Eat Healthy Lose Weight eGuide Preview/Teaser by Health & Vitality

EAT HEALTHY LOSE WEIGHT A Holistic Nutrition Approach for Sustainable Results

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H E A L T H A N D V I T A L I T Y . C O M . S G

Nutrition Basics

We all love to eat. Also, we shop for ingredients, organise our kitchens to store food items, cook meals daily for our families — so really, we are all nutritionists in our own way. However, food companies, the media and marketers have over complicated nutrition. As a result, many people are confused as to what constitutes the components of a healthy meal, and the kinds of food we require to 'fuel' or energise us throughout our day. So a great place to start is with the basics. Let's explore what each of the energy providing food groups, called macronutrients, provides nutritionally; and the best wholesome, foods items that you should choose within each group.

Nutrition Basics

Complex Carbohydrates Carbs are made up of sugar or glucose units, which our cells require to thrive. There are good and bad carbs; the better ones provide slow-releasing energy which is required for brain-power and for physical energy to get you through your day. In their best form carbohydrates are unprocessed, thereby retaining all their wonderful fibre and nutrients. Examples include; wholegrain bread and pasta, oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat and starchy vegetables - such as sweet potato, pumpkin and squash. In their worst from carbs are stripped of most of their nutrients and should be avoided; e.g. white flour, refined sugar, processed grains and all the products that contain them. For extra reading click here.

C ARB S

Healthy Fats For optimum immunity and brain development enjoy a variety of fats. Heart-healthy monounsaturated fats are found in avocados, olives, extra virgin olive oil and almonds.

F ATS

Polyunsaturated fats, especially Omega-3s, are important to help combat inflammation; these are found in oily fish such as salmon, trout and sardines; flax and chia seeds; walnuts, and grass-fed meats. Saturated fats, once deemed 'bad' and implicated in raising cholesterol and heart disease, are now known to be healthy and can be enjoyed in moderation; butter, coconut oil, full-fat milk, full-fat natural yoghurt and cheese. For extra reading click here.

Nutrition Basics

Healthy Eating Portions Guidelines choose a variety from the portion examples over your day*

COMPLEX CARBS 2-3

5-8

2-3

Medium slice of wholegrain or sourdough bread; small wrap; small pita 1/4 cup dry rolled oats medium sweet potato, squash, beet or other starchy vegetables 1/2 cup cooked whole grain pasta, quinoa, wild rice, oats, buckwheat, millet 1/2 cup beans, lentils

RAINBOW OF VEGETABLES 1 cup leafy greens (in a salad, steamed, in a green juice) 1/2 cup coloured non-starchy vegetables - peppers, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots 50ml green juice

FRUIT 1 cup of berries or 1 medium whole fruit 25gm dried fruit

QUALITY PROTEIN 75gm meat or chicken 100gm fish or tofu 2 medium eggs or 3/4 cup legumes (beans, lentils) 1/4 cup feta, goat cheese or hard cheese 1 cup Greek yoghurt

2-3

HEALTHY FATS 2 tbsp nuts, seeds or olives 1 tablespoon coconut oil, olive oil or butter 1/3 avocado

OPTIONAL HEALTHY TREAT 1 cup homemade fruit ice cream 25gm dried fruits 1 tbsp nut butter 2 sq dark chocolate 2 cups popcorn 2 sm nigiri 2 tbsp hummus 3 medium pieces sashimi 2 tbsp nuts bliss or energy ball small beer small glass of wine

* based on an average adult woman (70kgs @ 165cm), who is a moderate exerciser (3-5 times weekly), wishing to lose up to 0.5 kg week. These serve as an indication only and should be adjusted accordingly under the guidance of your nutritionist.

Keeping a Health Journal

Keeping a Health Journal From my experience, the single best thing that helps people focus on their health is to maintain a Health Journal for a few weeks. Start by using it to record food and drinks consumed, sleep, exercise and so on. After a week or so, with a picture built up, you can focus on making little changes for the better. Later, use this same Health Journal as a meal planner, especially so that you highlight 'vulnerable' times such as dining out and travel.

Your body keeps an accurate journal, regardless of what you write down. If you are someone who works well within structure, consider maintaining a Health Journal for a few weeks . You will be amazed at what you will learn about your habits and your body. You can then work on changing these habits for the better.

Having a plan keeps many people on the straight and narrow as they have something to aim for; for others, after a few weeks, the added work might be pressure they can do without, but they continue to practice better habits.

Mindful Eating

Mindful Eating While there's a lot of focus on what we should and shouldn't eat, equally important is how we eat. Ideally, we should feel hungry (I know, a novel idea), be in a relaxed state and engage in all our senses while we enjoy our food. Are you are guilty of eating on the go, to later forget that you've had lunch? Perhaps you sometimes overeat or eat emotionally? Is poor digestion a concern, or you sometimes suffer from bloating or constipation? This section focuses on how you eat, so you can address many of these concerns. With a few days of purchasing this eGuide, you will be invited to download my Mindful Eating Download, which includes a step by step guide on tackling the issue, including a 7-day email series with related tips and suggestions.

Healthy Snacking

Healthy Snacking "SNACKING CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOUR HEALTH ASPIRATIONS, FROM WEIGHT LOSS GOALS TO SPORTING ACHIEVEMENTS. " Timely, healthy snacking can totally influence your energy levels — setting you up for an awesome workout and a great recovery afterwards. It can also get you through that afternoon slump, or when used wisely, healthy snacking can successfully keep hunger at bay so that you don't give in to the temptation of unhealthy treats. On the other hand, snacking, if overused or abused, can totally jeopardise weight loss and result in weight gain over time. Snacking on sugary and processed foods can quash your energy caused by fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Inappropriate snacking can mean poor appetite for your planned healthy meals, and can also make you feel lethargic or guilty, leading to further poor snacking!

Healthy Snacking

Healthy Snacking List FOR CRUNCH Crispbread with cheese Kale chips Baked pita with chili Spiced, roasted chickpeas Spicy papaya or mango salad Coleslaw in a rice wrap Vietnamese rice paper rolls Root-vegetable chips Cucumber wedges & tatziki dip Spiced soy nuts Dried fruit sclies Homemade popcorn Low/no sugar, healthy cereal Handful of nuts & seeds Apple or guava slices with nut butter Rice cake & hummus Crispbread with honey Oatcakes or fiber cookies Healthy granola bar Crudites with salsa Celery sticks & sunflower butter Unsweetened trail mix Roasted chickpeas

A Little About Sugar

A little about Sugar Who doesn't love a little sweetness? We're programmed to do so as our first taste is lactose, or milk sugar, from breast or formula milk. However, this is very different from refined sugar, in its various forms, that is added to most packaged, processed foods. If you have a sweeter tooth, ensure it is satisfied through a natural, healthy source. Read this section to learn how much sugar you are consuming, and where to get better 'sweet' options.

You may have given up sugar in your coffee, but you might still, unknowingly, be consuming a lot of sugar from other sources. Here’s an exercise you can do to figure out how much you might be getting over a given day. Later, I will share some strategies on how to reduce your overall sugar intake, and how to tackle sugar cravings. Let's take one of the worst sugar culprits as an example, fizzy drinks.

EAT LESS SUGAR, YOU ARE SWEET ENOUGH

Meal Plan - sample 1 Meatless Monday

Chicken Tuesday

Roast Salmon Wednesday

Meaty Thursday

Fishy Friday

Lemon water

Oats overnight 3 ways

Sweet potato break fast waffles

Apple museli

Sweet potato toast 5 ways

Oats overnight 3 ways

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Bananaalmond smoothie

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LUNCH

Nourish salad bowl

Rainbow summer rolls

Citrus tempeh salad

Middle Eastern chicken & rice salad

Tea smoked salmon rolls with coconut vinegar dipping sauce

MID-PM (OPTIONAL)

Summer berries w. 1/2c Greek yoghurt

Banana slices with 1 tbsp nutbutter frozen

Strawberry chocolate treats

Crudites with hummus

Baked pears

Vegetarian chilli with quinoa (or grain of choice

Orange chicken with black rice and Steamed greens

Salmon wasabi burgers with Asia slaw

Japanese beef bowls

Cauliflower pizza

FIRST THING BREAKFAST MID-AM (OPTIONAL)

DINNER

NIGHT TIME (OPTIONAL)

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Choose from Healthy Snacking Guide

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NEED

Rolled oats, black beans, chickpeas, passata

Sweet potato, rice wrap, chicken, black or wild rice.

Tempeh, strawberries, dark c hocolate, ssalmon, wasabi powder

Beef, bok choy

Cauliflower, nuts & seeds (for stoneage bread)

NOTES

Oats recipe here is generous portion you can halve :). Make hummus for lunch bowl and snacks.

Cook extra chicken for Thursday lunch. Pre-soak wild rice in the morning, cook extra for Thursday lunch.

Buy extra salmon for Friday lunch

Beef needs 4 hours marinade time

Can use storebought smoked salmon, and sauce of choice. Make stoneage bread.

Healthy Shopping

The grocery store is where your healthy-eating journey begins - food shopping can be a mundane task, but it's so important to start off your health journey steering your cart in the right direction!

Healthy Shopping Grocery shopping can be time-consuming, expensive and often frustrating. However, getting healthy is all about planning and having the best ingredients on hand. Here you learn how to make your shopping experience more palatable, pardon the pun, so that you arrive home timely, with the best quality products, and without spending a fortune.

Dining Out Guide

Dining Out Guide By focusing on the healthy foods that you want to put in your body, and the positive ways you want to treat yourself, you effortlessly move towards optimum health. This approach leaves less room for the bad stuff (e.g. junk food, excess alcohol) that you might sometimes entertain. By filling your plate, your refrigerator, your kitchen, and your grocery basket with nutritious fare, you are crowding out unhealthy, processed food. When dining out, you have less control over the quality and quantity of ingredients that make up your meal. Therefore, eating at home, or taking a packed lunch to work or school, is always encouraged when you are on a mission to get healthy or lose weight. That said, we of course love to enjoy dining out with friends to catch up and to celebrate special occasions. Here are some tips on how to enjoy doing so, while still staying healthy.

Before you go... Check menus online Nowadays, most restaurants have their menu posted online – including cafés and fast food providers. This enables you to browse the menu at your leisure in advance and to consider any questions you might like to ask the waiter before you place your order.

Weight Loss Tips

Weight Loss Tips I know many of you will jump here first; to be honest, I would probably do the same! Whichever of the points here resonate with you, then perhaps move to these relevant sections to get more detail. To achieve anything in life, and to develop better lifestyle habits, we need to put some effort in, there are no quick fixes :) Do you any other tips to share with coreaders -— we'd love you to share them on our closed, private Facebook forum:

There’s a healthier version of everything — discover better versions of foods and treats you enjoy. By eliminating 'guilt', you minimize chances of overeating from making unhealthy choices

Maintain a Health Journal for a few weeks —this keeps you accountable, while also being quite an eye opener!

Be honest with yourself — 'your body keeps an accurate journal regardless of what you write down'

Plan, Plan, Plan for meals at home, dining out, travel — using your Health Journal