Nutrition and Hydration

Hello lovely!

I'm so excited that you're ready to take your own Seven Steps to Your Personal Wellness and Recovery.

So, welcome to your first step Nutrition and Hydration.

Here you’re going to look at how feeding your body the right food and liquids is crucial because ‘you are what you eat’ as the saying goes.  If you eat well you’ll feel well and if you eat badly it can affect you badly...it’s that simple.

You’re going to look at different food types and the negatives and positives of eating them as well as the benefits of staying hydrated.

Here’s your Nutrition and Hydration coaching questions Printable and your Meal Planner for you to complete, so enjoy completing them and planning your weekly meals which will help you begin to identify changes you might need to make to have a more balanced diet.

And before you start, remember my lovely you have the mindset to put this daily discipline into practise now and see how you can go from feeling irritable and hungry to satisfied and calm.

So, let’s kick this off...

Remember 'Food is Fuel'...when you are seeking wellness and recovery your body needs energy in the form of nutritious meals and drinks, and despite the numerous diets out there, evidence suggests that
‘Balanced is Best’...and to have a balanced diet you should eat carbohydrates, protein dairy and fats. This gives your body a steady flow of energy.

Complex carbs release energy slowly and sustain you longer and they're found in wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta and wholegrain rice as well as in fruit and vegetables.  Also, it's good to eat them before exercise…remember food is fuel!

Simple carbs however, release energy quickly and are found in cereal sweets and crisps as well as cakes and biscuits alcohol and sugary drinks. Unfortunately, there is little nutritional value in simple carbs and they are often highly processed with a long shelf-life.

As a result, simple carbs cause sugar rushes, when your energy spikes quickly, and sugar crashes, when your energy drops quickly.

This can be hugely problematic because a diet high in sugary food can make you shaky, dizzy, tired, irritable and even more hungry...craving more of the same sugary food. Sugar is also an inflammatory which can increase pain we already have, preventing the healing you may need.

Do you recognise any symptoms of having a high simple carbohydrate diet?  If so, it's not fun right? I know because I've been there and it's not surprising with busy schedules!

The solution is to try to eats fewer simple carbs to avoid the crashes and their symptoms, and instead to eat more complex carbs which give you energy for longer and affect your mood less. 

I used to get so 'hangry' at lunch and dinnertime until I swapped to more complex carbohydrates and fats, which work wonders for me personally.

Protein is also good for you which rebuilds muscle and tissue and it's particularly good to eat after exercise to do exactly that.

Protein is found in meat, eggs, fish and dairy products such as milk, cheese, yoghurt and butter.  Personally, for dairy products, I choose to have ‘full fat’ because more chemicals are added to half-fat or low-fat products such as milk and yoghurt.

Lean meat like chicken and turkey are very incredibly good sources of protein, and I understand you might not want to eat too much red meat. 

I must say that when you're feeling really tired or if you have anemia, particularly at specific times in the month, having read meat can really pick you up.  I ALWAYS feel the positive effects the next day and hope you do too, if red meat works for you.

Now here's the most interesting and controversial one...FATS!

Healthy fats feed the brain for longer and can be found in foods like avocado, nuts, cream and butter.  Eating fat and full-fat foods allows you to feel fuller for longer AND it helps the brain function effectively. 

I have brain injury and epilepsy and have found fats work so well for me...I have far fewer symptoms than when I eat a sugary, simple carbohydrate diet and I no longer wake up hangry and DESPERATE for a bowl of cereal, EVER!

Unhealthy, saturated fats are found in high calorific food such as takeaways, pre-packaged meals and junk food so it's far more beneficial to cook your meals from fresh.  I love to cook now, but everything is very simple and ready in under 30 mins.

So, looking after your nutrition may just take a few tweaks here and there, it's not too hard to adapt.

Now onto hydration...this is crucial for your health and you should drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.  Hydration is also super important for brain function and drinking sufficient water each day is vital...for your vital organs!

 Fortunately, you can obtain water and nutrition from smoothies, juices, tea, coffee and infusions. Also, smoothies and juices are a brilliant way to eat healthily because they can be filled with fruit and vegetables, herbs and spices.

Tea, coffee and infusions can be helpful to fight off infection because of the heat which keeps your immune system boosted.

So my lovely, what choice are you going to make?

Are you going to fuel your body in a way that makes it irritable and angry, which can even be detrimental to your health?

Or, are you going to fuel your body with a steady flow of energy throughout the day, from your balanced and nutritious meals and drinks, which leads to clear thinking and feeling energized and calm AND help you sleep better?

Finally, some Daily Tips for you to embrace:

Eat three balanced meals a day

Eat at similar times

Plan your meals

Stay hydrated

Remember to complete your coaching questions and meal planner, just click below on these:

Have a fabulously happy and healthy week!
Lucy x