Nutrition
Held in Hersham on Fridays 11-3pm
Dieting makes you fat!
Yep, there I said it!
I hate the word 'diet', it's restrictive, it's controlling, it puts us into a corner like a little child and makes you want to eat that sugary doughnut even more!
Ok, so now I've got that off my chest.....but let's understand some basics.
When you cut down on food, your body feels deprived and starts conserving food and storing it for when it may need it. If you eat only when you are hungry, your body learns that when it is hungry, it will get fed and this doesn’t mean shoving anything in when you want as often as you want just because you think you are hungry. Sometimes hunger occurs not because we are hungry but because we are dehydrated and it manifests itself as hunger pangs.
I llost 6stone (91lbs / 41kg) in weight by doing yoga 10 minutes a day at the start, eating the same foods (maybe smaller portions) and just cutting down on snacks, not forbidding anything, but just moderating what you put in, whilst taking notice of how it tastes and feels, as we have all so lost the ability to ‘experience' the eating pleasure and tend to just scoff in front on the TV.
A key to learning to change your lifestyle and eating better is to describe everything in your mind as you eat it and eat it slow which then helps digestion, a lot gets stored that is not broken down properly. It takes a little while for the brain to realize we are feeding the body, therefore, it is easy to eat quicker than our brain is registering. If you slow your eating down to be in time with your brain, you naturally fell fuller quicker on less food.
Salad, although very bland for some, is a necessary weight stabilizing food, as its acts as bulk but also helps digest food and particularly slow digesting food, like meat. A little known fact that a piece of red meat, such as beef, can take up to a week to fully digest, whereas salad, vegetables are digested in just over an hour, fish and chicken (depending on how they are cooked) are also very easily digestible.
Water, water everywhere….
Drinking more water helps fill you up, so drink before eating or have an apple before the meal. Try not drink too much with the meal though as this dilute the vital stomach acid that is needed.
Leave it at least 10 minutes before drinking.
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Yoga and Fasting
In nature cure, one of the very important tools for health and disease cure is fasting.
Many people are learning the trick of curing their colds, headaches, nervous spells and other acute troubles by missing a few meals or taking a short fast. It is the simplest and the most efficient way of relieving the overloaded and "food-poisoned" system. You would be surprised to know how little food is actually required to keep the individual healthy.
One of the commonest complaints of the sick is that they have "lost their appetite". In fact, the greatest blessing to them would be to lose their appetite long enough to find their hunger. Loss of appetite is an indication that the system is overcharged and nature is trying to correct this by giving a chance for the waste accumulation in the organs to escape from the system.
Fasting as a remedy is fully in harmony with the "nature-cure" philosophy of the cause of disease. If the disease is created by an abnormal accumulation of 'stuff we dont' need in the system, it stands to reason that fasting will help in their elimination from the system. The membranous linings of the stomach and intestine which act as a "sponge" to absorb food materials are now "squeezed" to throw out the waste matter from the system.
Exercises While Fasting
The idea prevails that during a prolonged fast one should have complete rest. This however, is a serious mistake. There is no reason why one should not take the usual amount of or accomplish the accustomed daily tasks, provided, these do not strain the physical and mental energy to the point of exhaustion.
What to eat
Basically there is no one diet that is going to work for everyone - we are all different and suited to different diets, depending on many things - DNA, lifestyle, allergies and intolerance and general health.
However, for most that which to slim down, upping the protein and lowering the carbs will certainly help. Cutting down or cutting out carbs such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, all sweets and sugary foods (and fruits) and keeping to lean meats, fish, fresh vegetables and good fats such as coconut oil, ghee, avocado, olive oil and having proper butter as opposed to low fat spreads and margarine. Low fat, usually is an indication that more sugar has been added somewhere to make up the taste anyway.
Coconut oil was definitely one of my 'diet' foods when I was loosing weight and I would add it into dishes that could hide it or needed a bit of oil in it. I still take it now as a teaspoon in my more cappuchino (the froth hides it) and i alternate that with avocado oil the next day as that's high in vitamin e and so good for skin and hair.
I also use to take apple cider vinegar before I ate my main meal as it really helped me digest better without the bloat.
I no longer take this as I find I cant tolerate it in the same way. Like a lot of things, our tastes and dietry needs change over time. I do cook with coconut oil and ghee and have proper butter if I have a slice of gluten free or protein toast.
I am available for personal nutritional advice and and have studied to do DNA testing with DNA Fit, to see what allergies you may have and what diet is best suited to your DNA. if this would be of interest to you and you think you may wish to be tested, please get in touch. The testing is pretty expensive but can offer a window of insight into your health and dietry needs that wouldn't otherwise know.