Hi Everyone and welcome to my nutrition blog.

In this section I will discuss all things related to food and nutrition.

Current scientific information about how different foods affect our bodies.

Why do different foods affect us the way they do.

What are the most nutritious foods to eat? How processed foods affect our bodies and why we should reduce intake of these foods.

Anything and everything that relates to how we can have a healthy body and mind and feel our best!

Today lets talk about what to eat!

Perhaps the most frequently asked question currently is:

What should I eat to be healthy and fit and keep my ideal weight?

There is a big push in the nutrition field at the moment to educate people about how to eat, what types of food to eat and to take the focus off counting calories and restrictive diets.

Many studies are showing that a restrictive caloric intake, and removing entire food groups from your daily intake does not work for many people in the long term. You may initially lose some weight, but you will be unlikely to keep it off over time. Restriction of what food you can and cannot eat and placing labels on foods as good and bad, healthy and unhealthy, fattening and so on plays with your mind. You can form unhealthy associations with food and become obsessive about every mouthful of food that you eat.

It becomes difficult to eat out because you need such a specific food intake, and it can take over your life.

The key to long-term weight loss and a healthy happy body and mind is to view your food as either nutritious or not nutritious. Does this food feed my body??

Work out how you feel when you eat. Are you eating out of habit, are you really hungry, do you eat by the clock, are you upset, depressed, unhappy, happy, celebrating, anxious, sad?

We so often associate food with emotions, particularly women.

As children, we are taught to associate food with certain things. If you are a good girl you are rewarded with something sweet; or doing something well at school earns a special food treat. Being forced to eat everything on your plate. Eat your vegetables before you can have dessert! These food associations will carry over into adulthood and become entrenched habits, whether positive or negative, and they stay with us for life. We learn to override the signals we get from out body that says I am hungry, or I am full, early in life, and this can lead to long-term overeating and weight gain.

The key to long term healthy eating is to address the issues from childhood relating to food, and find alternatives as rewards that do not involve food or drink.

Talking to a counselor trained in this area is a great way to move forwards and make positive changes in what your relationship to food is.

When you have sorted these issues, often the healthy eating will fall into place, and if weight loss is your goal, it will happen!

Remember, there is no wagon to fall off because there is no wagon!

Sometimes you just need to feed your soul and enjoy some really yummy food that might not be perfect, but tastes so good. Enjoy the food, enjoy the moment, and then the next day get back on track again and don’t feel guilty!

The key is consistency.

• Eat well the majority of the time.
• When you choose not too eat so well for a short period of time, don’t beat yourself up, just reset and carry on again.
• Listen to your body, it will tell you when it is hungry, when it is full and when it doesn’t like something.
• Chose the foods that make you feel energetic, satisfied, clear headed, positive and happy.
• Eat real food that looks like it did when it was grown.
• Vegetables, fruit, lean protein, legumes, nuts seeds, and healthy fats. Dairy if your body tolerates it, otherwise alternative milk products.
• Plenty of water, and green tea if you like it. Less alcohol, stop smoking and eat less refined wheat products and reduce sugar intake to a minimum.

These steps will set you on the path to a happier healthy body.

Baby steps with small changes over time will have a huge effect long term.

At the end of the day, remember, every body is unique. What works for one person may not work for another. Your body will have different needs and process food differently from your best friend, as there are so many external and internal factors that can influence how your body works.

Listen to your body, be patient and respect the body you live in because it is the only one you have and it is the only one that will tell you what is right for you!

If you liked this blog let me know. Comments welcome!