NEW Year new you!

As we step into a brand new year, I’m sure most of us will have started out full of good intentions to lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more, be a better person and a million other things. We set our sights too high then beat ourselves up when we fail.

Good health is not about restrictions and guilt, its about developing new habits; habits take a long time to form so don’t expect to create new ones without a bit of time and effort.  

Our health is our biggest asset and without it, nothing else matters. We all know someone whose life has been devastated by cancer or is suffering from some awful chronic disease.

How many of us can honestly say that we do our best to maintain our bodies in good shape?  

I don’t take my good health for granted, I take steps daily to stack the odds in my favour by eating real food, staying hydrated, enjoying fresh air, doing things I enjoy, spending quality time with my family and friends and being grateful for the many blessings in my life.

Its a true saying You are what you eat, so what are you made of and how well does your body function?

Have you ever stopped to think that your body needs the proper fuel to work well, foods that your body can actually recognise, break down, absorb and use. Protein, fibre, good fats, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, trace elements all essential if you are to be the best you can be, firing on all cylinders.

Its an old analogy but one that still holds true, you wouldn’t expect your car to run efficiently if you put the wrong fuel in but sadly that's what many of us do daily by drinking fizzy drinks, eating refined, processed food products that have no nutritional value, full of artificial colours, artificial sweeteners, flavours and preservatives that our bodies can’t recognise so end up being stored in our fat cells and making us ill.

The food industry is profit driven, with no concern for our health. If we want cheap food we can buy it but its full of cheap ingredients like trans fats, sugar and salt along with all the chemicals. It is making us ill, fat and driving chronic disease at an alarming rate.

Scotland is now right behind America in the obesity stakes with all the associated chronic health problems.

It doesn’t take a genius to join the dots………... a junk food diet does not support good health!

The good news is it’s not all or nothing, small changes can have a big impact on our health, so why not make 2015 the year you start making lasting changes towards a healthier life.

Are you not worth it?

Here are some simple suggestions to ease you gently onto your path to renewed health.

1. Eat real food your body actually recognises ie food as close to its natural state as possible. Minimise the amount of processed food you eat, anything ready made, from a packet or a jar.
2. Read labels, the longer the list of ingredients, the less nutritious the food will be.
3. Always choose wholegrains over refined grains, ie. brown rice, wholemeal or spelt pasta, wholemeal or granary bread
4. Stay hydrated with plenty of water, herbal and green teas. There are so many to choose from, milky sugary tea and coffee don’t count!
5. Avoid sugary fizzy drinks, aspartame and artificial sweeteners like the plague!
6. Eat as many varieties of vegetables as you can. The more you eat the more benefits you get! Locally grown, seasonal and organic are best.
7. Get some dark leafy greens into your diet daily for awesome health benefits. Think juices, smoothies, steamed, salads, soups, kale crisps. Spring cabbage, kale, savoy cabbage are all in season just now. 
8. Introduce lentils and beans as alternatives to meat. I will be posting meat free recipes regularly so watch this space!
9. Start using organic, extra virgin coconut oil for cooking, its miracle stuff! In fact use it for everything, I do! As a spread, stirred into soups, hot drinks, porridge, smoothies, oven roast veggies or any hot meal to boost your metabolism, your immune system and just about every other body system..  
10. Use Himalyan pink salt for seasoning, it contains 86 trace minerals your body can use. Table salt is just chemically produced sodium chloride, it should only be used for clearing the ice from your paths! It has no benefits and can cause high blood pressure! Plus its added to literally every processed food..
11. Be aware of hidden sugar, anything ending in ...ose is a simple sugar, has no nutritional value, will drive chronic disease & make you fat!
12. Ditch dairy, use almond, oat, hemp, coconut or rice milk instead
13. Take time to chew your food, digestion starts in your mouth!
14. Employ the 80/20 rule, if you eat well 80% of the time you can afford treats without feeling guilty.