Nourish yourself!
Paul & I love good food.
I also enjoy cooking healthy recipes and have a ‘thing’ about cook-books … I’ve nearly got enough to start a shop! 😉
I’ve also been training as a nutrition coach & yoga teacher while Paul is studying Biomedicine … so you’d think we’d be well balanced and in control of our wellbeing. Well, we kind of were until Covid!
The past couple of years have been tough for everyone! Restrictions. Not seeing loved ones. Feeling a sense of fear ‘what if I get covid’…!
For us, this led to bad habits creeping into our daily lives. We were no longer taking the time to do yoga or any real exercise as we felt time poor. Our diets also suffered somewhat by overeating and loading ourselves with junk.
A typical day included lots of coffee throughout the day which often resulted in a sweet treat to go with it in the afternoon, wine in the evenings and that also led to consuming crisps, nuts and perhaps some more chocolate.
The result; well not surprisingly weight gain, but also just feeling sluggish and overwhelmed.
Now, we’re not really ones for New Years resolutions, but we do tend to find January a good month for resetting and starting the year well. So this year, we decided to really focus on our health & wellbeing.
Now two weeks in, and we’re already feeling the benefits. We’re not feeling bloated and sluggish to start with. But in addition to that our outlook is more optimistic, we’re sleeping better and we have more energy. It amazes me how little changes can really make such changes so quickly.
So what are we doing?
Firstly, we’re definitely NOT calorie counting.
Like most people, I’ve done my fair share of diets over the years, but they don’t work … not really. They just make us feel better for a very short while until the weight piles on again, and most of the time we’re miserable while dieting as we feel like we’re missing out on something!
I’m more an advocate for finding a balanced way of eating that leaves me satisfied and not reaching for the junk but where I don’t have to monitor calories, body fat composition, waist to hip ratios, macros … and the list goes on. A way of living, not just dieting.
Our food should nourish our bodies and leave us feeling energised, not bloated and still hungry!
So, back to what we are doing! For one month we are avoiding alcohol, caffeine, refined sugar, processed foods, dairy & gluten. And by doing this, we’re supporting our liver, allowing it to do the wonderful job of detoxification.
Cooking from scratch with fresh whole foods; fish, lots of green leafy vegetables, beans, lentils, peppers, seaweed, nuts etc. Avoiding ‘beige’ foods loaded with preservatives and instead infusing our food with herbs and spices to bring dishes to life.
Apart from the first couple of days when we had headaches from caffeine withdrawal, we’ve been feeling great. I’ve even noticed that my hips aren’t stiff when i get up out of bed in the morning … bonus! We’re finding time for yoga and exercise and yet we’re getting more work done!
Could you put a spring back in your step by reducing or limiting anything from your diet? Why not give it a go … it could be worth it!
Sample menu:
Breakfast: pinhead porridge with banana & walnuts
Lunch: Rye bread with humous, tomatoes, cucumber, sprinkled with seaweed seasoning and some home grown broccoli sprouts
Afternoon tea: homemade lemon & honey bliss ball
Dinner: healthy fish & chips with fish coated in ground almonds & chickpea flour, chips made from celeriac, and homemade tartar sauce with avocado oil
Evening: 2 small squares of dark chocolate
