Well….the answer is EGGS!

Yes, it’s now official.

Eggs are definitely a ‘superfood’. Recent research has shown that eggs provide a variety of essential nutrients , particularly protein, essential amino acids, selenium, choline and vitamins A, D and B12. It is one of the most nutrient-dense foods around and very low in calories. It is also known to help with weight loss!

It is thought that at least one egg a day will give you the optimum benefits.

Now, you might be thinking that you should avoid eggs if you have high cholesterol. But this is no longer the case because studies have shown the the cholesterol from cholesterol containing foods don’t effect your blood cholesterol as much as saturated fats. Only 50% can be absorbed.

The main groups of people that woudl greatly benefit from a regular egg dose a day are children, adolescents and older adults. The high quality protein and amino acids found in eggs helps with skeletal muscle development and proper growth and repair of the body.

So go ahead and have an egg a day! Preferably, boiled, poached, scrambled or microwaved – avoid frying too much!

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta

The word ‘diet’ is often associated more with the female of the species. This, I find, is also true of weight loss groups like Weight Watchers, Slimming World etc. It’s evident in the fact that a lot of the fizzy/soft drinks that are sugar free have had the word ‘diet’ or light’ taken off and replaced with words like ‘max’ and ‘zero’ etc. (I think you’ve probably guessed which ones I mean, by now!)

I often wonder if men actually are aware that they do need to lose weight if they notice that they are starting to get a beer belly? Or do they know, but feel that they don’t need to do anything about it? Maybe, they want to do something but are uncomfortable with the idea of seeking help and guidance, and so suffer alone? If you’re an overweight man out there, I would be interested to know about your views on this and what you feel you might need to help you.

I think that the idea of ‘dieting’ and ‘calorie coutning’ will forever have feminine connotations, and that health professionals and companies need to think of other terms to use to gain a male audience to use the services and products. Maybe we should stick to the term ‘healthy eating’ or ‘living a healthy lifestyle’?

Anyway, just a few thoughts for now.

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta

Yes.

More and more studies are now confirming that plant sterols do actually help to lower the “bad” cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) levels in your blood.

Although lowering saturated and hydrogenated fats in your diet are the most important things to change, if you are struggling to lower your cholesterol with changes to your lifestyle, then try including some plant sterols and see if it will help.

There are lots of products available now which contain these. Go for the ones that contain at least 2g, as 2g per day is the amount needed regularly to take an effect.

So, if you feel stuck, why not try some as part of your heathly lifestyle.

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta

I believe that life is all about enjoying it, and this also means when you are getting healthy.

It’s good to make sure that you have a balance of everything in your diet and so make sure you give yourself treat days.

Now when I say treat days, this literally means the occassional “treat” like chocolate cake, ice cream, take-aways or anything that you normally would consider unhealthy. But it’s important not to go overboard and then binge for 2-3 days. You must have self-control.

My suggestion is to choose 1-2 particular days of the week as your day to have that one treat.

Also, if you know that you’ll be going to a friends house, or a party at the weekend, then use that time to have your treat.

As soon as you’re finished, make sure you do go back to your usual healthy routine. Don’t just keep treating yourself everyday and all day long.

But even if you do end up binging, just take a step back, reassess your situation and then get back to your usual healthy routine. Don’t just give up because of 2 or 3 days of binging. It’s not going to be the end of the world! Trust me.

So go ahead and have a small bite of cake if you want to. Don’t deprive yourself.

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta

It’s true.

You know the story of the hare and the tortoise. Well being slow is the best thing to be when it comes to making changes in your lifestyle to get healthy and lose weight.

Basically, take things one step at a time and you’re more likely to succeed.

Think of one change you want to make to your lifestyle.  For example, it could be to have breakfast in the mornings.

Make this change and do it for about 1-2 weeks. Don’t make any other changes. Simply accomplish this one.

Once you manage to eat a healthy breakfast every morning, decide what the next change should be, and again do this step by step.

You get the picture?

By doing this, you are forming goof habits that you can then maintain forever!!! Hence you’ll be healthier and fitter forever!!!

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta

…That is to your weight lifting dumbbells, of course!

Yes, it’s true ladies.

If you are after a quicker and more effective fat loss, and muscle definition, you need to start lifting much heavier weights.

By doing so, you will be working your body and your muscles much more. You’ll be gaining more muscle mass, which in turn will lower your fat mass. So don’t be shy of using the heavier weights at the gym or at home. Don’t just use the baby dumbbells. Go for over 5kg, and do lower repetitions. With time, you’ll notice the difference.

So ditch the baby bells or at least use them for a warm up) and go for the big ones!!!

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta

If you suffer symptoms of IBS (irritable Bowel Syndrome), then you may wish to try adding probiotics into your diet.

The usual symptoms of IBS include, diarrhoea/constipation or both, trapped wind, stomach cramps and flatulence. Diet sometimes can help eliviate some symptoms, but more and more studies show that there is actually a greater link to stress levels in the body. The more stressed, the more your symptoms occur and are intense.

Recent studies are now also suggesting that adding probiotic food into your diet may also help with reducing symptoms. Typical examples of these are the probiotic yoghurts, supplements or fermented milk drinks. The recommendation is to try these for at least 4 weeks at the dosage recommended by the manufacturer, and monitor the effect it has on your symptoms.

There certainly is no harm in doing this.

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta

Well, we’ve all probably heard the saying:

‘Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper’.

It’s very true and a good rule to try to stick by for everyone.

Children especially, have a lot of benefits from eating a good healthy breakfast. More and more studies show that it helps with concentration, weight control and generally good health later in life. It sets them up with good habits right from the start.

You can encourage your child to have breakfast by preparing the bowls, laid out, the night before, using quick cereals like quick porridge oats or Weetabix, Shredded Wheat etc. You can even prepare fruit smoothies the night before and keep it in the fridge to drink in the morning. These should help avoid any excuses to not have  a good breakfast.

Hope this helps!

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta

Peanuts! Peanuts and more PEANUTS!

Yes. Word is out from health professionals that peanuts and most nuts in general are very good for our health, along side a healthy balance diet and exercise.

Recent studies have confirmed that regular consumption of peanuts and peanut butter can help benefit your physical, mental and emotional health. It also has cardiovascular benefits.

Peanuts are a good source of monounsaturated fat (like the one you find in olive oil) which benefits your heart and helps reduce cholesterol, gall bladder disease and Type 2 diabetes. It also contains essential amino acids, folic acid, magnesium and zinc which can help with depression. Studies have found that having a moderate fat intake (from mono and polyunsaturated fats) in the diet rather than a low fat intake, is more beneficial and can also help with weight loss.

Replacing high sugar/fat snacks with peanuts and other nuts, helps to lower your weight as well as keep you feeling satisfied for longer, as they are slow burning (ie. low Glycaemic Index). Australian researchers have managed to show evidence that frequent consumption of peanuts as part of a healthy diet does not contribute to weight gain.

If you want more information, you can check out the American Peanut Council.

So go on…..keep a packet of peanuts with you for snacking on throughout the day. But bear in mind that you still need to eat a healthy balanced diet and do regular exercise also. And make sure that the nuts you buy are fresh (ideally not salted or roasted as they will be high in salt!).

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta

Hi again.

Did I mention that I am also a diet therapist? I love trying to help people achieve their health goals. This was an article I wrote recently and I hope that it may be of some help to you:

Have you started to notice that your clothes are feeling tighter? Is everything you do taking more effort? Are you feeling low about how you look?

Maybe it’s time for you to look at your diet and lifestyle and try to lose the weight, for whatever reason.

The best way to get started is to write down all the reason as to why you want to lose the weight. This is going to be your ammunition for motivation and you should always refer back to this the next time you get tempted to go ‘off the rails’.

Being overweight can have a big impact on your health e.g. increases the chances of diabetes, heart disease, painful joints, snoring, high blood pressure, infertility and so on. By losing weight, even as little as 5-10% of your current body weight, you will be drastically lowering the chances of suffering from these conditions, gaining an extra 9-10 years of your life. You will also gain benefits psychologically i.e. better self-esteem and confidence.

So if you feel the time is right for you to lose weight, here are some top tips to help you get started:

1.    Keep a food diary: write down the time, the food and drink and the amount of everything you consume everyday, and keep this information in a handy notebook. At the end of the week, you can then go back through and see what has been happening. You may be surprised what you find. You must be honest with yourself. You may even wish to record the emotions you were feeling at the time of consumption e.g. depressed, sad, happy, stressed etc.

2.    Eat regular meals: very important and is the key to successful long term weight maintenance. Aim to spread out your meals evenly (every 4-5 hours at least). If necessary, plan to have healthy snacks like fresh fruit or vegetables or a diet yoghurt. This should help you avoid being hungry and then eating the first thing that comes to hand, which tends to be biscuits, crisps, chocolate, take-aways etc. And try to avoid eating too late.
3.    Have at least 5 portions of fruits and vegetables per day: this is much easier to do than people think. A portion is the equivalent to something fitting in the palm of your hand e.g. an apple, small banana, small bowl of salad etc. You need to make sure you include these at every meal – at least half the intake should come these. Make smoothies with fresh fruit to help you get your portions in.

4.    Cut down on fats and sugars: simple really. Go for low fat/diet products and avoid too many take-aways and eating out. The can be tasty but are very high in calories and often don’t fill you up for very long.
5.    Be organised: plan you meals ahead so that you are always prepared to make a healthy meal/snack. Try not to keep foods that you are trying to avoid in the house.
6.    Exercise: activity goes hand in hand with healthy eating. You need both in order to life a long and healthy life. So get moving! Aim for 45-60 minutes of physical activity everyday in order to see significant changes. Remember, if you are not used to exercise, you must build up to this slowly. Start off with 20 minutes 3 x a week and build it up week by week until you achieve your goal. You can anything from dancing, running, yoga, swimming, cycling, the gym etc. Also, try to increase you daily activity by avoiding the use of cars, buses, tubes, lifts, escalators etc. as much as possible. If you can walk – WALK!

If you feel you need more help and support then there are plenty of products and information on the internet. Here is one of the better ones I’ve seen which focuses on getting rid of all the ‘junk’ in your body to help you get healthy and one the best way to exercise to burn fat efficiently.

Take a look at these site that I have come across:

Top Secret Fat Loss Secret

Turbulence training

Burn the fat feed the muscle

So what are you waiting for? Get started!

Until soon with more musings…

Loretta