TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF FROM THE INSIDE OUT

They say health is wealth, and I’ve grafted hard to make my fortune, with a fair few losses along the way (read on for fad diets I wouldn't recommend to a friend).

Nutrition can be overwhelming & confusing. Everyone has their own opinion of what’s right, and those opinions are plastered all over the internet to confuse us, accessibly. It wasn’t too long ago we were told that breakfast was the most important meal of the day and god help us if we miss it… now so many of us opt to fast through to the afternoon. It’s hard to know what to trust when even the doctors and experts can’t agree. What's worse - so many young, impressionable people are getting sucked into dangerous diet culture, accepting unsolicited advice from underweight and underqualified influencers pushing out their "what I eat in a day" plans (which more often than not, is not enough by any medical standard).

When I first started taking a real interest in what I was putting in my body, I found it all frustratingly unclear, but It’s important to remember that our bodies' needs (much like our psychological needs) are all completely unique and require different types of care to thrive. Diets that work well for one person, might not agree with someone else. So take everything you read with a pinch of salt (pun intended) and remember that there is no one size fits all approach to nutrition. Amongst all the confusion, however, there are some general house rules we can all benefit from introducing to our daily diets that are (hallelujah) agreed across the board.

Before I get into that, though, I wanted to be clear that I've done my fair share of trial & error before this point… I tried the keto diet (great for some, but I personally found too limiting to be sustainable...everything is a bloody carb), the paleo or “caveman” diet (not the same as Keto, but similar), I’ve completely cut out all sugar for an entire month (which was eye-opening: take a look how much is in ketchup and balsamic glaze and prepare to be shocked) and I've even braved a “juice cleanse” (juice isn't food). I’ve eaten to loose weight (when I didn’t need to), I’ve eaten to gain weight (to build muscle), I’ve eaten to clear my skin and I’ve eaten my feelings on more than one occasion. I’ve been vegan, veggie and pesky. I've drunk celery juice every day for 6 weeks and saw no affect whatever on my skin. I’ve eaten baby kangaroo in Australia and I’m sorry. I’ve eaten crocodile in Kenya and I’m not sorry.

...The key for me these days is balance, consistency and simplicity. I make a conscious effort to eat more calories and protein on days that I exercise, but generally speaking I no longer do fad diets and I don’t count calories. I understand that they have their place and are even vital for some people (as I mentioned, we all have unique needs), but for me they’re unsustainable and take the joy out of eating... my favourite thing in the world. Today, I eat what makes me feel good and what gives me energy (my top priority) and now and then when I want to pig out, then pig out I do, and I never beat myself up for it. My body and I are pals again.

So here it is... a brief summary of some of the key rumours I have un-learned over the years, and the top lessons I hear coming up again and again from nutritional experts and doctors alike. These nuggets of knowledge, when applied consistently to my daily practice for long periods of time, have transformed the way my body feels.

Fat is not the devil (or at least not all fat)

Like most of us, I used to think high-fat foods (regardless of what other nutritional value they had to offer) were unquestionably bad for me, were going to make me chubby instantly, and were to be avoided like the plague at all costs. I now know that this isn't the case. "Fatty foods" is a broad term that covers a spectrum of different food groups and some (greasy bacon fat, for example), are of course worse for you than others. Foods like avocados, eggs, milk and nuts, however, while scoring highly in fats and calories, are so wonderfully good for you, and have so much nutritional value to offer. These are the kinds of fats loaded with vitamins that help give you slow releasing energy throughout the day, and generally speaking are easy for your body to digest. Watch out for "fat free" labels on food products - more often than not the healthy fat is substituted with things like chemicals and added sugar, which many would argue is a lot worse for you that the natural fat itself.

Our bodies aren't designed to eat “processed nonsense”

… as my mum would call it if I ever dare suggest a ready meal for dinner growing up or, god forbid, juice that contained aspartame (which for the record is all the yummy ones). But health professionals will agree that as a general rule of thumb - anything unnatural and loaded with chemicals (look out for ready meals containing meat that has a suspiciously long use-by date) has very little nutritional value, and you're much better off cooking from scratch with 'earth foods' (see Paleo diet). There was a time in my life I lived off weightwatchers microwavable Shepard's pie because it was easy, cheap and basically zero calories. Now I know if it seems to good to be true... it probably is.

There is no such thing as a "superfood".

According to healthline.com, the expression is “coined for marketing purposes to influencer food trends and sell products”. This causes, as I'm sure we have all witnessed, extreme temporary hypes over food like avocados, kale and sweet potatoes. While these foods are very rich in nutrients and are great to incorporate intro our diets, when we obsess too much over one thing (or one food group) we tent to loose sight of our healthy balance. Try not to read too much into this label, and make sure you’re getting a mix of all the food groups in your diet.

Carbohydrates are not all the same

Not all carbs are the same… while unrefined carbohydrates (like beans, veg & fruit) are whole food that serves nutritional benefits and contain nutrients and antioxidants, refined carbohydrates (like sugar and refined flour) don't tend to play as positive a role. When high-carb foods such as grains are processed, the most nutritious parts are stripped off. What is left are massive amounts of easily digestible starch.

Those who base their diets on refined carbs may be lacking in fibre and many other healthy nutrients. As a result, they are at an increased risk of chronic disease. Eating refined carbs will also cause rapid spikes in blood sugar. While high blood sugar levels are unhealthy for all people, they are a much greater concern in people with diabetes. It is clear that whole grains and unrefined carbohydrates are a lot healthier than their refined, processed counterparts.

Omega 3 - it’s more important than you think.

For some reason Omega 3 doesn't get the hype it deserves. We hear about vitamin C and D all the time, but Omega 3 tends to get a look-over (perhaps because people assume they don't need to think about it until they reach their 70s and 80s with sore joints and muscles). You might be surprised to learn just how much of an impact the level of Omega 3 with consume has on our bodies. A low intake of omega-3 is associated with a lower IQ, depression, various mental disorders, heart disease and many other serious diseases. Who knew! So consider introducing things like fatty fish and cod liver oil into your diet.

Different foods give you different types of energy (ground-breaking, I know)

Perhaps not surprisingly, the type and quantity of food we eat plays an essential roles in determining our energy levels. Although all foods give you energy to a degree, some foods contain nutrients that could help increase your energy levels and maintain your alertness and focus throughout the day…. Whether they’re packed with carbs for readily available energy, or fibre and protein for a slower release of energy, these foods can help increase your power and stamina.

If a slow, healthy release of energy is what you're after, incorporating these foods into your diet is a great place to start (my personal favourites):

• Bananas

• Sweet potatoes

• Fatty fish

• Apples

• Eggs

• Brown rice

• Quinoa

• Oatmeal

• Edemame

• Lentils

• Avocados

• Seeds & nuts

• Green tea

• Beets

• Leafy greens
  

...And that's a wrap! This was just a few very short and simple pointers that only scratches the surface of nutrition. I'm not a doctor of an expert and I've been careful to only refer to my own personal experiences and solid facts here - the key things I have picked up along the way in my health journey. If you're interested in learning more there are some great books, websites and resources available that can help you dig a little deeper. I will caveat, though, that when sourcing information online I'd strongly suggest only taking advice from established medical journals and official health websites to avoid confusion and misinformation. If you're just starting your health journey, I sincerely hope this has helped balance out at least some of the confusion surrounding food and nutrition.