Better Choices

Many of us want to set ourselves New Years resolutions - losing weight and eating better, or going on a fad diet, getting gym membership etc. We often put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do these things and to succeed. So when we fail (and lets face it, many of us do), we feel awful, that we are failures.

This is not the way to start a new year. we need to give ourselves a break and try something different. Rather than going on a diet and getting that gym membership that we never use, we should aim to change just a few small things within our diet/routine.

Fats are a big issue. One of the first things I did a few years ago after learning that low fat items often have salt/sugar/trans fats was to stop using low fat items. I have a slight high cholesterol issue but I feel now that my body is better able to deal with that cholesterol - because my body is dealing with more natural items.

Our bodies are not meant to take in trans fats. These are present in some margarines and many biscuits etc. Anything that states it has hydrogenated vegetable oil should be avoided at all costs, as it was discovered that trans-fats cannot be absorbed by the human body and are surrounded by our body's natural fats, and stored. This becomes dangerous and in many cases is carcenogenic, and is thought to be a cause of colon, bowel and stomach cancers.

Butter, full fat yoghurt etc are by far the better choices. You simply use a little less of them than you would low fat. Yoghurt has some not-nice ingredients when it is low fat or fat free. Some companies use gelatine, which is especially not nice if you are vegetarian.

One choice I ask you to do is look at the ingredients of all your products the next time you go shopping. Butter should have 1 or 2 (if you like it salted) ingredients only. Yoghurt, 1. Make sure you look at all your processed products for hydrogenated veg oil, and any other nasties as well. You will know to avoid certain foods the next time you go to grocery shopping, so this doesn't have to be something you do every time you shop.

Our bodies require between 20-25% fat a day minimum. While animal fat is not recommended, fats from vegetarian sources is. Nuts are a wonderful source of healthy fats. I was watching the Hairy Bikers diet show the other day and cringed when they said not to have almonds in a Korma and have 2 dessert spoons of cream instead! You can have the creamy luxury with creme fraiche and have a few almonds in a korma instead and it would be far better for you.

Calorie counting can become an obsession for many a dieter. Chosing to live a healthier lifestyle is not about counting calories, it's about making healthier food choices, such as in the korma case.

Another issue I saw on a show on tv was that of vegetable nutrients. Because most of our veg comes from mass-produced origins, it means they are stripped of a lot of their nutrients. This means that the five a day recommended by the government is not only a base minimum, it's far too low. Unless you can buy from local producers who work ona small scale, or you have a garden where you grow your own, then you are not getting enough from a five a day diet of fruit/vegetables.

This is good in the sense that it will hopefully encourage people to buy more products from local providers who grow on a much smaller scale. It may also encourage us to have more than five a day, which really should be a bare minimum - Australians tend to go for seven a day and have a much healthier diet that those in the UK.

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin