Nourish
Nutrition is about what you put in, not you take out. Sometimes the messages of go ‘gluten-free’, ‘dairy-free’, ‘eat less sugar’ ‘eat fewer calories’ etc. override the core principle of nutrition to nourish your body with healthy, balanced meals.
Put healthy food in. Squeeze in as many fruits and vegetables as you can; spinach, mushrooms and avocado for breakfast, a green smoothie for a snack, a bountiful salad for lunch, a big vegetable stir fry with tofu or organic chicken.
Filling up on vegetables which are the most nutrient dense foods and are high in water and fibre, and therefore low in calories. This means you can crowd out unhealthy foods, rather than actively trying to reduce them, whilst feeling fuller for longer and nourishing your body with micro-nutrients.
Adding in superfood powders is another excellent way to provide nourishment. New VITL Greens is an expertly blended powder containing 16 super foods that can be added to water, smoothies and even tasty recipes.
Love your Liver
Your liver is the hardest and most diverse working organ of your body. Among other things it is responsible for the metabolisis of nutrients (this includes fat burning!), helping to regulate our blood sugar levels and the break down and elimination of excess hormones (which can contribute to PMS and acne).
In this modern day environment with pollution, pesticides, household chemicals, over the counter drugs, as well as our love for coffee and alcohol the liver can easily become bombarded.
Supporting your liver and its functions via your nutrition can really help your overall wellbeing. Include green vegetable juices in your diet, particularly brassica veg such as kale and broccoli, as well as beetroot, artichoke, berries, lemon, turmeric, garlic, and green tea.
Boost your Energy
In our fast-paced hyperbusy lives, energy is the holy grail of wellness. Often we rely on coffee to give us the boost we need, unfortunately caffeine from coffee can be over-stimulating causing raised cortisol (the stress hormone) levels and poor sleep, both of which have a negative effect on body composition.
Maca root powder is an adaptogenic herb which helps support your adrenal glands. It is a great replacement for coffee, giving you a natural energy boost from its vitamins, minerals and plant complexes, whilst reducing, not adding to, your stress response.
Maca is one of the main ingredients in new VITL Greens superfood powder.
Be prepared
The mantra goes ‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail’, this is never truer than when it comes to nutrition. Getting caught on the fly when hungry with limited choices is mostly likely time you will reach for fatty or sugary foods.
First stage is to decide why you want to make changes and write them down.
Then, identify barriers to change and figure strategies e.g. a solution to ‘I need a coffee to wake up in the morning’ would be to switch to a green tea.
Be accountable and honest with yourself, writing a food diary can be a great way to do this.
Lastly, stock your cupboard with the right foods so that you can put together a healthy meal in minutes, even if it’s a salad with grated vegetables and adding precooked lentils and quinoa, or a veggie omelette with a quick salad.
Balance your blood sugar
Dysglycaemia is the abnormal control of blood glucose levels. The level of glucose fluctuates, causing hypo and hyperglycaemia. Medically it is associated with diabetes, but people can suffer from ‘sub- clinical’ dysglycaemia.
Dysglycaemia is heavily influenced by diet and it has a direct effect on daily energy levels, is linked with fatigue and especially the classic ‘post lunch slump’.
Making sure you eat regular balanced meals that always contain a fibre and protein element so that you will have a slower and more sustained release of sugars into your blood stream. This means that you will not only feel better energy levels throughout the day, but also have better concentration and less cravings.
Nutritionist Libby Limon BSc NT mBANT believes in balance and wellbeing in all areas of life.
A qualified yoga teacher she combines yoga and nutritional clinics to give her clients a well-rounded approach to their health.
She is also the Head of Nutrition at supplement brand VITL
