19 Jun Summer Eating the Smart Way
By dietitian Denise Fair
A Canadian trained registered dietitian working in nutrition for over 15 years, Denise Fair has lived in Hong Kong for seven years. She works in all areas of nutrition from weight loss, eating disorders and behavioral eating, to child nutrition, diabetes and sports nutrition.
The best approach to eating smart is to start paying attention to the food choices you are making every day and reduce the processed foods and toxins you are putting into your body from the get go.
Toss out those pre-packaged foods. Any pre-packaged food will have an abundance of trans fats, sugar or salt, or all three, as these are used to preserve the food and increase shelf life. In addition, packaged foods often contain fillers and chemicals, so the fewer you eat, the better.
Get back to real foods. Eat real meat rather than processed meats, real cheese and unprocessed vegetables and fruit – we need to get back to tasting real foods. Prepare your meals without added sauces and dressings, as they often have hidden calories plus added sugar and salt, which decreases the sensitivity of our taste buds and masks the food’s true flavors. While cutting back may initially cause foods to taste bland, within four weeks your taste buds will have readjusted and you will be able to start tasting foods’ true flavors.
Eat a variety of different foods. Don’t stick to the same fruit or vegetables (or meat or starches either) week by week, as each food has its own unique variety of vitamins and minerals. Food variety is essential and the key to maintaining health.
Plan your meals and snacks. This is a big one! We run on autopilot and often don’t put much thought into our meals. Planning your meals and snacks not only helps you with your grocery list, but also with those days when you get home hungry, open the cupboard or fridge and just start eating anything you see. If you have healthy snacks planned you are more likely to stick to the plan and eat much more healthily.
Allow yourself the occasional treat. Never ban any food from your diet – this will only cause you to crave it more and start a psychological battle with your inner self. So allow yourself a small treat every now and then. If you know you are allowed it you’ll stop craving it and find a balance.
Eat mindfully. How many times have you eaten something while distracted, watching TV, on the computer or phone, to suddenly realize that your food is finished but you are still “hungry”. The truth is you aren’t hungry, you just want more of that flavor because you missed out on it first time around. Sit down and eat mindfully and slowly. You will enjoy the food more and will end up eating less.
Log your progress. Depending on your diet you can feel physically exhausted (due to not getting enough calories) or feel physically amazing and energized (when you eat healthily, eliminating processed foods, caffeine, alcohol, yeast and sugar etc.). A break from foods that we know we consume in excess can do wonders for you mentally, emotionally and spiritually, creating a virtuous circle of healthy eating long-term.
Sculpt for the Summer
Expedite your health and potential weight loss for the summer by joining our Sculpt for the Summer new classes in Xtend Barre and Pilates.
One Island South
Mondays
6:15pm | Xtend Barre
7:30pm | Fat Burn Pilates Allegro
Wednesdays
6:15pm | Pilates Allegro/Mat Combo Level 1
7:30pm | Xtend Barre Cardio Blast
Thursdays
7:30am | Xtend Barre
Central
Mondays
1:30pm | Xtend Barre Stick™
Thursdays
1:30pm | Pilates Allegro
4pm | H.I.I.T. Cardio Body Blast
8:30pm | Xtend Barre
Fridays
5pm | Pre-Natal Pilates Allegro
6:15pm | B.L.T. Pilates Allegro
Saturdays
1pm | Xtend Barre
Sundays
9am | H.I.I.T. Cardio Body Blast
12noon | Xtend Barre Cardio Blast
