Top 5 tips for a healthy year
Article supplied by Stephanie Hamilton
Many of you may have made New Years Resolutions to lead a healthier life and remove all the substances and thoughts that have negative effects on your health…and if you haven't, maybe consider that you do!
The following are my top 5 tips for a healthy change in the New Year, and easy ways to actually achieve these goals. You may choose to take on only a couple of suggestions below, but I encourage you to at least try them all and feel your vitality return in full force!
One: WATER
Aim to drink 2L of water per day (or 10 glasses a day). Start the day with lemon juice in a glass of warm water to stimulate sluggish digestion and clear out the residue from the night's sleep. Have a jug of water on the desk at work or carry a bottle of water with you so water is by your side at all times. Squeeze some lemon/lime juice or add a dash of apple juice to flavour the water and make it more pleasurable to drink.
Two: EXERCISE
Engaging in exercise at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes will improve mental function and clarity, improve immunity, lift the mood, increase metabolic rate, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Incidental exercise (IE) is a great way to increase your weekly exercise total. Park the car 15 minutes walk away from your destination, walk to the shops, take the stairs wherever possible, or simply pick up the pace whenever you walk somewhere. If you are serious about your exercise, aim at increasing your duration by 15 minutes each week and increase the intensity slightly on a weekly basis.
Three: 90% for the body; 10% for the soul
The foods you eat should be chosen primarily to nourish and feed the body and to support proper functioning of the body's organ systems. 10% should be made up of foods that feed the soul, which means you enjoy eating them, you feel a little bit naughty and you enjoy every mouthful! But I emphasise here: 10% ONLY!! Indulge in fair trade organic dark chocolate, or some good quality ice cream, or bake yourself some homemade treats using wholefood ingredients.
Four: VARIETY AND COLOUR
Aim for no less than four home cooked meals a week using the freshest and (ideally) organic vegetables, salads and meats you can get. Limit red meat intake to 3 times a week and introduce more fish and organic chicken. Include one vegetarian based meal a week using vegetarian proteins such as beans and legumes combined with complex grains such as brown rice, millet or the Aztec grain, quinoa. Include as many colourful vegetables as you can in your meals. Be adventurous and include berries in a salad.
Five: HAVE BREAKFAST EVERY DAY
Eating a breakfast high in protein and complex carbohydrates will greatly improve your energy levels throughout the day. It will stimulate metabolism, balance blood sugar levels and improve your ability to concentrate and function. Ideas for a healthy and easy breakfast include Bircher muesli (see recipe), eggs with smoked salmon and tomato on wholegrain toast, baked beans on wholegrain toast, nut butter on wholegrain toast, fresh fruit with yoghurt and nuts and seeds. And watch that coffee – caffeine can negatively affect blood sugar levels and adrenal glands causing a slump in energy later in the day. Halve your daily coffee intake. If you only have one coffee a day, reduce it to a coffee every second day. Substitute with organic green tea. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants, improves thermogenesis and metabolic rate, is antiviral and antibacterial and has cancer protective activity. A much healthier option than coffee!
Recipes for 'Basic' and 'Bircher' Muesli
Basic Muesli
Makes 7 cups (900gm)
4 cups organic rolled oats
½ cup hulled sunflower seeds
½ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
½ cup sesame seeds
1 cup roughly chopped almonds
1 cup chopped dried fruit (organic & preservative free if possible: apricots, figs, pear etc)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Mix all ingredients into a bowl and serve with fruit and plain sheep's yoghurt.
Bircher Muesli
This is a great breakfast for people who have limited time in the morning and don't have time to cook up a big meal as it is made the night, or several nights, before and can be taken to work in a container.
Serves 2-4
1 cup basic muesli (see above)
½ cup plain yoghurt
1 apple grated
Combine the muesli with 1 cup of water, the yoghurt and apple in a bowl. Cover with a plate and refrigerate over night. Ready to eat the next morning.
Recipes from "Wholefood" by Jude Blereau
www.wholefoodcooking.com.au
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