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“I really regret eating healthy today…said no one ever!” 😉
– a quote I used to have sitting on my clinic desk, back in the days when I worked in a brick and mortar environment.
I haven’t always been a healthy eater.
I have always wanted to be a healthy eater…but I’m sure that can be said for most of us right?
Experimentation
My journey with food has involved a lot of experimentation.
I’ve been vegetarian, I’ve been a raw-foodie, I’ve been LCHF, Keto, Paleo, experimented with Intermittent Fasting, I’ve been eat-whatever-the-heck-I-want-er…if there was a “movement” I likely gave it a go.
The only way to know how something is going to make you feel is to try it out yourself.
So that said, want to know my personal opinion of the best diet out there?
A: The one that makes you feel the best!
Also, one that you enjoy (at least mostly) and can continue with long term.
(p.s. the word “diet” as I am using it here is referring to your style of eating, not food restriction. Restriction isn’t sustainable, nor enjoyable)
Crowding Out
If someone tells you you can’t have xyz, all you are going to think about is having xyz. So I recommend flipping it around and focussing on all the things you can have. When you do that the cravings for xyz will lessen and eventually fall away all on their own.
My Guidelines
So lets get into it.
Below are my favourite 7 guidelines I follow to feel good. When I focus on these general guidelines, I naturally crowd out all the things that may taste good but leave me feeling sub par (I’m looking at you almond croissants).
1. Lemon water in the morning
Lemon water is a fabulous little liver and gallbladder flusher. Our liver is our major detox organ, so the more that we can support this little guy the better. You’ll likely notice your eyes shine that little bit brighter and getting out of bed in the mornings becomes that little bit easier.
2. Not more than one coffee a day
Haha, one of my best friends and I have a running joke about our coffee counts. We both LOVE coffee. We both know that we feel best on one coffee per day or less. More than that and I get tired. More than that and my friend gets a tight chest.
3. 80% vegetables
There are so many nutrients up for grabs in veggies. They’re in fruit as well, but I feel better keeping mostly to veggies. Your micronutrients are your vitamins and minerals. Your macronutrients are your proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Your micronutrients are much, much higher in your veggies than in animal products. The more brightly coloured and varied your veggies the better.
4. Two litres of water
This amount can differ based on your build, but a general guideline is 300ml of water per 10kg of body weight. So if you weigh 60kg you’ll be looking at 1800ml of water. More in summer, less in winter. Another way is to go by the colour of your urine. The first one in the morning will be concentrated, but after that you want to be aiming for pale yellow to clear.
5. Spacing meals 4 hours apart
When you space your meals 4 hours apart you help with something called the “Migrating Motor Complex”. This is a sweeping wave that moves through your intestines every 90 minutes. The act of eating stops it. So if you’re constantly grazing all day your food won’t be getting moved through at the rate that it should. This could lead to food lying around and fermenting, a lovely little breeding ground for a candida and/or bacterial overgrowth and is one of the major causes of bloating.
6. Small breakfast, decent lunch, small dinner
I love the idea of intermittent fasting (having dedicated “eating windows”, i.e. from 12pm – 6pm daily), but with my history of restricted dieting I found that I was over eating when it was food time. So I like to have a juice or smoothie in the morning (after my lemon water), then a decent sized lunch, and small dinner. I have energy through the day, I don’t feel deprived, and I sleep well. This also fits in with the Ayurvedic philosophy that our agni, or our digestive fire, is strongest when the sun is at its highest.
7. Allowing myself “treats” every now and then
Again, with my history of restricted dieting (some periods during my SIBO treatment where I had to be restricted, some periods during my time trying to maintain being an AUS size 8). When I finally allowed myself a “cheat” after periods of restricting I had a tendency to go rather crazy. So a little every now and then works better for me. I also don’t like to think of them as “cheats”, as that can set up a bit of negative mentality. I have a really simple raw chocolate recipe: coconut oil, cacao powder, stevia/honey. Simple. Tasty.
And that wraps them up.
The guidelines I like to follow…mostly. I really love the 80:20 rule. So you could try that too…unless you have an allergy or trigger. Then they’ve gotta go 100%.
Guidingly yours,
Kirsten[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” css_animation=””][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” background_color=”#f959af” css_animation=”” css=”.vc_custom_1512369983367{background-color: #c1beb7 !important;}”][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1512369535045{background-color: #c1beb7 !important;}”][vc_column_text]
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