”An apple a day keeps the doctor away” Proverb
We haven’t been able to find the research that backs this up but directionally it feels right. More fruits and natural food as part of our daily intake can only be a good thing. As you may have guessed, this post is all about nutrition.
We’re going to try and walk the tightrope that is talking about nutrition and the results of bad nutrition in a constructive manner without straying into the judgement zone – for what’s it worth we don’t believe in judging people for their decisions as long as it’s not hurting anyone else. Let’s see how we go.
Firstly let’s start with the facts. An article published by Renew Bariatrics that shared statistics relating to obesity in 2017, highlighted that over the last 33 years obesity has soared 80% with over 60% of Australian adults being overweight or obese – this equates to 11.2 million people. Let’s face it these statistics aren’t great but at the same time we believe in free will and that adults should make choices that are right for them. What kills us though is the statistic that 1 in 4 children are obese, a figure that continues to rise.
Without diving too deep into the consequences of poor nutrition, some of which are incredibly serious and potentially life-threatening whilst others are less severe but damaging nonetheless, the fact of the matter is that children not only look to adults to model their behaviour on but in most cases are forced to live with the choices made on their behalf. They also live with the consequences of these choices and studies have shown that this is generational. We don’t have the exact figures but research has shown – and just as importantly common sense implies – that poor nutritional habits learnt by children transcend to their children and their children’s children etc.
So there are plenty of reasons why good nutrition is worth thinking about.
Good nutrition is relatively simple yet there are so many barriers and external influences that make it difficult to know right from wrong. In fact, the food industry employs experts whose entire roles are to trick us into thinking a type of food, brand or product is good for us when it is not. It’s been happening for decades and for many of us we don’t know any different.
For what it’s worth they’re extremely good at it too. The marketing team at a particular breakfast cereal company aimed at growing bodies who participate in surf lifesaving events have been spectacularly successful and followed not far behind by most other breakfast cereal or fruit juice companies.
So what do we mean by good nutrition?
Balanced food choices
We’re not going to point you in the direction of a food pyramid – albeit many exist – and we don’t have the time or space in this post to foray into the world of vegetarian, vegan or the plethora of diets out there (watch this space).
By balanced food choices we’re essentially saying that fruits and vegetables are good and you should eat more of them. You should have more foods that are in their natural state and fewer foods that are manufactured in a workshop. Dairy is ok in moderation. If you eat meat, aim for a wide range of non-processed meats. Seafood, nuts and salt are all good.
From a beverage perspective, water is king and nothing else is a close second. Avoid as much soft-drink, juice, cordial, flavoured milk as you can. If you’re think you’re ok because you’re drinking diet or fat-free soft drink, you’re kidding yourself and if you’re having a coffee with chocolate sprinkled all over it or an iced coffee with cream in it, ask yourself why. Alcohol is terrible for you but no one’s a saint. Moderate your intake if you can.
Indulge, occasionally
Now before we get a heap of hate mail and you throw your phone away in disgust, we are big believers in being able to indulge. In fact, our quality of life would be a whole lot lower without our weekly blow out and we’re damn sure that our mental well-being is better for it. However we don’t subscribe to every day being a cheat day and believe the reward of indulging should only be possible after the discipline of restriction.
So what’s a good balance? Depends on where you’re starting from and what you’re goals are. At a macro level, 90/10 is commonly quoted – that is 90% of your intake being healthy and nutritious and the remaining 10% being otherwise.
At an individual level, if 90/10 is a stretch too far we’d encourage you to simply be better than what you are today. If 3 of every 10 meals you have would be considered healthy, get that to 5. If you have 3 soft-drinks a day, try and get that to 1 and replace them with water or tea. If you have dessert every night, change it to only the days that you exercise. You get the point.
On an aside, the human minds phenomenal at adapting. Over time your brain will adapt to your intake so to get the same dopamine rush from an iced coffee, chocolate bar or ice-cream or whatever you’ll need to continue increasing the amount you consume. Conversely by restricting your intake, you’ll get a similar rush at the times you do have it and delay the adaptation process.
It’s not a diet
Whatever you do, don’t say you’re on a diet. Doing so is a sure-fire way to end up going back to old habits and perhaps even blowing them out of the water. Going on a diet is like buying fake designer shoes. They look and feel pretty good for a short time but don’t last.
Now we’re not suggesting you go full 180 degrees and throw yourself into the “it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle” crew but we do suggest not labelling whatever you do a diet. If you are changing your intake to make healthier and more nutritious choices, we suggest not labelling it at all. If needed though try “I’m changing my intake to make healthier and more nutritious choices”. That should work.
Good nutrition isn’t rocket science. It’s about making healthy choices, giving yourself permission to indulge occasionally and not forcing unhelpful labels that might derail your motivation.
Action for the week:
- Think about the food and beverage choices you’re making and how you can make healthier and more nutritious choices. If that seems too broad, identify one thing you should have less of and do that. If it works, repeat it again and again until you’re happy.
- Give yourself permission to indulge regularly. If you can get close to the 90/10 approach, even better.
- Avoid labelling the changes you’re making anything but if you have to “healthier and more nutritious choices” is a good place to start.
We’ll dive a bit deeper into nutrition, diets and other areas such as intermittent fasting, ketosis and natural superfoods in future topics. In the meantime, you can make significant changes by making healthier and more nutritious choices, indulging on occasion and steering clear of unhelpful labels. The added benefit of good nutrition is the mental benefits that come with fuelling your body with the right foods. This is another crucial step towards leading a healthier life.
When we think about food and drink choices, we quickly think about the associated costs of eating and drinking a particular way. In our next post we’re going to link back into the financial side of things and look at ways to cut costs and add to your savings. Not surprising food and drink choices will be a factor in this.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on nutrition, any tips or experience you have for making healthy choices, and any other comments or questions you have. Please reach out to us at any of our social media channels.