It’s the height of the Summer months and it’s a lovely opportunity to eat alfresco styles and enjoy nutritious foods with friends and family, enjoy cooking and the benefits of good value foods to benefit our bodies well-being. Feel good! Fuel ourselves wisely!
Hello everyone, well it’s that time of the month again, blog time, i will share some evidence base facts about well-being topics, we have been looking at the pie chart segments of wellness, so this month we move on to Nutrition. Let’s face it we can do all the exercise we like yet if we don’t eat well and in par with a healthily mindset we won’t manage a good BMI (weight management) or stay healthy in general.
Why is nutrition important for us?
Good nutrition helps fuel your body. The foods you eat supply the nutrients your body needs to maintain your brain, muscle, bone, nerves, skin, blood circulation, and immune system. Proper nutrition also helps protect you from illness and disease, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis. It provides energy for the metabolic processes in the body. It is necessary for the growth of new cells and repairing worn out cells. It is required to develop resistance against different diseases as mentioned above. It is used to produce energy which is utilised in the different life processes for survival. Good healthy food living contributes to quality of life. helps maintain healthy body weight, reducing the risk of overweight and obesity. Love food, love to cook, put effort and thought into your meals…. Eat slow …. Digest ….. mindfulness is a key to maintaining good body weight. Don’t over eat in other words, so going slowly when eating is necessary for our digestive system to let our mind know we are full and the body has had enough food. If we eat fast and not acknowledge the taste of the food and not concentrating, because we are on our phones or watching TV we tend to 99% of the time over eat for sure, to the point our body doesn’t need it for energy or mechanism function so it stores it and guess what…hello unwanted body fat!
So what nutritional content value does our body need each day?
There are seven essential minerals, including sodium, iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus. Calcium, which is essential for bone health, muscle and nerve function, and circulation, can be found in our bones and teeth. Sources of calcium include dairy, leafy greens and fish like salmon. Then we have the six essential nutrients are vitamins, minerals, protein, fats, water, and carbohydrates. People need to consume these nutrients from dietary sources for proper body function. Vitamins – array of them – yet lets familiarise the basic ones, Vitamins A, B12, C, D, E, K. Then Water – please don’t get confused and think that infused waters with flavours are a good source, unfortunately not, they are full of artificial sweeteners all connected to cancer and other diseases. Simple you can infuse water yourself if you need help to enjoy, fresh fruit cut into wedges and left in the fridge or inside in a jug of natural water, or squeeze lemon or lime or oranges into your glass with a spot of ice, tasty and wonderfully natural. On that note I would like to simplify all the information out there about food and nutrition. WE BASICALLY NEED TO EAT NATURAL FOODS, LOTS OF COLOURFUL VEGETABLES AND SALADS WITH ANIMAL WELFARE- WELL SOURCED FISH AND MEATS (if we eat meat or fish of course), think Cave men/women. NO PROCESSED FOODS (quick fix dinners)
We need food to function with a balance of nutrient-rich foods and beverages of which means we need a daily calorie requirements
This table shows the average calorie requirements for different age categories, within a sedentary and active lifestyle (WHO 2024)
| Age | Sedentary level | Active level |
| 14-16 years | 1,750 | 2,350 |
| 17-18 years | 1,750 | 2,400 |
| 19-30 years | 1,900 | 2,350 |
| 31-50 years | 1,800 | 2,250 |
Optimum food intake depends on how many calories you need.
It is not always as simple as calories in versus calories out when it comes to weight, but if you consume more each day than you use up, you will usually put on weight. If you consume fewer calories than you need for energy, you will likely lose weight but its important to highlight not eating is not a good way to do it, too less calorie consumption can be detrimental to our health.
What happens to your body if you don’t eat enough?
Balance, enough nutrient rich foods are essential to remember with a weight loss goal in sight. And over eating can increase unhealthy BMI with health issue consequences. But the common ways that the brain tries to conserve energy and vital nutrients will cause very predictable physical sensations such as chilliness, restlessness, cold hands and feet, poor skin, slowed digestion and digestive pains, slowed heart rate, reduction in essential hormones and resulting in health issues. What happens if you eat less food than your body needs?Being underweight can increase your risk of malnutrition, developmental problems, infertility, bone fractures and osteoporosis, anaemia, increased risk of surgical complications and a weakened immune system. As you cut calories, your body tries to conserve its energy stores by slowing your metabolism. This can make you feel cold and sluggish What happens to digestion when you don’t eat enough? Digestive issues In fact, research shows malnutrition and weight loss from under eating can slow down the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which can cause general GI dysfunction, as well as issues like gastroenteritis (or slowed movement or motility of stomach muscles), constipation, re-flux, heartburn, bloating, and diarrhoea. So all counter productive in sense of want to lower body fat, so not eating shed weight quicker, no basically. you have it in as a lifestyle change and mindset change on how we see food and nutritional value in a good calorie intake of daily food consumption. What happens if we eat too much?When you eat, your body uses some of the calories you consume for energy. The rest are stored as fat. Consuming more calories than you burn may cause you to become overweight or obese. This increases your risk for cancer and other chronic health problems.
What happens to the body when we overeat?
Since the stomach is highly elastic it is capable of holding as much as 3 to 4 litres, so when we are not mindful of eating consumption we will fill that stomach and stretch the capacity as stated. Overeating can lead to feelings of excessive fullness, bloating, reflex, indigestion and nausea. it takes your brain 20 minutes to register satiety and fullness, so that leads me onto the Japanese style secret as such to living a healthy and longevity life span, did you know they live to average 85-112 years old, simply by moving, never retiring fully and ensuring they are engaging with people in community life, but their biggest evidence based reason is the food, highly nutritional foods, mainly fish based (this is my lifestyle, Pescataren diet) and a daily array of vitamins/minerals which include fresh veg, salads, fruit based foods alongside eating slower and smaller portion control. This is the key point to my discussion on weight management here, i say it again… engage at meal times sit quietly to a table good posture if sat on floor round a Asian style table or picnic blanket in height of summer with family so we can be mindful about the portion control by slow eating chewing foods properly, Over eating can cause an array of health related issues of which GP and hospitals will agree we can reverse some ill health and prevent disease by eating properly and maintaining a healthy weight. The healthcare professions call it ‘Exercises prescription’ and as a registered exercises professional working within this field for 16 years i have seen the evidence of how changing lifestyle choices towards activity and foods can really turn peoples lives around into a more manageable supportive way to the fact they have to unfortunately live with a degenerate diseased, giving them a better quality of life. OR simple reversing some health issues to not exists no more and the weight dropped to a healthy BMI given them a happier version of them selves overall, body and mind, it quite remarkable. What we put in our bodies is so important to how we feel and look.
Every diet works, lots of different types out there but realistically is it sustainable on a regular basis? From my experience of working in this industry, most people go through this cycle of yo yo dieting, when they choice a new fade diet every-time it hits the media airways with hope of losing weight, and yes they do. But then they quickly go back to their normal eating bad habits, gaining weight and putting it all back on. Physiological and unhealthy for our digestive and body mechanics.
There is lots of other factors to overeating also, stress can raise our blood sugar levels and this in turn makes us hungry, its not that body really needs it, it is the fooling side of it, comfort eating as such. Reduce stress levels in your lifestyle and running around without rest periods throughout the day, switch off for a mid morning break, lunchtime break and afternoon break alongside family home dinner time, so we eat and engage with our healthy food peacefully, see it as me time. Slow down and enjoy! There is a lot of science based evidence around people who struggle with bad eating habits and are in the obesity category, being connected to cognitive behaviour issues and i agree. We are controlled by our NLP (neuro linguistic programming) which in a very basic form of explaining is how we have build our mind body connection of what we feel or want or see is right for us food wise in this case. Yet evidence has shown me and written papers on this topic show we can re program our NLP to start thinking differently. Therefore, if we open up to no more diets, lifestyle changes and new beginnings instead. What we consume on a daily basis for the rest of our lives to lose weight initially obviously yet maintaining that weight lose and bringing ourselves into a healthy BMI, making us feel physiological amazing, picking up your self esteem and body health benefits overall.
Fundamentally we are all unique and different and we all have to accept what works for one may not work for another so its about tapping into you, finding the right foods that are healthy wholesome natural foods and creating that lifestyle change of eating habits and sticking to them. That’s the thing, there is so many amazing foods and ingredients out there for each and everyone of us! food swaps for those naughty likes, lets try that swap then see body shape changes, its so possible we just need to start educating ourselves on it all and giving it a try.
This topic on nutrient foods and weight management is huge and I could talk all day about it, who would of guessed! hahaha as we are fully aware I am ‘little miss chatty box’. Yet I appreciate we are all busy people and you wont want yo continue reading the blog if I dont bring it to a close. So before i sign off this month, lets lastly talk a bit about good gut health consumption, what to eat and what not too, is a big question out there and we all have different taste buds and likes and needs to the activity levels we have on a daily basis. So a fantastic book i recommend you read is a science and well written book by Professor Tim Spector offering you clear answers in this definitive, easy to follow and a useful guide to a healthy gut, Food for Life (Tim Spector – Gut health Expert 2024).
I run online course for Adult Weight Management, in group one on one. We focus on understanding all the above i spoke about and what works for you individually alongside your lifestyle schedule. We look at healthy food options and learn to and enjoy the process and start to love cooking fresh foods. Lets work on changing, strengthening our mindset on healthy food choices and food in general. its all part of the journey on healthy gut’s, well-being, lifestyle change and not Yo Yo dieting patterns.
How to feel happier everyday…
Practising positivity is about nurturing an optimistic attitude remember – embracing the present moment as if it was your last. Something i feel strongly about day in day out ,proud to say i live this way.
This month it’s ‘D’ D is for Digital Detox (The a-z of positivity, Anna Barnes 2023) again this one is very in par with this months blog, put the digital stuff aside and eat mindfully.
As our digital devices grow so does the reliance of the virtual realm. Taking a break from these devices from time to time can prove beneficial for our overall well-being, postures (hunching over rounded shoulders) it can also increase productivity and strengthen your resolve to exercises. Crucially, a digital detox can simply allow you to live your life. When your eyes are given a rest from digital watching we process what is going on properly and sleep better also.
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” (William Morris)
Let’s hope the sun keeps shining. Look forward to continuously meeting you in all the classes or walks throughout.
Big love xx
