How many of you have set your new exercise plan into action for the New Year? Hopefully plenty of people have started some sort of healthy activity that will be both enjoyable, yet at the same time will get and keep you fit. Along with that fitness regime, a good healthy eating plan should be put in place and it should be put into action for life. Not a temporary diet goal to lose weight.
For those that do wish to lose weight, forget all the fad diets like the cabbage, grapefruit, Keto and fasting diet plans, in fact, the first thing you need to do is eliminate the word ‘diet’. As soon as the word diet comes to mind, the word deprivation follows and it sets the mind into a negative state of wanting and craving what it may not be allowed. This is then leads to you breaking the diet and feeling guilty, followed by self destructive behaviour of binging and giving up before you have barely started.
Often this happens because fad diets do not encourage a proper balanced intake with a variety of nutritionally balanced food. How can cabbage for breakfast, cabbage for lunch and cabbage for dinner possibly give one all the vitamins and nutrition needed, never mind the fact that it is hardly enticing to look forward to any meal. Would a professional doctor or health expert advise you to eat high fats or only grapefruit for a long period of time to get healthy? It is pretty unlikely!
Some fad diets have been found to be dangerous to health. Many of these diets are recommended for either fourteen days or twenty-eight days because although it will give a quick weight loss, it is not safe to do on a long term basis as it would deprive the body of fully balanced nutrition. It is also a known fact that on most of these diets, the first initial weight loss is actually water rather than actual real weight loss, therefore as soon as one resumes back to their normal eating, the weight will go straight back on really quick.
The only way to keep the weight off is to stick to a healthy eating plan for life. This just means eating as sensible as possible forever. Change old bad habits for a new healthy approach and change your way of cooking and eating. Just by cutting out refined sugar and bad fats will make a big change and give positive results. Simple things like cutting off the fats from meat and eating the leaner parts or switching from full fat cream or whole milk to a skimmed, lighter version will make a massive difference. Do the same for cheese, yogurts, ice cream and all dairy products.
Cut out the refined sugar and opt for natural sugars like fructose, honey, pure fruit syrup such as agar or carob.
Cook foods by reducing oil consumption. Part boil food that absorbs a lot of oil, like potatoes or aubergines before going onto frying in a little oil in a non-stick pan, to brown, or even cook in the oven.
Healthy food does not have to be boring and tasteless. Be creative with spices. Use olive oil wherever possible instead of other fats and oils in recipes. Eat wholesome bread, rice and pasta instead of usual suggestion in recipes. Eat fresh fruit rather than dried as sugar is often added surprisingly.
Be sensible when eating out and do not be afraid to ask for what you want and how you want it cooked without butter, cream or sugar. Most creative chefs will find a way to make your food still taste superb.
Remember to eat when you are actually hungry and stop when full. Following your real body hunger pang will help you keep slim. Do not go for endless hours without food and then binge. This will only cause the body to slow down the metabolism. Help the metabolism work effectively by eating the right food regularly and maintaining correct blood sugar levels. Combine healthy eating with regular exercise a few times a week and no diet is needed.
Eat and live well.
Love and Sparkles
Samsara x