I have for several months been going to a set of talks at Neals Yard about diet and nutrition. I have always tried to have a well-balanced diet but I do have a sweet tooth and drink large amounts of Tea, so there was room for improvement!
During the talks, our wonderful advisor Becks, explains about digestion and why some foods are beneficial, we also find out what harm certain foods cause to the body. (This was a real eye-opener) We do know that sugar and salt and processed foods are not our friends but don’t actually know why that is the case and why we should drink more water.
I am much more informed now; we got to try some foods and drinks like Kefir, Kombucha, green smoothies and sugar-free treats, I found that a small amount of dark chocolate ( not several Bounties) can even have some benefits. Soaking dried fruits and nuts can aid digestion and that even a light sprinkle of Chia Seeds or Linseed on your porridge in the morning can make a difference.
Now whilst, I can’t say that I loved everything I tried, I do have to say I was pleasantly surprised and I have introduced many new things into my diet. I have even bought a Nutribullet blender and make my own smoothies, which are much tastier and healthier than the shop brought version and Green smoothies: using Kale or Spinach, after a bit of trial and error can be great!
Book shops are crammed with books on clean living and detox diets, but many of these can be very extreme and often difficult to achieve if you have a job and don’t have hours available to shop for and prepare food.There are alot of mixed messages about what healthy eating is and it can seem very confusing. We were advised that small steps are better than large changes. Strict detox regimens should be under observation as you can become very unwell. Drinking more water, reducing salt,sugar, caffeine and alcohol and adding more vegetables to your diet would be a good start, particularity if your current diet is highly processed.
I have been replacing cups of tea with herbal drinks and in the morning and evening I drink hot water with lemon. I still love my cups of tea but enjoy them more than before as less frequent so they are more of a treat. It helps as my colleagues have been going to the same talks so we have all been encouraging each other and have been trying different herbal teas and swapping our unhealthy snacks.
It is a move towards a balanced, enjoyable diet of wholesome, natural food and away from processed foods which can be lacking in key nutrients and lead to poor energy levels.
Drinking more water was the biggest challenge but adding a slice of lemon or cucumber did help and I have noticed improvements from just this small change. I have started to prepare more food myself, it has taken more thought and planning but it is quite exciting to try new things. Why not have a go!
Enjoy x
Created Curated by Sara Brown 