1) get the goodness in      Rather than restricting different types of food, focus on getting as much goodness into your diet as possible. With every meal that you eat, try to fill your plate up with  lots of different veggies. Variety is the spice of life, and the same goes for your fruit and veg. The greater the diversity in your diet, the more nutrients you consume and the greater the health benefits. Did you know... that out of the 300,000 edible species known to man, 75% of the world’s food today comes from just 12 plants and 5    animal species?!* That's a lot of goodness that the majority of the world are missing out on! So remember, variation is key - eat the rainbow and it will leave you feeling tip-top! *Food and Agriculture Organisation

tips for getting (back) into a healthy eating

2) eat more fibre Did you know that less than 5% of us manage to reach our daily recommended  fibre intake  of 30g*? Fibre leaves you feeling fuller for longer and also supports a healthy digestive system,  which leads to a higher rate of excretion of toxins from our bodies. What's more, for every extra 7g of fibre eaten per day you have a:
•9% lower risk of heart disease
•7% lower risk of colon cancer
•6% lower risk of type 2 diabetes
•Plus many more health benefits (follow @theguthealthhdoctor* for more)

What are the best sources of fibre? Beans, vegetables, fruits, pulses and whole grains.   

(be sure to drink lots of water if you increase your fibre intake)

3) avoid cutting carbs  Although it will lead to initial weight loss (often due to loss in water weight), in the longer run, it's not sustainable (well it certainly isn't if you love carbs as much as we do!) instead, focus on eating nutritious, unrefined carbohydrates such as oats, quinoa, teff, sweet potato,  spelt & rye (if you can tolerate gluten), and as we mentioned earlier, cram your plate with lots of different veggies, to ensure that you're satisfied rather than restricting  yourself, which may lead to eating a lot more later on.

4) always be prepared     By preparing your meals for the days ahead, you're minimising the chances   of grabbing something quick and easy that's not so good for you, or ordering a cheeky takeaway when you get home from work and can't bothered cooking. So plan ahead and meal-prep where possible, plus it will also save you time over the week! Got a sweet tooth? Us too, see our next point...

5) be snack ready  Ever eat healthily all day then get home and eat the kitchen out of its entire contents? This was us (OK, it still happens eveeeery now and again, but  we're usually equipped for these situations nowadays). One of our main inspirations behind sweet deceits, was that we found the healthy snacks market wasn't providing anything that really satisfied our sweet cravings. As a result, we'd often end up binging on packs of chocolate buttons (and biscuits and ice cream and cake and sweets and savoury too - but that's another story). Nowadays, we always have a tray of sweet deceits on hand. They're nutrient dense and either a source of fibre or high fibre, meaning they won't leave you wanting to eat the house down and they also won't give you that sugar crash as only we use low GI sweeteners.

6) make sure you get enough sleep  A study has shown that sleep-deprived people consume an average of 385 extra calories per day*. We all know getting enough sleep is incredibly important for our health, but sometimes it can be hard to prioritise sleep in our busy schedules, so here's an extra incentive!

*H K Al Khatib et al. The effects of partial sleep deprivation on energy balance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2016

7)  don't worry   If you have a bad day, forget about it and start again tomorrow! Taking a more relaxed approach to your diet and focusing on the goodness rather than restriction will lead to a much healthier mindset and a happier you!

Have a fantastic 2018 everyone!

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