Nutrition Workshops (and a yoga class too!)

6 foods that may surprise you…cereal

As a Nutritionist, people often ask me about particular foods when trying to lose weight, or what they should be feeding their children.

So over the coming days I’ll be sharing with you 6 different foods that may surprise you, common things families buy and consume which may be worth thinking about…

Boxed cereals, particularly those that appeal to kids, are highly processed and fall into the refined carbohydrate category, containing high levels of sugar or sweetener.

If you eat cereal for breakfast, do you find you are hungry an hour or so later? Do you then reach for something sugary such as a biscuit (possibly grapes and raisins for kids), or reach for caffeine (hopefully adults only for this one!)? Perhaps you feel a little irritable? This is a sign that your blood sugars have fallen – we tend to respond by selecting something sugary or containing caffeine to pick us back up.

Try to balance your breakfast and select an option that contains protein or fat, or has more complex carbohydrates and fibre to keep you feeling fuller for longer - Eggs on wholemeal toast (poached, scrambled or boiled), omelette, porridge (whole oats, not crushed) or low-sugar granola (choose one that uses natural products and avoids artificial sweeteners) to support and sustain energy levels for longer.

#healthyfood #healthybreakfast #healthychoices #diet #nutrition #healthylifestyle #sugar

#carbs

6 foods that may surprise you…processed meats

As a Nutritionist, people often ask me about particular foods when trying to lose weight, or what they should be feeding their children.

So over the coming days I’ll be sharing with you 6 different foods that may surprise you, common things families buy and consume which may be worth thinking about…

Processed meats have been cured, salted, smoked or preserved in some other way. Sausages, bacon, hot dogs, ham salami, jerky, canned meat, etc. – all the things our children seem to love! The combination of fat and salt makes it tasty.

Next time you go shopping, look at the list of ingredients on a pack of hot dogs – the % of meat decreases significantly to make way for a number of other ingredients including water, preservatives, additives, flavourings and sugars (things ending in ‘ose’). Some of these additives and preservatives have been linked to an increased risks of cancer. Compare this to the ingredients of an organic chicken – chicken, simple!

Remember, you are what you eat. Choose good quality meat or poultry, unprocessed and ideally from animals raised organically, without the use of antibiotics and hormones (after all, you ingest them too!). The recommendation is that meat and poultry should be eaten in moderation, therefore if buying organic meat is an expensive option, why not try reducing your overall intake of meat and eat several veggie meals a week instead. This should balance it out enabling you to eat better quality meat, whilst increasing your veg content – winner winner chicken dinner (as they say…in a different context of course!).

#healthyeating #nutrition #fats #healthyfood #meat #health #diet #healthylifestyle