Looking After Your Health
 

It is a fact of life today that the food we eat is not as nutritious as we are lead to believe. Fruit and vegetables are picked before they’ve had time to ripen. Animals are fed steroids and bred in stressful environments. Food is preserved, processed and transported before it reaches us. Unless you’re buying 100% organic foods, you cannot be sure that your body is getting all the nutrition it needs in order to function optimally.
That is why supplementation is a vital part of our diet today. In order to maintain good internal health, which results in clear, healthy looking skin and hair, you need to feed your body the right amounts of the right nutrition.

There is an abundance of conflicting information out there, about the type of diet or eating plan that is right for us. Too much information = confusion which = no action. Someone wishing to improve their health can become so confused that they give up before they’ve begun. This lack of action is why Australia is now the most obese nation in the world.
The truth about maintaining a healthy weight is simple. Our bodies need a combination of protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals and enzymes in order to work optimally. Embarking on a fad diet which deprives the body of any one of these nutrients, will result in failure in the long term.
This is why fad diets don’t work – they teach deprivation in order to achieve short term weight loss. But losing weight shouldn’t be your only goal. You should aim to lose weight whilst also improving general health and well-being so any weight loss you achieve is sustainable long term. Diets that suggest you do anything other than eat a balance of these vital nutrients are setting you up for failure

Here’s why these nutrients consumed in moderation are important to maintain long term health and well-being:

PROTEIN is required for weight loss and weight maintenance because it regulates blood sugar which curbs sugar and carbohydrate cravings and leaves you feeling fuller for longer. Protein promotes muscle maintenance and growth and for every pound of muscle, you burn 14 calories per day, at rest. So you’re fat burning whilst doing nothing (easy!).
However, too much protein in your diet can cause calcium to be sucked out of your bones which can cause osteoporosis in later years. On average, one’s daily intake of protein in grams should equal double whatever their body weight is in kilograms

CARBOHYDRATES are an important source of energy, vitamins, minerals and fibre and they come in two basic forms – simple and complex. Both types contain sugar. Simple carbohydrates taste sweet (fruit) and complex carbohydrates do not (potatoes, rice).
Carbohydrates eaten in excess cause rapid absorption of sugar into the bloodstream (sugar rush). The pancreas then secretes insulin into the blood to remove the sugar as quickly as possible which reverses the sugar rush, causing tiredness. Where protein sends neuro-transmitters to the brain, telling it you feel full, carbohydrates work in the opposite way - telling your brain you need more. In short, too many carbohydrates at meal time can cause tiredness and cravings making a weight loss plan challenging.
Your own fist-full size is a good guideline for carbohydrate intake per meal.

FAT is essential to the function of every human cell. Put simply, there are two types of fats

Saturated fats are derived from animals (meat, cheese, eggs) and palm kernel oil and they are solid at room temperature. The more solid they are, the more difficulty your body has digesting them and the more likely they will be deposited and stored. These fats are not essential to your body’s ability to function properly.

Unsaturated fats help keep the body warm, insulate nerve cells, balance hormones and keep skin soft and supple. Unsaturated fats are made up of polyunsaturated fats like Omega 3 and Omega 6 (from fish), and Essential Fatty Acids. The body cannot manufacture EFAs, therefore, these must be obtained from dietary/supplement sources.

Ever wondered why, in a society of low fat foods, we are more obese now than ever before? "Low fat" branded foods are high in carbohydrate and low in fibre. When foods are low in fibre, you need more of them to feel satisfied. So, you eat more "low fat" food which increases your carbohydrate (calorie) intake and your body then stores these extra calories as fat.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS: The healing properties of vitamins and minerals (i.e. iron, vitamins A, B, C, D, E, zinc, potassium, magnesium, calcium, anti-oxidants etc.) should never be underestimated. Although they can be obtained through food sources, you are more likely to achieve sufficient daily intake through supplementation. At the very least you should be taking a good multi-vitamin.

A good eating plan that carefully balances protein, carbohydrate and fat intake along with the required vitamins and minerals, is the only way to achieve weight loss success, ongoing weight maintenance and well-being that is radiated from the inside - out. Be wary of any one who tells you otherwise. You don’t need to calorie count, you just need to be aware of what you are consuming. Educate yourself - get to know your body, the foods you’re putting into it and you will reap the rewards of a healthy, well nourished body.

For more information on health and well-being and for a free personal weight loss consultation, please visit www.longterm-weightloss.org