Her Unique Glow

I LOVE my sweet treats. Anyone who knows me, knows that it’s my biggest weakness when it comes to my eating and probably the biggest downfall in my diet. Let’s be honest, what woman doesn’t love chocolate? So of course I’m not going to tell you to stop eating them, or that they’re so terrible for you because in actual fact there are some sweet treats out there that can be ‘better’ for you than others.

• If you love chocolate like me, then go for darker chocolate that’s 80% or more as it’s so much better for you.
• If you love desserts, then start making your own be conscious of what ingredients you’re putting into them. Most of the time we start realising just how naughty they are for our bodies that we start avoiding them, or changing the ingredients to make them better for us – so this is a great way to sort out those cravings for dessert.
• One more tip – if you love eating something sweet after dinner, then rather going for chocolate or a heavy dessert, have some fruit. Eating fruit will actually make you feel fuller and you’re taking in more natural and better sugars for your body. Just be careful with portion control, as even though fruit is better for you, it still contains fructose. Too much fructose = excess glucose in your body that needs to be stored somewhere!

So this brings me on to moderation! We are all made aware now a days of what is a ‘healthy’ snack. The supermarkets are full of products that they claim are good for you and healthy, and for the most part it’s true. What they don’t stress the importance of, is

moderation!

Just because something is better for you than other foods, or good for your health, doesn’t mean that they should be overindulged or over eaten – overindulging in anything is never good for you or your body. An easy way to avoid this is just to look at the portion sizing on the packet before you start eating. Let’s take nuts for example: Firstly, always go for unsalted, pure, natural nuts as these are the ones that are in fact good for you as they’re full of good fats. Any more than a very small handful is overindulging! If you find it hard to control your portions, then buy some sandwich bags and portion them out when you get home. Keep them in your cupboard and just reach for one bag at a time when you need them.

So we all know we need to eat our 5 a day – that’s 5 portions of fruit or veg. But what most of us don’t realise is this: That 2 of those portions CAN be fruit and 3 or more SHOULD be of veg! Of course fruit is a lot yummier so it’s easier to eat 5 portions of it, but guys, it’s yummier for a reason! Fruit is still full of sugars! Yes, they’re natural, but they’re still there and because of that we should be taking in more vegetables than fruit. Vegetables contain so many minerals and nutrients that are essential to keep our bodies functioning at their best, So try and increase you veg intake and make sure you are controlling how much fruit you eat.

This brings us on nicely to eating a balanced diet! Life is all about balance and it’s something that I believe is so important to be happy. So don’t sweat the small stuff. If you want to go out for an Italian and eat a massive plate of pasta, then go and do it as a treat.

Enjoy it for what it is…a treat!

Food no longer becomes a treat if you feel guilty about it and most of the time we end up giving up on healthy eating because we feel guilty that we fell off the wagon so to speak. Just make sure that treats are occasional and not an everyday occurrence.

Also remember this: Carbs, proteins and fats (good fats) are your friends! Don’t cut either of those three out of your diet as we need them all to live and to go throughout our daily lives. They are all good for you in moderation and eaten in the right proportions. Our diet should consist of 1/3 veg, 1/3 carbs and 1/3 of protein and dairy split equally.

Last but not least cut out all the foods that are not doing you any good. Unsaturated fats are called ‘bad’ fats for a reason. They do not serve any purpose for our bodies and if eaten in excessive amounts can actually cause illness and a lot of damage to our bodies such as high cholesterol and heart disease. So try and opt for healthier alternatives that are low in unsaturated fats.

Cut out processed foods!

They do not serve our bodies at all and do not give our bodies the nutrients it needs in order to be and stay healthy. There are so many preservatives in them that we need to be careful in how much we eat so that our bodies stay in tip top form.

Finally, ditch the alcohol.

Excessive amounts of alcohol not only increase weight gain, but it also damages our insides and doesn’t really do our internal body any good.