Nutritional Recommendations

Our bodies are very complex and in order to allow them to work to their optimum ability I think that good nutrition is vital and should play a part in an overall healthy lifestyle. I strongly believe that if we look after our bodies from an early age, carefully watching what we put into and expose them to, many illnesses can be prevented. With the amount of chemicals added to our foods today it is no wonder that so many people are becoming ill, considering the number of toxins being put into their bodies. It is also no wonder that so many people are becoming overweight with the amount of sugar, salt and hydrogenated fats being added to some products. I have learnt over the years through reading, practice and studying, that by eating the right foods I can improve my health and my sporting performance by simply reading food labels and being careful about what I buy before I consume them.

When I go and do my weekly shop I always read the food labels on products before I buy. I never look at the calorie content or fat content, but read the ingredients list and salt and sugar values. These are the simple rules I follow:

  1. Buy foods with Natural ingredients in them
  2. Avoid foods with artificial additives, preservatives or colours
  3. Avoid foods which contain hydrogenated fats or trans fats
  4. Avoid foods which are high in sugar. Look at where sugar is listed in the ingredients. If it is one of the first listed, this product is high in sugar
  5. Avoid foods which are high in salt (sodium)
  6. Don’t avoid all fat - We need essential fats in our diet from products such as unsalted nuts, seeds, olive oil, oily fish and avocados.
  7. Buy whole food products. Avoid white rice, white pasta, white bread and refined foods.
  8. Go organic if possible. These products are more nutrient-dense. Crops are grown without the use of pesticides and artificial fertilisers and animals are reared without the use of antibiotics or growth hormones
nutrition

Obviously we have to enjoy life and being good all the time would be boring.  I allow myself to have the odd indulgence every now and then and the occasional glass of wine or 3! But so long as we look after our bodies the rest of the time through healthy eating and regular exercise, our bodies will be able to cope with a little treat!