seems to be so much conflicting information and advice available, it is hard
to decide which bit to listen to. To stop you giving up before you begin,
here we come up with five golden nutrition and hydration rules.
Even if you only follow these few tips, it will set you well on your way to
a healthier balanced diet, without you really noticing!
1. Always eat breakfast
After fasting all night, kick-start your body's engine with some good
quality food. If you ever feel lethargic in the morning, or skip breakfast
and are ravenous by 10am, you will feel 100 per cent better if you have some
food when you get up. Top of the breakfast charts is porridge, perhaps
topped with some fresh or dried fruit. Porridge will provide you with
sustained energy and cancel out the 10am 'munchies'! Cereals provide a
simple and quick breakfast fix but try and avoid sugar or chocolate coated
varieties.
2. Hydrate
Symptoms of dehydration include unusual fatigue, dizziness, hunger, dry
skin, dark urine and general lethargy. When you consider that the majority
of our bodies are made up from water, topping up your body's fluid intake
with water and natural fluids (for example: fruit juice) is extremely
important.
3. Take the '20 per day' test
Try and eat 20 different, healthy foods each day to ensure that you are
fuelling your body with a broad range of different nutrients and to
guarantee that you are getting the full complement of vitamins, minerals and
trace elements - and that your meals are interesting too!
4. Limit or avoid salt
A high consumption of salt has proven links to high blood pressure, so
minimizing your salt intake is very important. Many foods have salt added to
them to enhance their flavor because salt is the cheapest flavor enhancer
available. For example, many ready-made soups contain up to three grams and
a few slices of bread can easily net you another gram. When the maximum
recommended daily salt intake is five to six grams per person, you can see
how easy it is to take in large quantities - unknowingly.
5. Avoid eating late at night
Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper is an old
adage but there is some truth in the saying. Many people have an 'end-of-day
load' approach to their food intake, sometimes eating a large evening meal
at 9pm, having eaten very sparingly throughout the day. Effectively they
have starved themselves during their period of maximum activity and when
they get home they are extremely hungry and eat a very large meal before
going to bed.
BALANCE IS THE KEY. MODERATION IS THE MANTRA. AVOIDING OBESITY IS THE GOAL.
WITHOUT STARVING
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