The first step is to get rid of all junk food and fill the fridge with healthy real food. Don’t keep temptation in the fridge. It’s time to say goodbye to cakes, fizzy drinks, cookies, chips, deserts and other highly processed foods. Then say hello to fresh fruits and salad vegetables low-fat or dairy or soy products, and whole grain cereals or and whole grain brown bread.
Don't over buy or supersize. In this era of buy one get one free it is so easy to buy more food than you need for the week. How often do you nip to the supermarket to buy one item, only to come out with ten? Make a list and shop once a week. Women often control the food in the house so it is up to the women to make sure there is not too much of the wrong kind of food in the house making everyone tempted to over-eat.
Obesity causes mobility problems and heart disease; chronic diseases that develop from poor eating practices are costlier in the long run than money saving at the supermarket; buying three desserts instead of one because if you buy two you get one free. Just think of the cost of all the medical treatments and larger size clothes. If supermarkets wanted to be kind to you instead of offering biscuits buy one get one free they would offer you one packet of the biscuits at half price.
Water is still the drink your body wants for hydration that has never changed since the beginning of time. If you're a habitual juice drinker, depending on the size of your glass, you can easily consume 100 to 200 kcal in a few glasses of juice. Get into the habit of eating your fruit instead of drinking it. Dr. Joanne Lunn of the British Nutrition Foundation said: “Juices have their place. They provide a good shot of vitamin C but we have to watch them because they can be quite high in sugar.” Many people drink more than one juice drink per day, as we are lead to believe it is the healthier option but with the rise in diabetes causing concern it is better to eat whole fruit and make water your main drink. It is very unlikely that the consumption of fruit juices alone increases the risk of developing diabetes: There are a number of factors, such as being overweight.
• Calories in 200ml water: None
• Calories in a can of Coke (330ml): 140kcal
• Calories in a glass of orange juice (200ml): 88kcal
• Calories in a mug of tea (270ml): 29kcal
If you are a habitual soda or fizzy drinks just drinker, getting rid of these altogether will easily save you a few hundred calories in a day and save your teeth from decay.
Changing just one unhealthy habit can have a huge impact on your health and weight and self esteem. Swap the chocolate for a juicy grape, or strawberry or cherry; finish your meal with a small piece of cheese instead of a chocolate. Respond to a difficult day by walking along the beach and watching the sun go down rather than sitting in front of the television with a box of chocolates. It will make you feel so much better. If you have had a negative day and you feel uptight and feel like hitting the biscuit tin to comfort yourself, do something positive: Go for a walk, or stop at the gym, or swim and you will be amazed with how much better you’ll feel. This is a great way of lifting your spirits.
This will come as no surprise: If you want to be healthy an exercise program is a must.
As a general guideline, aim to get 30 minutes of exercise every day or most days of the week. A walk after dinner, 10 minutes on the exercise cycle or use the stairs at work. Start the day with exercise. For a copy of my award winning Mini-Morning Workout send an e-mail to [email protected].
I am a smoker and have been trying to give up this habit for a number of years and now only smoke 2 cigarettes in the evening. Is there a vitamin supplement to protect me from the smoke.
— Salim
Vitamin C can protect smokers to a degree. Vitamin C can help halt the serious depletion of vitamin E in smokers and can possibly help prevent cancer of the lungs. Adequate levels of both vitamins C and E are especially important in people who smoke. I would advice taking a multivitamin supplement and eating 3 pieces of fruit each day. The very best thing you can do is give up smoking all together as smoking is very dangerous to your health.
— Alva
