Start your day with hot water and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Drink more water. Drink 1 1/2 – 2 litres of water or non-caffeinated fluids a day. 8-12 glasses. Have herbal teas more frequently. Have boiled water with fresh slices of ginger or a couple of Star Anise if your prefer hot drinks to cold. Make fresh mint tea with a handful of mint leaves steeped in hot water – add honey or coconut sugar for a bit of sweetness.
Add slices of lemon or strips of cucumber, sprigs of rosemary, mint or ginger to jugs of cold water – to add taste but also vital flavonoids and antioxidants which quench free radicals and fix cell damage.
Reduce caffeine to 1 coffee a day. Always have coffee with a meal or a protein snack like a handful of nuts and seeds to reduce the roller coaster effect it has on your blood sugar balance. If you need a pick me up try a green tea instead.
Green tea is high in protective flavonoids, especially epigallaocathechin gallate (EGCG) a powerful antioxidant and metabolism booster which can help weight loss.
My favourite drink is a Matcha green tea latte – 1 ¼ teaspoon of Matcha green tea powder, mix vigorously into a paste with your a small amount of hot water then top up with hot nut milk ( hemp, almond, coconut.) Yummy when it’s nice and frothy on the top.
THINK PROTEIN – with every meal and snack. Protein (eggs, meat, fish, tofu, nuts, seeds, beans) is able to sustain your blood sugar balance for longer. Carbohydrates like biscuits, chocolate and sugary cereals have a roller coaster effect on your energy throughout the day. When your energy takes a nose dive you’ll head straight for the next quick fix – a coffee, biscuit or cake. By the end of the day you’ll feel wired and tired, unable to fall asleep quickly or stay asleep for long.
Have a good protein based breakfast every morning, don’t skip lunch and BE PREPARED with nuts, seeds, oat cakes and nut butter, hummus or mashed avocado for a mid-am and p.m snack. Keep healthy snacks in the work fridge at work, in your handbag, your desk or close to the kettle for when your energy dips.
Balancing your blood sugar by eating regularly, eating enough protein and avoiding sugar, caffeine and refined carbs will improve your energy, your mood, your sleep and your fertility.
Eat a rainbow of fruit and vegetables every day. Ideally 7-10 portions. The colourful pigments in the skins of fruit and vegetables are rich in flavonoids – natural chemicals which protect the plants from damage and when eaten, protect us too.
Resveratrol and anthocyanins from berries and dark skinned red and black grapes. Quercetin from apples. Naringenin, Limonene and Rutin from citrus fruit. Tannins and catechins in green and black tea. Curcumin in turmeric. Lycopene in tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit are just a few of a long list of natural chemicals which reduce inflammation, support detoxification and reduce free-radical oxidative damage to cells.
Eat 2-3 portions of oily fish a week – S.M.A.S.H – salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring and fish oil contain the highest amount of anti-inflammatory cell protective Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Other sources include flax seeds, flax oil, chia and walnuts as well as algae and algal oil.
Eat plenty of fibre from a whole food diet – fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, quinoa, buckwheat, beans, lentils, flax and chia not oily keep us regular they also protect our long term health.
Fibre helps slow down the release of glucose into the bloodstream protecting us from insulin spikes, weight gain, cardiovascular issues and some cancers.
