LIFE Health & Fitness Club

Fruit and Vegetables
Eat in plentiful supplies…. The government recommend five pieces of fruit or vegetables a day (5 is a handful). Fruit and vegetables are cheap, easily prepared washed or cooked, full of vitamins, fibre and flavour.

These will fill you up and reduce the need to snack on sweet treats.

• There is more vitamin C in kiwi fruit and peppers than in several oranges
• Strawberries are so full of fibre they help clean your teeth as you eat them
• The energy from a banana will sustain you for much longer than the quick fix from a chocolate bar.
• Celery is the only known food with no calories, so you use more energy in the digestion of the food than it contains.
• Potatoes are full of slow releasing carbohydrates. But make sure you bake, boil but don’t fry.
• Peas are also full of slow releasing energy and also make great table football.

*Avoid Avocados, as they are high in saturated FATS.*

Wholemeal Products
These should make up a large proportion of your daily intake. Wholemeal, wholegrain or brown rice, pasta, bread and cereals.

• Green pasta made with spinach is also high in fibre and better than white pasta.
• The average body burns 1000-1200 calories per day even if you are inactive AT REST.

*If you eat less than 1000 calories a day you will slow your metabolism because your body is tricked into thinking there is a shortage of food.*
*White bread has a surprisingly large amount of sugar, and the traditional crest is also very bad for you.*

White meat, Fish and Pulses
Eat plenty of fish, skinless chicken, turkey, lentils, beans etc. These foods are rich in protein and low in saturated fats.

• The government recommends eating an oily fish 3 times a week. E.g. mackerel, salmon and sardines.
• Omega 5 & 6 oils are abundant in fish and are vital for a healthy heart, skin, hair and nails.
• Fish and white meat are cheaper than red meats.

Oils and Spreads
Utilise low fat spreads olive and sunflower oil in small quantities for shallow frying and spreading.

SNACKS, CAKES, CHOCOLATE, CRISPS, BUTTER, RED MEAT AND ALCOHOL (full of sugar). Use them in small amounts for treats (everything in moderation). Tasty with a quick energy “lift”, usually easy to hand and convient, unfortunately high in refined carbohydrates and saturated fats.

• Women are allowed up to 70grams and men up to 90grams of fat per day, if not dieting. Chocolate tends to contain up to 20-30 grams, add that to a pack of crisps, between 10-25 grams and your daily allowance is already used. This is saturated fat, which is bad for your heart, not the unsaturated fat found in foods like fish.
• Depending on your metabolism it can take upwards of 20 mins to burn off 1 Mars bar with energetic skipping.
• You can eat large quantities of fat and never feel full.

*To reduce the amount of fat on meats trim of all visible fat, remove chicken skin, fry mince and drain off the fat.*

Alcohol
Alcohol is fermented with sugar so therefore alcohol is another form of sugar. An empty calorie is a phrase often associated with alcohol; there is no protein, fibre, vitamins and no goodness. Your body will also use alcohol as it primary fuel source therefore not using the food you eat coursing an excess of calories.

Sleeping
Essential to good health, allows the body and muscles to repair (over 70% of our daily growth hormone is released whilst we sleep). We regenerate our immune system, so with reduced sleep we are more vulnerable to infections and illness. Sleep is also vital to our concentration levels and mental ability (our mental ability to work reduces by 25% for every 24 hours we get no sleep).

• Avoid rich heavy meals late at night. The process of digestion raises the body temperature and increases energy levels. Foods which are low in fat and can aid the making of Serotonin are good, Tryptophenes, the building blocks of serotonin are contained in milky drinks (served hot is best) and also in bananas.
• The milky fluid in the stem of a lettuce contains a natural sedative and will help you to sleep.

There are many chemicals released in our brains that affect our mood, tendencies and behaviour. Here are some facts about these chemicals and potentially how we can affect them:

BETA-ENDORPHINES
This brain chemical can have increased affects in a small number of the population making them more susceptible to addictions, including alcohol (due to its sugar component). The hypersensitivity to risk increases, if you are over weight, female and have a family history of alcohol. You are more susceptible to sugar, alcohol cravings during pre-menstrual due to reduced levels of Beta-Endorphins.
*So avoid alcohol prior to your period because it will have a greater affect on you.*

SERATONIN
This brain chemical is best described as our “satisfaction” chemical, when we have higher levels we feel good and with low levels we feel lousy. Tryptophan is an amino acid (the building blocks to Serotonin). Tryptonphan rich foods include meat, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, yoghurt, nuts and legumes (beans, lentils and peas). Extra rich sources are cottage cheese, pheasant, partridge and turkey. The controversial theory believes that combining is tryptophan rich foods with complex carbohydrates forces the body to convert these chemicals into the feel good chemical serotonin.

• Try to combine food like cottage cheese on a baked potato or a wholemeal bread and turkey sandwich.
• Research from Iceland and Japan show that these countries may suffer lower population depression due to their high fish intake. The protective factor is believed to be the essential fatty acids that guard against heart disease and boost serotonin production.

DOPAMINE
This brain chemical can affect our motivation and mood levels. Some people with low dopamine levels utilise stress to raise adrenaline (energy chemical) by stressful work, dangerous sports and stimulation from sugar, alcohol and coffee. Dopamine is made from tryrosine, another amino acid found in protein rich foods. Tryrosine is also essential for the production of adrenaline, the chemical we release when we are frightened, excited or stressed.
*Try to eat protein rich foods to encourage dopamine production and be aware of the pull of sugar and alcohol and their addictive nature.*

EAT REGULARLY
Breakfast is exactly what it says it is – a meal to break the fast of 12 or more hours. Miss it and your memory may be affected and you’ll be more likely to snack on fatty snacks or sugary foods mid morning to stop you feeling hungry and from having low energy levels.
*Eat small healthy snacks regularly to keep energy levels stable and prevent feeling low in energy and therefore motivation.*

AVOID CAFFINE
Found in Tea, Coffee, Chocolate and Coke. This stimulant makes you temporarily feel alert but in large quantities causes insomnia and mood swings. Reduce gradually to prevent side effects.

AVOID ALCOHOL
Full of sugar, a depressant, expensive and addictive (enough said).

AVOID SUGAR
Eating sugar rich food causes mood swings of irritability and tiredness because it raises and lowers blood sugar levels rapidly and regularly. For example : Missing breakfast and having a chocolate mid morning will raise blood sugar, produce insulin and potentially lower blood sugar to less than prior to eating the chocolate. This is called rebound hypoglycaemia and may be responsible for mood swings.

HOW TO ENJOY FOOD!

• Use treats as treats, reward yourself infrequently for achievements!
• Cook for friends and family (social activity is essential).
• Experiment with your healthy cooking (occupying your time with a tasty result).
• Share recipes or food facts as conversational icebreakers (most people like food).
• Picnics and barbecues get you outside and enjoying the benefits of sun therapy.
• Cooking meals or packed lunches can be much cheaper than takeaway foods.

How to afford healthy food!

• Buy your fruit and vegetables in the market or the green grocers it’s cheaper.
• Buy white meat and fish in large economical packs (freeze portions in separate bags or containers).
• Buy shops own economical brands or discount products.
• Buy near sell by date foods and either eat that day or freeze.
• Shop at cheaper shops E.g. Aldi or Lidl.
• Check the packets for quantities of fat, carbohydrate and protein (prepared to be amazed).
• Use cheaper alternatives i.e. turkey to chicken or coley to cod.
• Utilise everything E.g. a whole chicken is cheaper than breast portions and will stretch further (stir fry’s, curries or chicken salads)
• Frozen foods tend to be cheaper and last longer.
• By eating complex carbohydrates instead of sugary foods you will be full for longer and therefore eat less.