I have always wanted to have a healthy lifestyle. I love going to the gym and I have been at ours for over 5 years now. When Rob and I were first married I was probably there 5 nights a week, straight after work, but as children have come along; if I get 3 sessions then I am happy. Keeping fit and active is always something that I have been an advocate for. I have also, for a long time been conscious of what I eat. Pre-children I was most definitely a calorie counter and maybe a bit after Raph, but now I have realised you just can't eat by checking the numbers on a packet.
I have been trying to come up with a 'diet' plan for a while now. Thinking about eating and not wanting to 'diet' made me ponder on just how I view food and how it can be improved. I don't really believe in 'diets'. A much healthier way to look at it is that it is a lifestyle choice. And not just for a few weeks may I add; I am talking about changing habits of a lifetime and improving consumption of food in a positive way which should be continued for the rest of your life.
I don't want to 'diet', I want to cleanse my body and re-gear it into moving through life in a better state of health and wellbeing.
Unfortunately the only way to do this is to introduce a better standard of food in to your diet. There is a lot to be said for raw diets and wholefood diets which is where I have sourced my inspiration from. My mum is a raw food fanatic; she reads all the books, she lives the lifestyle and you know what, at 53 she looks amazing for it! Her whole ethos is to live till she's 100; to see all of her children grow up and to be with her husband for as long as possible. My Dad does it alongside her but not as keenly.
I have always found it way too salad driven. I would not want to be juicing and eating salad and raw veg for 3 meals a day. At this point in my life I would find it a chore and this 'diet' would not help me or my family. However, there are fantastic ideas and recipes that I hope to infiltrate into our family eating along side a more wholefoods diet.
Wholefoods diets seem more solid based on the whole goodness of what you eat. Whole food diets also center around lots of fruit and veg but with grains and nuts thrown in. It is all about having food as close to its natural state as possible. My mum also works this into her diet along side lots of raw juicing.
I want to share with you my ideas on this lifestyle choice I have made and how you can change certain parts of your diet to improve your way of life.
Something that I want to highlight before I go on is the importance of this change and how it needs to be part of your whole family's eating experience. When I told Rob what I planned to do I knew it wouldn't be received well. Rob has a few issues with this sort of thing which I think is really good to highlight before we get started because these can be solved.
He thinks;
1. It's expensive. Correct! You need to really think about this if you are the one wanting to change. I think the only way to stay on top of it is to meal plan. Then you don't allow for waste. Also places like Lidl (cheapest by far) offer a lot of good ingredients for this kind of diet so they are worth shopping at if you have one close.
2. There's a lot of waste; this should not happen. You need to think about eating all of the extra fresh foods you will bring in. If my mum finds she is getting to the end of the week and has bits of salads and random vegetables that will go over, she just juices them all up in a mixed mess and gulps it down. There is still goodness in it all, it's just us being picky that makes us think: "Ewe throw it away!!"
3. You don't get full. Wrong. There are so many ways of keeping topped up. You will see from examples later.
4. It's boring and I don't want to eat it. This should never be the case. If you are not enjoying it you are not doing it properly! Remember this is not a 'diet'; it is a way of life!
5. We eat as a family and should all eat the same thing. For me this is so important. If we are eating with the children, we should be sat sharing the same meal at the dinner table. There should never be a reason to be cooking 3 separate meals to suit everyone's taste. Our kids need to be trying everything and expanding their tastes and so do we. I know what you are going to say: How many kids are going to eat a salad? Yep, they are not but if you are having pasta and meatballs; really fill it with veg, even blitz it in a food processor to make it like a veg/pulse base before you mix it in the sauce. Also give them the pasta with it and if you then wanted no complex carbohydrates have courgetti (courgette peeled like spaghetti) instead of the pasta. It looks similar with the same topping and the you can all eat the same meal together.
You have to get creative in this plan. Do what you know you will be able to achieve. At the end of the day, it is no good you sitting with a nice plate of salad while your partner has a korma and rice. Why not have a bed of spinach and rocket and have the same korma topping. I bet you would love the greens and quickly realise there is no need for the rice! And also, you then don't crave as much if you are not completely denying yourself.
Gosh sorry, this post is a long one!
To help get my body detoxifying and cleansing itself, I have also introduced 4 new super food supplements with all extremely good qualities and extremely good ways to get your body performing as it should. Obviously these best work when your diet is good and you exercise regularly. They will not benefit you much if you take them in the morning and have pizza and chips for tea.
Wheatgrass - there are a lot of bonuses so watch out!
Not only does wheatgrass give you multiple vitamins (ABCE) it has the power to cleanse and heal the body's using specific nutrients that form in the grass plant naturally. Wheatgrass puts so much goodness into your body, it helps give you the right fatty acids, cleanses you blood and liver and is good for your immune system. It is full of minerals, antioxidants and enzymes that all help the body in its fights against colds, coughs, sore throats, joint pains, GREY HAIR, high blood pressure, tooth decay, bladder infections and bacterial infections. It is also fantastic for you skin and will help in the fight against ageing. You should take 1 teaspoon a day on an empty stomach if possible. I have the powder and it says on the back to introduce it with half a teaspoon so your body gets used to the detoxifying effects. So I have a half teaspoon in a shot glass mixed with water and I drink it down, fast and usually followed by a glass of water as it is gross! Not going to lie! It is a taste you get used to but it is not great, the key is just get it in you and forget about it! You can mix it in with fresh juices that will hide the flavour so you can make it nicer. It is so good for the body so I just think about that when I am shotting it back!
Bee pollen
This is literally the gathered pollens that a honey bee makes. In these pellets are some of the best sources of protein you could find. It has more amino acids than beef, eggs or cheese and it puts into the body pure proteins that can be absorbed as it is so clean from impurities. Bee pollen is a great energy enhancer boosting your body through the day. It also is great for inflamed skin problems, immunity, digestive systems, respiratory system, problems of the prostate and problems in infertility. I take a teaspoon most days over fruit. It has a nice flavour, different, but kind of tastes how you would expect!
Spirulina
This is a natural algae that is high in proteins and antioxidants. Made in cultivated ponds it is the source of the most potent nutrient ever. It puts so may nutrients to the body (it was too long to list to this already long post!) and is a high source of omega 3 and iron and it has more calcium in it than milk. It is really good for your brain and heart and can help with weight management when taken before meals.
As this is meant to taste foul I have opted to take it in tablet form!
Chlorophyll
You should know about this from your school science classes. Chlorophyll is what a plant produces when it catches the sun's rays. It again is a great source of proteins and nutrition but also has very good overall body effects. It has a bit of a random range of how it helps you; it can control hunger cravings, stop bad body odour, quickens healing times and is really good for your insides. Interestingly it can protect your body from 'bad food' and stop toxic fried foods being absorbed into your colon tissue which would help protect against colon cancer. In fact looking into all of these super foods you can find really strong links to protect yourself against cancer and healing from radioactive therapies.
Chrorophyll is also excellent for the skin and high in iron. I also take this in tablet form.
So they are the new supplements I am taking. They are classed as super foods and by adding them into my diet I hope to improve my body's working power and keep young and active for as long as possible.
This is all a big test for me. All I am looking to do is to eat healthier for the rest of my life by introducing key components to allow me to enjoy food in as clean a way as possible. I have pretty much stopped eating bread and don't want to eat pasta if I can help it. I have introduced high in fruit and nut breakfasts and snacks and have replaced complex carbs with greens and pulses as necessary. I am still eating meat and cheese but trying to stay away from crisps and sugary foods. I have introduced advocado at most of my lunchtimes as it is amazing for you and filling! Having it on a cracker instead of cheese with some tomato and balsamic vinegar is delicious!! Better than a sandwich! I am also conscious that the children still want sandwiches so haven't changed their diet so much but am just pouring in more fruit snacks and filling dinners with more vegetables.
I have a few pictures of food I have had this week. I will share next week's ideas in another post to keep you inspired into eating better.
Chicken salad, easy and tasty
Courgetti and spinach (uncooked) base with meatballs in homemade tomato sauce. (No added sugars - just onions, tinned toms, peppers, mushrooms and loads of paprika!)
Fruit with yogurt and maple syrup for dipping into. (The kids loved this)
Fruit with maple syrup, yogurt and bee pollen for dipping into.
Belly pork with a couscous salad (spinach, fetta, olives, toms and olive oil).
Fruit, Greek yogurt and linseed topping breakfast
I will be posting pictures to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter through the week so follow there and I will share more recipes ideas and information about sweet treats next week. I will also talk about weight loss as I am keeping a close eye on how my body changes as my diet does.
Remember, this isn't for the girl who wants an instant beach body. This is to better yourself in feelings and in body. FOREVER.
Post by Emily
I have bought my super foods from Indigo Herbs which my mum recommended for good quality and price.
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