The Basics of Good Nutrition

What Food Groups do I need to consider throughout the day to give me a good nutritional and well balanced diet?

If you break down your day into servings of food groups, it will ensure that you get what you need to sustain a healthy diet and will steer you in the right path to help you cut out all the 'bad foods'. Let us go through the ideal daily plan for a typical Bootcamper:

1) Carbohydates: Cereals, Bread, Rice, Pasta, potatoes etc. (6+ servings per day)

These should make up the majority of your daily food intake. A serving can be a slice of bread, 1oz of wholegrain cereal, a medium potato (boiled or baked) or 2 tablespoons of cooked pasta/rice. Choose high fibre breads and cereals where possible. If you are doing a lot of physical activity, then up t 12 portions may be necessary.

2) Fruit and Vegetables: Fruits, fruit juice, vegetables, salad, vegetable soup etc. (4+ servings per day)

2 tablespoons of cooked vegetable or salad, a medium size fruit, small bowl of homemade vegetable soup, a 1/2 glass of fruit juice are all examples of portions sizes. Choose green leafy vegetables where possible for essential folic acid. Try and get into the habit of substituting cakes and biscuits with fruit and chopped up carrots etc. They will not only keep your fuller for longer,but will give you the nutrition required on a daily basis and reduce your sugar intake.

3) Dairy: Milk, Cheese, Yoghurt etc. (3 servings per day) 5 for pregnant/breastfeeding women and 4 for teenagers.

This is how you get your daily intake of protein and calcium. Vital for your bones and muscle repair. Low fat dairy products contain as much calcium as full fat products. Serving examples include a carton of yoghurt, 1/3 pint of milk, an oz of hard cheese (approx. a matchbox size amount. These foods all contain fat and protein.

4) Meat, Fish and Alternatives; Chicken, Beef, Fish, Eggs, Beans etc. (2 servings per day) 3 for pregnant women.

These foods contain fat and protein. A serving is 2oz of cooked lean meat, 3oz of fish, 2 eggs, 6 tablespoons of beans/pulses (eg Kidney beans or lentils), 2 oz of cheddar cheese, 3oz of nuts. Ideally, you should have a portion of nuts/seeds on your desk for snacks throughout the day, rather than dipping into the cookie jar! They are also great for pre-Bootcamp training, to give you energy for the class without over filling you. Be adventurous and try something you haven't tried before. You will amaze yourself when you invite these new flavours to your palate.

5) Others: Fats and Oils & Confectionary. (sparingly)

Needless to say I'm sure, that you should avoid sugar frequently, and keep your alchoholic intake to a minimum. Very often, people will choose to diet with food, but stay on the high alchoholic intake, and will see little or no results. This is due to the high amounts of sugar contained in alchohol. FYI: 1 unti is equivelent to 1/2 pint beer or 1 glass of wine. 1 measure of spirits is 1.5 units. Women: 14 units per week; Men; 21 untis per week. Where you use butter, use 1oz of low fat spread instead of your usual big spread of full fat butter. The small changes can make a big difference overall.

Top Tips to eating Healthier:

1. Make your lunch for work, rather than buying at work. This way you will have better control of what you are consuming, rather than impluse buying when hungry. Tubberwares are a great investment!
2. Do a weekly shop, where you can buy your healthy items at a cheaper price and prepare your meals throughout the week.
3. Keep a food diary, and mark out all your servings in a table format, so you can see what you are eating each day. This will show you if you are over on some and under on others.
4. Try out new receipes on line. Be inventive and don't be afraid to make something you haven't considered before. It's not that difficult to follow a well written receipe, and you never know, you might just enjoy the cooking!
5. Don't pick at cakes and biscuits throughout the day, just because someone else near you is... It't your body.. not theirs!
6. Subsitute your bad snacks with good ones.. fruit, dried fruit, nuts, seeds etc.
7. Fill up a litre and half bottle of water each day and be sure to drink it by the time you leave work.
8. When out socialising and having a few beers, have a glass of water between drinks. This will not only keep you hydrated, but it will slow down your alchoholic intake, and save you a few cents in the meantime!
9. Try seasonal fruits and vegetables. They are not only plentiful, but also at their best and usually on special in the supermarket.
10. Chew your food at least 16 times before swallowing it, and take little breaks when eating. Don't eat your meals so fast.. enjoy them!

If you have any further questions to ask us while you are doing your Bootcamp training, feel free to email us and we will do out best to help you out!

Cheers

Lorraine