Food Is Not The Enemy

Our relationship with food is primal and complex.
We need to eat to live, but modern convenience combined with sedentary jobs means we often eat more than we need or food which does not nourish us.

As children, our mothers and others often "loved" us with food, or we learned ways to satisfy emotional needs with food and if those habits continued into adulthood, we find ourselves eating not for hunger, but for other reasons.

If you have been 'dieting' for many years, you may be surprised at how quickly you regain weight after the 'diet' has ended and how you manage to gain a little more each time.

You have effectively been teaching your metabolism to become more efficient at fat storage.

For long-term, sustainable fat-loss that you can maintain once you reach a healthy weight range is most effective when you examine your relationship with food and make some changes about the way you think of food in your life and in your body.

Non-Hungry eating plays a big part in weight gain and as the name suggests, happens for reasons other than hunger, boredom, anxiety, sadness, tiredness, for example.

Working with a food diary, initially without making any changes to what you usually eat, gives you a more accurate map of what you're currently doing.
Don't judge, just record.

Imagine using a map of Sydney to navigate your way around Melbourne - impossible!
A food diary helps you to get an accurate picture of where you're at, and better equips you with the right map to get to where you want to be.

Eat mindfully, slowly, focusing completely on each mouthful of whatever you are eating, without distraction. Put your fork down between each bite & really take your time, checking in with your body to see whether you are still hungry.

Eating until satisfied is not the same as eating to fullness and it takes time to become fully aware of the difference.
You may be used to the following kind of thoughts:

• food is a temptation
• food means being out of control
• food means gaining weight
• food means wanting things I can't have
• food gives me comfort
• food makes me guilty
• food is the enemy.

Well stop right there!

Shifting your thinking around food will shift your experience of food.

Try these thoughts for a week and notice the difference you experience:

• food means energy
• food means strength
• food means having enough vitality to work
• food means not getting tired before the end
• food means brainpower
• I am doing my best to eat slowly and enjoy will all my senses.
• I can have it if I want it, but do I really feel like it?

For a more detailed consultation on mindful eating, contact MET Fitness.

Getting More Veggies into Your Weekly Meals

Eating more vegetables is always recommended, not just by me, but by nutritionists & dieticians across the board.

For some reason, we were duped into thinking vegetables are 'boring' or 'tasteless' when we were kids.

Now let's just think about that for a moment.

Was it our parents?  (who also grew up with overcooked & bland range of vegetables?)

Was it the junk food advertisers?  (who have a seriously vested interest in making us think their snack food is better?)

Was is partly us, as kids, who were all about the chips & lollies are a reward?  (without realising the epidemic of diabetes & heart disease on the horizon?)

Whatever the reason, I am here to tell you that HEALTHY FOOD DOES NOT HAVE TO BE DULL OR TASTELESS!!

You can enjoy salad, stir fry (which is pretty much hot salad, right?) and any other healthy meal, without feeling taste-deprived or lacking in sensation.

You just need to start thinking about the composition of your meals, what you put in your shopping basket & how you & your family like to eat.

Trust me.
This is not hard.
(Despite what food manufacturers try to make you believe)

Here's a couple of easy ways to get more veg, more fibre, more greens, into your weekly meals.

Coleslaw.

This gal is a hero for gut-health & only takes a few minutes to prepare.

Thinly slice cabbage & grate some carrots or buy the pre-made pack.
I always use natural yoghurt with a dash of mayo as the dressing.

Cabbage is an excellent source of fibre & a rich source of vitamin C and vitamin K, containing 44% and 72%, respectively, of the Daily Value (DV) per 100 gram amount.Cabbage is also a moderate source (10–19% DV) of vitamin B6 and folate, with no other nutrients having significant content per 100 gram serving (table).

Carrots get their characteristic, bright orange colour from β-carotene, and lesser amounts of α-carotene, γ-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin.^[63] α- and β-carotenes are partly metabolized into vitamin A, providing more than 100% of the Daily Value (DV) per 100 g serving of carrots. Carrots are also a good source of vitamin K (13% DV) and vitamin B6 (11% DV), but otherwise have modest content of other essential nutrients. 

Salsa.

If you enjoy tomatoes, cucumber & onion, doused in olive oil & balsamic, this salad makes a beautifully fresh accompaniment to most summer dishes.

Chop tomatoes, cucumber & red onion into small pieces, splash with olive oil, salt & balsamic to taste. This is a great accompaniment to homemade burgers or tacos.

Chicken Stir Fry 2.0

I posted a similar recipe years ago but stir fry is still a solid player in my meal rotation.

I'm one of those weirdo's who has pretty much the same thing every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, etc.

Tuesday's are always different because I go out to dinner with dear friends & we take turns in choosing the restaurant. Eating out is less healthy than cooking at home but my Tuesday Crew & I have been friends for so long & they helped me out at the lowest point of my life, that the health-giving benefits of these meals is not measured in calories, sugar or fat - but in Love.

Never underestimate the health benefits of dining with treasured friends.

I digress.

I'm always banging on about easy, healthy, home cooked meals that don't take a lot of time to prepare.

If it takes longer than 20 minutes from pulling the ingredients from the fridge, to dinner on the table, I'm unlikely to get excited about that.

I'm a busy working mum, running my own business, so call it what you will, laziness*, Life-hacks, whatever - I call it Efficiency.

Before we start, here's a Top Tip:
- buy your chicken (or red meat) stir fry in bulk.
I generally get enough to make a week's worth of meals by checking the weight on the packet (200g/pp, half that for kids)

- take 15 minutes at home to portion it up, cut/slice to requirements & add whatever sauce or flavour you enjoy to the zip-lock back with a dash of olive oil & salt.
I like adding soy, oyster sauce, teriyaki sauce, hoi sin, chilli or sriacha

- freeze & defrost in fridge the night before, so dinner is good to go.

Preparation is key:
Having the veggies in the fridge means you don't even have to think about what to make, you use what's there & chopping veggies into similar sized pieces means everything cooks together.

Use these nutritional gems and/or add your own preferences.

* broccoli
* onion
* carrot
* green beans
* frozen peas
* capsicum
* cauliflower
* bok choy
* corn (cut off the cob)
* snow peas
* cabbage (thinly sliced)
* zucchini
* any vegetables you enjoy

Here's my easy-peasy stir-fry-not-greasy 6 Veggie Dinner in under 20 Minutes...

Cook the meat for about 5 minutes or until browned.
Remove from the pan.

Add the veggies & cook until almost soft.
Add the meat back in & mix well for another 5 minutes.

Serve this as is or with a small portion of rice or noodles.

Enjoy with family & friends.


*May I say, I don't actually know any lazy women.
I know women who work hard, are exhausted, raise amazing families, do what they need to do to make that work & may not always have time to bake or make fancy meals.
Me too, Honey. This is why I share what I do with you.