Tag: feelbetter

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Feeling down, need ice cream…

Dr Nancy P

Feeling down, need ice cream… 🍦

It’s normal to feel emotional from time to time and many of us eat our way through it when it happens. At the moment chances are you may be feeling anything from stress, feeling low, bored, fed up, to anxious and worried etc or it may just be yet another ‘lockdown movie night’. So you may feel the need to work your way through an entire tub of ice cream – it’s natural, it’s human and it’s also damn tasty!

So how about making a simple swap? Rather than working your way through 1,300 calories of Ben and Jerry’s (or other standard ice cream equivalent) , you could instead have 620 calories of Ben and Jerry’s… just their lighter version! (or one of the any other equivalent low cal ice creams – I’m also an Oppo and Halo top fan).

But isn’t low calorie stuff loaded with sugar? No – it’s not actually, it’s lower sugar and fat than the ‘real stuff’ and it tastes amazing! 🍦

It’s ok to want to treat yourself when you’re feeling rubbish (or anytime

I’m fact!) and we don’t need to deny ourselves nice tasting stuff just because we’re watching our calories – try making some swaps instead. Check out the wide range of lower calorie options available now.

So you really can have your cake (*ice cream) and eat it! 🤗

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Diet Drinks

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Diet Drinks 🥤

Are diet drinks bad? This is something I hear a lot and there seems to be a lot of concern out there over drinking zero or low calorie soft drinks. So I thought I’d address them today.

Proponents of the “diet drinks are bad” message often claim that the sweetener in them, aspartame, causes cancer. In fact there is no scientific evidence that aspartame causes cancer (or any disease). One study, on rats, found a possible link to blood cancers, but the largest study on humans found no link at all.

Others claim that diet drinks cause obesity. Obesity is caused by consuming excess calories, but diet drinks contain no calories so they can’t possibly cause obesity. They can’t work against the laws of thermodynamics!

Then there’s the people that say it must be bad because you can clean a coin/ silver etc with Diet coke…erm.. well what it does to your body is not the same as what it does to a coin. You can clean a coin with lemon juice/vinegar etc yet people consume those without question. Some argue that it negatively affects gut health but as the gut doesn’t have much involvement (there is nothing to be absorbed) this isn’t the case. Studies have only shown an impact with extreme consumption (we’re talking over 8 litres per day every day).

Finally the most recent claim is that the diet drinks “trick” your brain into thinking you’ve had sugar and therefore causes an insulin response (which then causes you to eat more sugar). This simply isn’t true – insulin isn’t released unless sugar is present, no calories, no sugar – no insulin response.

Some people are sensitive to aspartame (just as some people are sensitive to a range of foods) and obviously if it doesn’t agree with you then clearly don’t have these drinks. But zero calorie drinks can be a really helpful way to replace a calorie dense soft drink with something of similar taste but no calories, so can really help aid fat loss. In addition (as per last week) they contribute to the volume of things being consumed and help to keep you fuller longer.

So consuming diet drinks in moderation (a few cans a day or so) is perfectly ok!

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: More Volume, Fewer Calories

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: More Volume, Fewer Calories 🍿

Following on from last week’s tip one really good way to help control appetite is to focus on food volume. Recent studies have shown that its the volume of food you’re eating that matters more than the actual calorie content.

In one study participants were given a smoothie, one group had a small one, the other a larger one. Both contained the same number of calories, but the larger one had greater volume as it contained more air. The group that had the larger one ate far fewer calories for the rest of the day – between 12 and 30 percent less! Similar studies have tested it with yoghurt-based meals, soups and normal shakes and all have shown the same results; those who had the meal with greater volume consumed fewer calories and were less prone to overeating for the rest of the day.

In another study they provided participants with soups for lunch over the course of several weeks. When they gave the group a soup that was greater in volume but with the same amount of calories, the participants felt fuller faster and ended up eating fewer calories in that sitting. When they kept the volume the same but increased the calories in the soup the participants ended up eating more calories over all and took longer to feel full.

So basically this shows that food volume can be very important when it comes to controlling appetite and hunger. So what does this mean in practice? There are a few tips you can use to feel fuller quicker – if you have smoothies or protein shakes etc for breakfast allow them to blend for 5 mins longer than usual. This will increase the volume and amount of air in the smoothie. Go for foods that full of air; snacks like rice cakes or low calorie popcorn (high fibre and high volume, but relatively low calories) are brilliant, even zero calorie carbonated fizzy drinks are a great way to help you feel full. Whipping up food also helps; you can whip 0% greek yoghurt and add fruits, or add herbs and spices for a dip. Fruit and vegetables in general are filling as they contain more fibre, water and air so eat those first and include them in your snacks too.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Just a walk…

Dr Nancy P

Just a walk… 🚶🏼‍♀️

As lockdown progresses I’ve noticed a lot of my clients are beating themselves up over not doing “enough exercise”. In many cases they’ve been trying to work from home, home school the children, and run the household etc. Some days they’re managing to fit in a workout, others they’re not and they’re feeling guilty about it, and worrying about the loss of those activity calories they “should” be burning.

During this time most people are managing to walk more, making the most of their allowed outdoor exercise time. This is often not viewed as something which contributes to those activity calories, but it’s actually doing more good.

It’s natural to associate cardio workouts with burning loads of calories; you feel sweaty and breathless so you feel like you’re working hard. A 45 min HIIT or that sort of workout is very tough and regardless how hard you’re working you’re going to be feeling it. However, it may be hard to motivate yourself to commit to a 45 min session at home when there are so many other things shouting for your attention (children (literally!), work, house chores etc). In contrast an hour’s walk doesn’t feel particularly strenuous, it may be something you do anyway to walk the dog, get the shopping or get the kids out the house for bit, and it in fact burns more calories than the workouts.

I did this experiment on myself so the numbers will vary according to your age, height, weight and fitness levels but the principal is the same (and has been shown in independent studies too). A one hour walk a day will burn significantly more calories than a 45 min HIIT workout a day. So if you’re not managing a workout every day – don’t stress, especially if you’re managing to go for a walk. In addition 7 days of HIIT workouts is actually NOT a good idea – studies have shown these workouts impact negatively on sleep if you’re doing too many a week. Obviously there are cardiovascular and health benefits to the HIIT workouts which are equally as important as calories burnt so don’t ditch them completely – but my point is that you shouldn’t feel guilty or like you’re not burning anything if all you manage is a walk on some days.

🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Tackling Hunger

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Tackling Hunger 🍔

With the current lockdown many are finding it hard to manage their diet, and specifically their hunger.

So how can we try to manage this?

First off is it true hunger or emotional hunger? True hunger starts gradually, is satisfied by any food and will end when you’re full. In addition you’re less likely to feel guilty afterwards. Emotional hunger comes on suddenly, in a state of heightened emotion (e.g. stress or anxiety) or boredom. It typically involves craving specific foods, not being satisfied once full, eating mindlessly and feelings of guilt.

If it’s true hunger there are a few things you can do to help manage it. Studies have shown that higher protein meals reduce perceptions of hunger, particularly when combined with fats. Low calorie, high fibre foods are also important (fruit and veg); it increases “bulk”, causing stomach wall expansion, triggering the release of satiating hormones (fullness hormones). Another great option is low/zero calorie carbonated drinks which can help curb sugar cravings, and create that sensation of fullness. Caffeine is also an inhibitor of hunger in small amounts.

 

Emotional hunger is harder. Many foods give us “good feelings” but these foods are calorie dense and often high in sugar/saturated fat. They can provide temporary escape from boredom, low mood, stress etc but can leave us feeling worse and promote a negative relationship with food. We eat because we feel bad and we feel bad because we eat. Identifying the triggers/situations where you tend to emotionally eat is vital. Once you identify the triggers you can produce a list of replacement activities. Actually write out some alternatives and display them e.g. take 3 deep breaths, drink a big glass of water, play with your dog/cat, do some exercise/stretches. listen to music/podcast, do a 60 sec household chore, call a friend, adult colouring/jigsaw etc.

Be kind to yourself, the lack of stimulation, reduced human interaction and increased anxiety as a result of lockdown is natural. So if you are emotionally eating that’s ok – if you want to reduce it though then try these tips for starters.

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx