Healthy Eating

There are plenty of diets that have come up over the years and all over the internet. But, let’s be honest. No one cares about how many diets are out there, the only thing people want to know is which diets ACTUALLY work. 

Here’s the thing, not everything works for everyone, because we are all different! So how can you tell whether a diet is going to work for you or not? 

Here are 3 questions to ask to find out if the diet will work for you::

1. Does the diet allow you to eat the foods you love?

How happy do you think you’ll be if you’re not allowed to eat your favourite foods? 

A healthy diet is not about being forbidden to eat the foods you love. If you enjoy your carbs but the diet says “no carbs” how realistic will it be for you to stick to it?

A diet that excludes the foods that you enjoy isn’t a diet that will be enjoyable for you. If it is not enjoyable for you, it won’t be sustainable either. And if it is not sustainable, it’s only a matter of time when you will give up and feel like you’ve failed and beat yourself up over it – which is not healthy for you. The truth is, you didn’t fail, but because the diet wasn’t right for you, it made it feel like you did.

2. Does the diet fit your lifestyle?

Our lifestyle affects the way we eat. There are many factors that impact our lifestyle and what kind of diet we are able to achieve and maintain. For example, family, living arrangements, work, the way you commute to work and kids are all just SOME of the things that can impact your lifestyle and thus the right diet for you.

I have met people who were cooking 3 different meals at dinner because they were trying to follow a diet while preparing different meals for other people in their family. That’s a lot of prep and time and stress just to follow a certain diet! Unfortunately, not only is that difficult, but doesn’t always support your social health with the family either.

3. Does the diet meet your nutritional needs?

Our bodies need to be fed and nourished well in order to work effectively. If we do not have the nutrients we need, our bodies cannot function properly and we won’t feel well. Some diets out there will ask people to remove core food groups or even remove foods out altogether. If you regularly do not have enough nutrients your body needs, your body will become malnourished and every day tasks will be even harder than before and every aspect of your health – your mental, social and physical wellbeing – will also suffer. Ensuring our diet provides our everyday nutrient needs is essential to stay healthy

Is it the right diet for YOU?

If you answered “no” to any of the above questions, then it’s a sure thing that the diet you are thinking of trying will not work for you.

A diet that works is a diet that includes the food you love, fits your lifestyle and meets your nutritional needs. If you are missing any of these in your diet, not only will you be unable to stick to it, it is also not healthy for you either.

Understanding your health is an important step to finding your healthy diet. If you are not confident about what health means to you, check out my blog “The Confusion of Health” to help you on your way.

It’s not easy to find the perfect diet on your own, but with the right support, you can enjoy yummy food and good health.
If you are struggling to find the balance between yummy food and optimising your health, email perri@yummybalance.com.au, to find out how we can support and guide you to achieving your health goals.

There seems to be some confusion when it comes to nuts. Some people think they are bad and think they need to avoid them, others think they are good and have to include them.

Perhaps all the different nutrition information we have been told over the years has made us a bit nutty and confused when it comes to health and eating. Hopefully after reading this blog, you can feel confident about whether nuts can suit your healthy diet.

What nutrients are in nuts?

Nuts offer many valuable nutrients which are beneficial for our health and body. They are rich in fibre, protein, unsaturated (“healthy”) fats and low in unsaturated (“unhealthy”) fats. Nuts are a source of vitamin E, vitamin B6, folate and niacin and also contain thiamine and riboflavin (these are also types of vitamin Bs). They also contain a range of minerals including iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, copper and manganese. Nuts also naturally contain polyphenols (antioxidants) and plant sterols (a substance which has been found to help reduce cholesterol levels). 

For every 1g of nuts eaten, research has found an association of higher intakes of fibre(0.09g), iron(0.01mg), magnesium(1.83mg), Vitamin E (0.07mg) and phosphorus (0.71mg).

Different types of nuts also have their own unique nutrient profiles. Here are some unique nutrient features of specific nuts when compared with other tree nuts:

• Almonds contain much higher levels of calcium and vitamin E.
• Brazil nuts are especially high in selenium and also contain more copper, magnesium and phosphate 
• Cashews contain higher levels of iron and zinc 
• Macadamias have the highest levels of monounsaturated fats (a healthy fat)
• Walnuts are a great source of omega-3s and majority of its fats are polyunsaturated fats (a healthy fat)
• Pine nuts have high levels of manganese
• Pistachios are high in vitamin B and also contains the strong antioxidant resveratrol, which not many nuts also contain

As you can see, all the nuts have their own unique nutrient features, so it is difficult to say which one is better than the other. Having a variety of different nuts can help you to gain the different benefits they offer.

What are the health benefits of eating nuts?

Over the recent years, there has been increasing research looking into the effects of the nut consumptions in various health aspects and medical conditions. 

Research has shown that a small handful of nuts (30g) has been linked with many health benefits including:

• Reduced risk of heart disease and heart related conditions
• Lower your risk of type 2 diabetes
• Reduced risk of death
• Weight management
• Reduced risk of cancer

There is also recent research to suggest health benefits of nut consumption in other areas of health including:

• Better cognitive function
• Prevent or reduce symptoms of depression
• Improve gut health and balance in the gut
• Improve sperm quality
• Prevent food allergies (when introduced within the first year of life)

Practical tips to get your handful of nuts per day

It’s great to know nuts contain essential vitamins and minerals and that there’s much research to show the various benefits it may have on our health, but the research also shows that only 2% of Australians eat 30g of nuts per day. So if you don’t usually have nuts in your diet, how can you get your 30gs per day?

Here are some practical ways you can increase your nut intake:

• Add them to your salads for some extra protein and texture
• Have it as a snack 
• Add them to your stir fry for extra flavour
• Use a 100% nut spread on your toast
• Use grounded nuts in your baking like this banana and walnut cake 

Nuts can be included as part of a healthy diet. If you like nuts or are considering whether it is something you can include in your diet, hopefully after reading this article you can feel more confident about including nuts in your diet.  For more reliable information about nuts, check out the nuts for life website.

Whether you want to include nuts or not in your diet, it’s important to ensure your body has the nutrition it needs to thrive! If you are struggling to find your yummy and balanced diet and lifestyle, Perri can help you find YOUR yummy balance without missing out on your favourite foods. Email us to organise your free chat to discover more!

How often do we do things, say things, without even consciously thinking about it?

Think about it. When someone asks you “how are you?”, many of us would immediately answer, “I’m good thanks and you?” on reflex. We might not be but that’s just what we say. I’m sure most of us have been in that awkward situation where that conversation actually continues with another “I’m good thanks and you?” again by the person who asked in the first place. Why? Because that’s the response we give when we are asked how we are. I have had my share of mental face palms of restarting that conversation loop.

It’s funny isn’t it? It’s like we are a computer system programmed to respond with “I’m good thanks and you?” whenever we are asked how we are. Actually, in a way we were programmed to do that. If you think about it, ask a young child “how are you?” and they might not answer you. They might look at you funny, they might hide, they might cry, they might tell you everything that has happened in their day. It’s not as predictable is it? Sometimes their parent or guardian will tell them what to say. “Say, I’m good thanks and you?” and maybe they will repeat it. If we are consistently told to respond this way and we repeat this response every time we are asked, it starts becoming second nature. We don’t really think, we just do. We go into autopilot mode.

Good thing we are more sophisticated than a computer. A computer would need a computer expert to reprogram it to give a different response; however, we can actively change our response ourselves. If we actually processed the question, we can think about how we really are and choose to respond accordingly, whether the answer is the truth or not, it becomes a conscious choice to answer it in the way we choose instead of the auto-reply. All we need to do is realise we are on autopilot, switch it off, and choose an output for the situation.

This can apply to our eating as well. We can be eating on autopilot. Not because we want to, not because we need to. Just because we do.

• Every time it’s morning tea time, have biscuits with a cup of tea.
• Sit in front of the TV, grab a bag of chip.
• Finished dinner, have a bowl of ice cream.

Repeat, repeat, repeat. And you’re on autopilot mode.

It’s hard to enjoy food when you’re on autopilot. You can think you enjoyed food because your memory is that you do, but that doesn’t mean you are actually enjoying it in the moment. If you don’t even want the food, it’s also hard to enjoy what you don’t want. Again, you can think you want it because the trigger for the output has been activated. As with the examples given above – it’s morning tea time, just finished dinner, sitting in front of the TV, you eat it, but sometimes you don’t even know why.

Auto pilot mode makes it hard to know what you want to be able to eat what you want.

Just like how we have the power to change our “how are you?” response, we can also change our response to our trigger as well with our eating. We just need to be aware of them. Then, we can switch off autopilot mode and make a conscious choice, whatever that may be. For example, when it’s morning tea time, instead of automatically getting biscuits and a cup of tea, you could ask yourself what would you like to do this morning tea break? That way, it becomes a conscious choice. Whether you want a cup of tea and biscuits or just a cup of tea or going for a walk, you can actually do what you want for that specific day as oppose to what you do on autopilot everyday.

When you know what you want, you have the chance to do or eat what you want. But first, you have to know whether you are doing something consciously or unconsciously.

There are many things we may have programmed ourselves to do automatically throughout our life time and some of our eating habits may be affected by this as well. If you want to eat and enjoy more of what you and have less “why did I eat that?” moments, download my FREE e-guide “Eat what you want, when you want” to get your started.