Helping you to keep on plan through the week
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Meal Planning
I like to remember the saying “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. Every one of us lead busy lives day to day and don’t have all the time in the world to cook fresh and healthy ingredients throughout the day from what we find in our fridge. Therefore, one of the biggest things I recommend is to meal plan each week, usually it will only take less than 30 minutes out of your weekend to sit down and work out breakfast, lunches and dinners for the next week. This is also extremely helpful to do before a food shop so you then know what you need to get when you go food shopping, rather than what naughty treats take your fancy or what quick and easy meal you can grab for dinner when you’ve spent hours going down every aisle in the supermarket trying to get some inspiration on the spot.
It’s best to write your list down or even add it to the notes section on your phone, whatever works for you but it’s a great way of making sure you’re organised and have made good choices to set you up for the week.
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Batch Cooking Meals
Once you have been food shopping and got all the ingredients you need for the week then cooking this in bulk when you have some spare time either over the weekend or of an evening is a great idea! Batch cooking lunches is especially important as then you have one less thing to do before you rush out the house in the morning. Things like fresh soups packed full of flavour and vegetables, healthy chicken dishes that you can serve with a side of fresh salad and roasted vegetable Couscous which is full of vitamins and will give you a much needed energy boost are just a few great recipes which will keep for the week and can either be stored in your fridge or freezer ready for you to take out when you need it.
Often, people fall off the wagon when it comes to snacks throughout the day. Again it all comes down to convenience. So why not be prepared with some convenient healthy snacks packed full of protein which you can snack on should you need to when you’re out and about?
Get some foodie inspiration such as ‘Beetroot and Sweet Potato Crisps’. These organic crisps are full of carbs, dietary fibre and protein as well as lots of vitamins and minerals. Go get inspired!
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Portion up each meal
Again, another time saving hack is to portion up each meal, one thing you can never have enough of is tupperware! Often in my house it’s like a game of jenger trying to add something into our fridge, but if you want to go the extra mile then portioning out your already prepared meals means you know exactly how much you’re eating and saves you the hassle of having to guess a good portion size later on. You’ll also find your food will go further as you’re much more unlikely to take more if you’ve separated it out and if your fridge and freezer resembles a game of jenger like mine then you’ll thank yourself later for labelling your Tupperware before having to pull everything out to guess what it is.
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Try a new recipe each week
I say this because often people get stuck in a rut of eating the same old thing day in, day out. Especially people with food intolerances and allergies often stick to recipes which are tried and tested and they know are “safe”. So how about chatting to family and friends and swapping new and exciting recipes? For those of you who do have intolerances and allergies then social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are a great way to find new recipes you may have not heard of before, but you are able to eat and enjoy whether your gluten free, diary free, vegan and so on, there are recipes out there for you it may just take a bit more effort to find them!
Remember, FOOD IS GLORIOUS so why not try something new each week whether it be a new thing to share with the family for dinner (your partner will thank you for it!) or something new to look forward to for lunch while you’re sat in your office counting down the hours until lunchtime. Give it a go this coming week!
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Plan your recommended daily intake of water each day
My final top tip is as simple as keeping a record of how much glasses of water you drink per day to keep you on track. You have heard loads of times no doubt how important it is to drink water each day and the recommended amount is 30 ml per kg of body weight, so if you weigh 70 kg you should drink 2.1 litres of water a day. This is around 8 – 10 glasses. If you weight yourself in stones and pounds then it is about 15 ml per pound. You may think that’s a lot but if herbal teas can also top up this amount. So long as they are not caffeinated.
Caffeinated tea and coffee will dehydrate you so if you drink tea and coffee you will need to increase your daily water amount. I recommend having a maximum of 3 caffeinated drinks a day and drink 3 glasses of water in between each one.
If you don’t like the taste of plain water, try sparkling water or add a slice of lemon or lime. Or heat the water and infuse a fruit tea bag or a slice of lemon. Occasionally you could add some no-added-sugar squash or fruit juice for flavour. Just be careful of fake sugars such as Aspartame as these are really bad for your overall health.
It’s also really important to make sure to have a glass of water as soon as you wake up in the morning, often people go straight downstairs to pop the kettle on but remember your body has been resting and dehydrated for the last 8+ hours so rehydrating the body as soon as you wake up with a glass of water will set you up for the rest of the day. Make your first drink of the day a glass of water, not a cup of tea!
I personally need reminding to do something before it becomes a habit, so at first I use to set reminders on my phone to drink more water which was a good way of getting in a routine of making sure I stay hydrated throughout the day. Getting in your recommended amount per day of water will also help your hair remain glossy and your skin to stay healthy and clear, which I’m sure is enough of a benefit to make you head to the kitchen now to get yourself a glass!
I’ll be back next month with more of my top tips to helping you be healthier and happier this year.
For more information on learning how to be IBS free, book your free call with Helen Mileham, IBS Specialist today using this link.
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