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How many of you have tried to go on a diet by cutting out the supposed ‘bad’ foods only to give up because it got too hard having to count every calorie and food item? I am here to tell you that being healthy doesn’t have to be hard work.
The biggest flaws in the average diet are that they are too restrictive causing you to cut out food groups, meaning that you are not getting the nutrients you need to lead your best life. Eating too many processed, sugar laden foods such as soft drinks, white processed breads and cereals, confectionary and not enough vegetables is also a problem. 93% of Australians don’t eat the five recommended servings of vegetables a day, according to the 2014-2015 Australian National Health Survey.
Five top tips for better health & wellbeing:
1. Enjoy food without guilt, look at long term overall health, not dieting
2. Include a source of protein, wholegrain carbohydrates and vegetables at each meal
3. Spread protein out over the day to maximise muscle mass, including protein from animal and plant sources
4. Fill up on fibre (through adding beans to your salad, eating oats for breakfast or snacking on fibre-rich nuts and seeds and cut out added sugar
5. Drink water as your main drink
How to stay motivated and healthy
By enjoying your food and thinking about what to include rather than what not to include. For example, ask yourself ‘Have I had two fruits and five vegetables, a handful of nuts and calcium rich foods?’. This gives less room to the less nutritious foods without feeling overly restrictive. You will notice how good you feel when nourishing yourself rather than focusing on weight.
If you focus on feeling good and getting regular exercise in (incidental exercise such as cleaning around your house included), weight will usually look after itself.
#GuiltFreeEating #Health&Wellbeing