A nutrition routine for 75% of the population for 75% of the time.

75/75 Part 3 nutrition

Hi Folks

As the Summer is upon us it is often easier for people to take ownership of their diet than it is in the winter. This might be due to a desire to lose weight for a holiday (beach body), a lack of desire to eat as we become thirstier with the warmer weather or that we simply increase our activity levels and burn off more calories.

But we could probably all do with a reminder of a few simple habits to help us adhere to a better dietary routine, so below is a short list of changes that we can all make. These changes often highlight how much nutrient deficient food we were consuming and should help improve our energy levels, mental clarity and overall health and wellbeing. It is almost always more beneficial and more sustainable to introduce the changes one at a time over a few weeks rather than trying to make the changes all at once.

1. Reduce (not cut out) the quantity of beige carbs, processed food and sugary snacks that we eat (crisps, chocolate, cakes, sweets).

 

2. Reduce the quantity of high caloric alcoholic and carbonated drinks in favour of a Gin and Tonic or maybe an effervescent vitamin B-complex and a Vit C tablet in a pint of water when you get up.

 

3. Increase the amount of nutrient dense foodstuffs such as vegetables, meat, fruit, nuts and seeds in preference to grains, pastas, rice etc.

 

4. Increase the amount of water you drink throughout the day. A good practice here is to have a bottle of water by your side as much as you can. Then just sip at it regularly, aiming for a 500-1000ml a day.

 

5. Think about the snacks that you choose and try to plan for when you might need these. So for example, if you are out on the road rather than stopping at a fast food venue of confectionary shop, pack a healthy snack the night before. Maybe that is a handful of nuts and dried fruit, chunks of ham, cheese and melon or a cold meat salad.

 

If you really want to enhance these dietary benefits then an increase in physical activity exercise is key.