How to eat your way to a healthy body

The average sedentary woman naturally burns 1,800 calories a day, meaning if she were to eat fewer than 1,800 calories a day, she would lose weight. This isn't pseudoscience, this is simply, mathematically the makeup of the body's composition.  Here's how to eat your way to an amazing body, without leaving that delicious egg yolk behind...

The body clock

Firstly let's address the myth of the body clock, the body doesn't have one. It runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Yes, there are times during the day and night when our body is required to work harder, therefore requiring more energy (in the form of food) to do so, but it doesn’t just stop at 7 pm. In fact, the most important time of day for rest, repair and recovery, is whilst you sleep. There are certain foods you can eat before sleep in order to enhance this process, namely the feared carbohydrate. Insulin released after the consumption of carbohydrates helps an important amino acid, tryptophan, get to the brain (indirectly), tryptophan is converted into Serotonin, which is produced by the brain to promote a calm state, encouraging a peaceful sleep. Some great pre-bed carbohydrates are oats and porridge and whole grains like granola with yoghurt. These are best consumed approximately 2-3 hours before bedtime.

Breakfast life hacks

In the morning, it’s time to break your nightly fast with breakfast. In order to enhance the fat burning process, put away the sugary cereals, even the ones deemed “healthy” and get your share of healthy fats. Fats are important for the absorption of Vitamins A, D, E and K, they are more satiating than carbohydrates so they will keep you feeling fuller for longer, so no mid-morning biscuit snacking. You can train your body to run on fats, therefore effectively being able to tap into your own body’s fat stores for energy when required. Despite what we’ve constantly been told, eat more good fat, to burn fat! 

For example:

• Swap your sugary breakfast cereal for a veggie loaded omelette – using whole eggs, almost all of the nutrients are located in the yolk, including biotin, which is great for healthy hair, skin and nails.
• Use an Avocado as a smoothie base with berries for sweetness – you can’t taste it, but it makes it a whole lot smoother, whilst packing in added goodness.
• Eat heart healthy salmon fillets, at least 3 times a week – one flaked into your omelette at breakfast, eat one with a salad at lunch and one with roasted veg for dinner. Oily fish is an amazing hair vitamin and one of the best foods for good skin.
• Snack on apples coated in peanut butter – used sparingly, as fat still has more calories per gram than protein or carbohydrates.
• Make your own trail mix of spiced seeds and pistachios – again, a handful will be more than enough to keep you satisfied till your next meal.
• Cook with coconut oil and leave the olive oil for dressings. Coconut oil is high in MCT’s (Medium Chain Triglycerides) a saturated fatty acid that can help improve cognitive function as well as facilitate weight loss. It is easy to digest and can help maintain a healthy heart.
  
  
   
   

Understanding nutritional labels

Another factor to be mindful of is portion sizes. One of the biggest contributing factors in weight control is portion distortion, where a meal may, in fact, be healthy, but will still send you over your calorie count because you are simply having too much. You know, when you buy something to eat and you see the calories listed on the back, you think it is healthy and will keep your count in check for the day, but have you read the part that tells you your snack is actually two meals? Reading the calorie content on packages will help you make better decisions on whether you want to use your precious calories on one delicious yet not nutritious meal, or move on to something more substantial and filling, for the same count. 

If you or someone you know is having difficulty maintaining a healthy weight, contact one of our wellness specialists on 020 7843 3597 for expert advice on a personalised tailor-made retreat or enquire here.