Eating Well
Nearly two-thirds of men and women locally and in the UK as a whole, are overweight or obese. Numbers are rising year on year. The consequences are not just people losing their self-esteem or walking slowly as they waddle along - but being more likely to develop some nasty health conditions that they wouldn’t have had if they’d stayed slim, like diabetes or raised blood pressure or heart problems.
Common Misconceptions
Eating sensibly isn’t just about not gorging on high calorie or fatty foods. It’s also about having a balanced diet without excessive fat or carbohydrate, eating fresh food containing lots of vitamins, with a limited amount of salt - less than a teaspoon per day (in any foods or sprinkled on). And of course, the main goal is to balance the amount you eat against how active you are – at work or in your personal life doing household chores, gardening, sports or other energetic hobbies.
Mindfulness is a good approach to try – so you eat mindfully. That means that you envisage food before it’s in front of it, then look at it, next think how you’ll enjoy it, then savour each mouthful, appreciate the after taste, reflect on the flavour and what was great about the food you’ve just eaten – then start again.
You are not alone
Everyone’s different. You need your own personal approach - find and do whatever works for you. Here some people share their tips on how they’ve kept their weight down by healthy eating:
Peter, aged 55: “It’s not rocket science. Either don’t eat the food in the first place or work it off at work or through regular exercise.” Pete has had a personal rule for more than twenty years that he does not eat any puddings – not ever – not even at Xmas time. That means that he can drink the alcohol he wants to and that his normal meals are nicely counterbalanced by the energy he expends in running regularly.
Sharon aged 45 is not so self-disciplined as Pete and her main message is “If you don’t buy it you can’t eat it. So don’t keep fattening food in your house.”
Anna aged 33: “When I’m driving in the car, I nibble. So I clean huge packets of carrots and keep them in a pack in the car and at home. If I’m driving back home late at night, I allow myself dried fruits and celery. When I’m working late one side of my brain tells me that I need chocolate, whilst the other side says that I don’t need it – and I resist the chocolate. I feel much better now my weight is controlled - more alert and alive.”
Amrik aged 51 has changed his lunch habits in the last few years. He used to eat lots of cheese, but no longer does and does not put butter on his sandwiches now. “ Now I usually eat tomatoes on toast at lunchtime.” He stops eating when he’s full as he knows that it’s okay to waste food.