Live Well

Live Well - Feeling Great

We have all heard the expression “you are what you eat” but have you ever really thought about what that means? Your body is literally made out of the food that you give it. Your heart, lungs and kidneys, your skin, hair and nails, not to mention muscles and bones are all built from the food you eat. What are you building your body from??

It is no wonder that we can feel amazing when we eat well and feel tired and run down when we don’t. Eating well means giving your body everything it needs to be at its best and to help you to feel fantastic. Eating well means you will feel brighter, have more energy and help to reduce your chances of developing some common diseases such as heart disease or diabetes.

The problem is that eating healthily can be a bit of a struggle for some people. We can easily fall into bad habits – or maybe we never had the chance to learn some good ones. Often we focus on convenience and speed instead of quality and balance. But eating to feel amazing can be very simple and a few small changes can make a really big difference.

Start by having a look at the basic healthy eating guide. This will give you a breakdown of all the foods your body needs to be healthy and will give you some idea of where to start. If you are a fairly unhealthy eater, all that information can look like too much work, but, have a look at some of the tips below to help you to get started and feel great!

Eat more fruit and vegetables This is one of the easiest ways to start feeling good. Fruit and vegetables are packed with the vitamins and minerals we need to help our body’s work at their best – and they are one food group that is easy to miss out on. Simply eating 2 extra servings of fruit or vegetables a day can make a surprising difference. Think about having some fruit or vegetables at every meal. Start with some fruit juice for breakfast or add some fruit to cereal – try sliced banana, mandarin orange or fresh or frozen berries. Make sure you have some salad in sandwiches at lunchtime or order a side salad if you are eating out. Snack on some fruit in the afternoon and make sure 1/3 of your dinner plate is vegetables or salad. Remember: it doesn’t have to be a big fuss – even a sliced tomato will count. Frozen vegetables are just as good as fresh and they make a quick handy standby if you are feeling tired or under pressure.

Eat more fibre A sluggish digestive system can really leave you feeling tired and run down. Fibre is the key to keeping everything running smoothly.  Fruit and vegetables are good sources of fibre but there are plenty of other ways to make sure you are eating enough Start the day with a high fibre breakfast cereal. Traditional cereals like porridge or muesli are good but cereals like Shredded Wheat, All Bran and Branflakes all have lots of fibre. Go for wholemeal or wholegrain bread instead of white bread. Look out for high-fibre breads and breads with added seed. Sprinkle seeds like linseeds, sunflower seeds or sesame seeds on breakfast cereals or salad. If you like to bake, try wholemeal flour instead of white flour when making bread, pastry and fruit crumbles. Try wholemeal pasta and brown rice instead of white pasta and white rice. Remember, brown rice does take longer to cook than white rice so give yourself plenty of time the first time you use it! Eat more beans or lentils. Have beans on toast as a light meal or try some mixed bean salads with kidney beans, chickpeas and butterbeans. Snack on nuts and dried fruit in place of high fat and sugary snacks

Exercise Ask anyone who is really fit how they feel and you will need no more encouragement to exercise! Exercise helps to reduce stress levels, maintain a healthy weight and give you much more energy. Exercising even just once a week can make a difference. Try to get some exercise most weeks. Ideally we need to exercise for 40 minutes 5 days a week and if you have time, then get started. If you are very busy, even one or two days a week will help – and it doesn’t need to be anything too strenuous. Find something you like doing and pick a time or day in the week that you can do it. It can be walking or swimming, a sports club or exercise class or even the gym. The trick is to be consistent and not to give up if you miss it occasionally. Just pick up and start again and eventually you will develop an exercise habit that will help you feel amazing.

Watch out for iron Iron is an easy nutrient to run low on. Being low in iron can leave you feeling tired and run down as well as touchy and irritable but before you reach for a tonic, check out what you are eating. Iron is found on red meat, chicken (especially the dark meat) and in some oil-rich fish. It is best to eat at least one of these everyday and to have red meat at least 3 times a week. You will also pick up some iron from green vegetables, beans (especially chickpeas), eggs and fortified breakfast cereals. Use these foods to supplement the iron you are getting from your meat, chicken and fish. Eating a food rich in vitamin C with iron containing foods will help boost absorption – try a glass of orange juice with meals or make sure you always have a salad or vegetable at lunch and dinner.