Forget dieting: 3 simple steps for a healthy family
Spring is here! Let’s focus on real food and forget counting calories.
Although watching what you eat is a good thing, restrictive diets are rarely effective and the outcome is not necessarily a healthy family. While on a diet, people are not always addressing their poor eating habits which caused them to put weight on in the first place. Once back to eating regular food, guess what? The weight creeps back up.
This Spring, why not make small lifestyle changes that last and get your family healthy for good? Here are my 3 tips to help you become healthier as a family all year around without dieting.
Tip no. 1: Listen to your body
Credit: Heather Weston
When you eat specific foods, your body can react in different ways. When it all goes well, food gets digested easily and nutrients are absorbed to maintain good health. If you eat foods that do not agree with you, you may experience a variety of signs such as bloating, cramps, constipation, diarrhoea, lethargy, reflux, headaches and even allergic reactions in some instances.
Your body is telling you that something is not quite right. Nutritional Therapy can help identify the foods that are affecting you, your partner or your children.
Tip no. 2: Eat “Real Food”
Eat the rainbow
Choosing natural wholefoods over packaged foods can have a positive impact on your health. Fresh vegetables provide the body with a good supply of nutrients required to function fully. Pulses and whole grains such as brown rice, buckwheat and quinoa are a great source of minerals and fibre which keep you full for longer and help with weight management.
When you cook a meal yourself with freshly bought ingredients, you know exactly what goes in the dish. No nasty surprises!
To learn how to make simple nutritious dishes, why not sign up for a Healthy Family Nutrition Session? Find out more here.
Tip no. 3: Keep a lid on stress for a happy and healthy family
A happy family enjoying a meal together
Did you know that the way you feel could affect how much and what you choose to eat? Psychological distress and an elevation of the stress hormone cortisol promote abdominal fat. There are a multitude of research studies that demonstrate that stress can have a big impact on a person’s weight. So this Spring, as we slowly come out of lockdown, I would encourage all families to find time to exercise, relax and eat together in a calm environment, away from technology and screens. By reconnecting with each other and by taking the time to share and listen to each other’s day, you may find that everyone is less stressed and a lot happier.