Tag: motivation

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Anxiety and Diet

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Anxiety and Diet 🤯

Anxiety can be a particularly tricky thing to deal with at any time, but at the moment levels of general anxiety are even higher and people who perhaps wouldn’t normally class themselves as being “anxious” are finding things increasingly difficult.

Mental health is so important, and if anxiety or anxious thoughts are affecting you then do please speak to someone (be it a professional, or even a friend/work colleague etc) but it is also possible to help with what you’re eating.

A 2010 study found that diets higher in vegetables, fruit, fish and whole grains led to lower incidence of anxiety disorders. A further study in 2017 directly compared a mediterranean-style diet with “social support (friends etc) for the treatment of anxiety and depression. The diet actually provided better relief than the social support. It’s believed this is due to the impact of short-chain fatty acids (created from digestion of fibres in the food). It’s though that consuming 30g fibre a day can help thus.

Omega-3 is also linked to mental health with higher levels reducing the incidence of low moods, depression and anxiety.

One study found a 20% reduction in anxiety with omega-3 supplements compared to a placebo but evidence is mixed. However it certainly won’t do any harm as it has many other health benefits so definitely worth a try.

In contrast studies have shown that diets high in caffeine, sugar and saturated fat are linked to increased anxiety. Alcohol is also an issue – it initially relaxes you by increasing the activity of the brain chemical gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). But this is short term and as the alcohol wears off the levels of GABA reduce which exacerbates anxiety.

So a few things to consider (as well as seeking professional help if it’s impacting your life)

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Just a Coffee …and a snack’

Dr Nancy P

‘Just a Coffee …and a snack’ ☕️

Perception is everything! Many of us would probably have a coffee and a snack without giving it a huge amount of thought – a latte and a granola slice (healthy right?) is fine for an afternoon snack. Yet if you’d wolfed down 2 jam doughnuts you might be feeling guilty, like you’d over down it and you may even refer to it as a binge.

To be honest neither is an ideal snack – they’re both a decent number of calories and probably more than most can afford as a daily snack. However, as you can see, the coffee and granola slice is considerably more calories than the two doughnuts. They also contain significantly more fat and sugar. So whilst you might be beating yourself up over the doughnuts, in reality it’s not as bad as the coffee and snack.

It’s all about perception – the coffee and granola slice are not only viewed as being an acceptable snack, there is also a positive perception around the granola slice as it contains nuts (good fats, protein etc) and dried fruit (nutrient rich). Whereas the doughnuts are universally recognised as “junk” food.

Knowledge is power so being aware of the calorie content of things, and also of our own perceptions of the things we consume is always a good thing.

If you want the latte and granola slice- have it and enjoy it. If you want to eat your way through two jam doughnuts then go for it. Just be aware of the calories so you’re making an educated choice!

🤗

Xx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

OMG I’ve blown it!…..

Dr Nancy P

OMG I’ve blown it!….. 😱

I hear this sort of thing so often… a client has ended up having a Mcdonald’s for lunch and thinks they’re blown everything, they’re disappointed and angry with themselves and feeling guilty. On another day they’re feeling virtuous because they went to Pret and had the Falafel an Hummous Rice bowl – which is full of “healthy” food so it must be good.

Now before anyone reacts – I’m not suggesting a Mcdonalds is a “healthy” option, nor am I suggesting it’s got more health benefits than the falafel and hummus bowl. They’re both very different nutritionally, and they both taste very different too. But for many people trying to lose fat or weight they might naturally assume that the McDonald’s is a terrible option and that by having it they’ve ruined their day (diet -wise). Whereas if they chose the falafel bowl they would be feeling guilt-free and virtuous and like they were on track. However in actual fact that “healthy” bowl has more calories and fat, and less protein than the 6 nuggets and small fries. The McDonald’s also has over 50% less salt too. The bowl also doesn’t include any dressing which can add another 200+ calories (and extra fat and salt).

So if you had to grab a McDonald’s (or just fancied one) you’d be far better off just having one. I’m certainly not suggesting your whole diet be made up of “junk food”, but it’s important to be aware of the facts to avoid unnecessary guilt. And to remember that lots of the foods we perceive as being “healthy” may in fact be higher calorie and therefore unhelpful for weight loss if you’re consuming them without realising the calories. At the end of the day, as always, it comes down to calories. If you want to lose fat or weight, then you need to be at a calorie deficit. And it’s important to still have foods you enjoy as part of an overall balanced diet. So don’t sweat it if you end up with a McDonald’s now and then if you want it, but then have a dinner with a range of whole foods and vegetables etc.

Be curious about what you’re putting in your body, look at the nutritional labels on food and don’t always assume the “health” food is the best choice.

🤗

Xx

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Expectation Setting

Dr Nancy P

Tuesday Tip: Expectation Setting 🤔

When you head into a new health and fitness regime or “diet” it’s really important to make sure your expectations are set at the right level. Relying on things which promise quick fixes and instant results can make everything much harder on yourself. So whilst it might seem tempting to choose some detox/cleanse/supplement that promises results in 3-4 weeks, in the long term this can impact negatively on your relationship with food, your hormones, your metabolism, your body image and your mental health.

Long term sustainable changes aren’t quick, they take months and even years. So rather than looking for the “easy”, fast option to throw money at, instead look for a long term, sustainable solution – which works for you. This will usually include:

⁃ Consistency – over weeks/months – not days.

⁃ Persistence – sticking with it for a significant period of time, despite fluctuations in weight/fat, good days/ bad days etc.

⁃ Small habit changes – things you can change, for life, not for a few weeks.

⁃ Balance – finding how to balance things for you, working out what’s more important to you and how to work that into your new lifstyle e.g. the friday night meal out may be non negotiable so including that in a way that still lets you reach your desired goal.

⁃ Deciding on your priorities – ultimately it’s up to you to make any health/diet changes a priority and it may be that right now they’re not – and that’s ok, but be honest about it. If now isn’t the right time to make changes to your lifestyle then recognise that it simply isn’t a priority right now.

⁃ Mindset changes – this could be moving away from the “f*ck it” attitude when you have a “bad” day, or it could be reframing how you view meals out and whether you want to spend your calories on multiple courses, or it could be about embracing the small positive changes you achieve etc

There’s no quick fix, there’s no cleanse, detox or juice that can get you where you want to be (and more importantly staying there forever), recognise that change takes time and occurs in small steps ,not giant leaps! Get those expectations in order!

Happy Tuesday 🤗

Xxx

Nutrition and Calorie Tips

Sugar is bad!!… or is it? …

Dr Nancy P

Sugar is bad!!… or is it? … 🥣

I often hear and see people claiming that sugar is bad! Clients will tell me that they are “cutting back on sugar” for example. When asked what foods they mean specifically it usually includes things like biscuits, chocolate, cakes, ice cream etc. But these foods aren’t just “sugar” – they all contain significant amounts of fat too.

As you can see from this comparison – 100g of sugar contains nothing but sugar. It’s 99.9 g of carbs – no fat, no protein etc. All of those carbs are sugar. The biscuits on the other hand contain around 62g carbs, of which only 28g is actually sugar. It contains almost as much fat, other carbs and some protein etc. These foods that people commonly associate with sugar are a mixture of sugar, fat and salt which make them hyper-palatable. That means they’re designed to taste really good – which encourages you to eat more. Eating 100g of pure sugar in one sitting is actually not a pleasant experience (try it – I dare you lol!) and it isn’t something most people would do. Eating 100g of biscuits though – well thats super easy and is only 4-5 biscuits in most cases. To consume the same amount of actual sugar as pure sugar you’d need to eat 350g of biscuits in one sitting (which is over 20 biscuits!).

So this combo of sugar, fat and salt is what makes biscuits and other snacks so easy to over eat. That’s not to say biscuits are bad but they have the potential to derail you from your goals because they’re calorie dense (i.e. more cals in a smaller package) and as I said they taste great so you’re likely to eat more. So it’s not the sugar thats causing this – its the combination of ingredients in these products. So vilifying sugar is pointless and a misunderstanding of where the real issue lies. In fact sugar is actually an important nutrient and the brain’s main fuel source.

In sum, sugar isn’t “bad”, it isn’t causing you to gain fat in itself. If your diet contains a range of whole foods and is balanced overall then having the odd “sugary” snack like biscuits/cakes etc is fine – just account for it in your calories.

🤗

Xx