast jumpstarts your metabolism and encourages balanced eating the rest of the day. Your body needs time to digest and organize what you consume. I assure you, that if your body is doing this while you are sleeping, you will not have a restful night. Rest is crucial to good health and good eating (more on that in Part 2). If you must have something, try something light and low in protein since it takes more energy to digest.
- Eat Salad. Whenever possible, try to include salad with your lunch and dinner. This is pretty self-explanatory but I will say that this small change makes a tremendous difference to your health overall (provided it’s not covered in creamy dressing).
- Change Your Language. Remove the words diet, fast weight-loss, quick-fix and any of the terms or catch phrases that the diet industry uses to market systems that are designed to fail so that you continue to spend money. So stop psyching yourself up with the word diet, it doesn’t mean anything except wasted time and money. Instead just focus on being healthy. NOTE: you will receive flak for trying to make healthier choices; the diet industry has society convinced that it is more socially acceptable to be on a diet than to have have a disciplined approach to your health. Just smile and nod.
- Finally, ENJOY YOUR FOOD. As women we spend so much time fussing over what we eat but in a really negative way, making our relationship with food unpleasant. Have that slice of cake, that piece of macaroni pie or those delicious wings, just not every day or at every meal. If you focus on your health and use that as your mindset you will have less of an emotional reaction to occasionally indulging in the foods you love. The point is to nourish your body; eat well and often with small portions and natural foods. Focus less on being skinny* and more on being healthy. Develop a positive attitude about food, it’s there to fuel your body and help you achieve optimal health.
*Skinny is subjective and not as important as being healthy but if being skinny is what motivates you to make healthier choices then I will tell you that adopting these habits, increased my health and simultaneously decreased my weight. To my readers who are bothered by my inclusion of this fact, She Should Know™ is about the greater good and if letting women know that healthy weight loss will occur through adopting these habits then I am happy to report that I went from a fluctuating size 8-10 to a permanent size 6 by eating this way and incorporating what I will share with you in parts 2 & 3.
WHAT SMALL CHANGES HAVE YOU TRIED WITH NUTRITION THAT CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR HEALTH? LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW SO THAT OTHER WOMEN WILL BENEFIT FROM WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED!
{Photo Credit: Just Us 3}
