You don’t need to make radical diet changes to achieve your weight-loss and fitness goals.
Instead opt for a few simple, smart nutritional changes that can have a radical impact on how you look and feel.
Here are 7 diet tweaks to help maximise your results!
Tweak #1-Fill up on fibre
Research has shown that people who include more fibre in their diets tend to have less body fat and a lower body mass index. This could be because foods high in fibre take longer to chew, digest slower, and take up more space in our stomachs, making us feel fuller for longer.
Tweak #2-Sack the sodium
Your body needs sodium for numerous bodily functions – around 2400mg daily to meet these basic physiological needs. It’s when we have an excess amount of sodium that this can play a significant role in our body weight, especially water retention. Reducing your intake will help you excrete water, helping you achieve a leaner and less bloated look.
Tweak #3-Munch mindfully
When we eat under stress or time pressure it can affect our food choices and digestion, which will subsequently affect our weight. When we’re under stress, our bodies essentially put out digestive systems on hold, which means fewer digestive enzymes will be released.
This results in our bodies not being able to properly break down and absorb carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals. A great tip is to slow down, breathe and be aware of your feelings before and while you eat. Be aware of how hungry you actually are and the food choices you make.
Slow down your chewing and take the time to savour how your food tastes, its texture, and flavour. By being more aware of the food you’re eating, you are more likely to feel truly nourished and are less likely to mindlessly snack at a later stage.
Tweak #4-Eat every 3 hours
Eating every 3-4 hours helps keep your metabolic rate high and sustains energy levels, as well as helps avoid binge eating and food cravings.
Tweak #5-Choose good fats over bad
When you eat the right fats, it provides vital nourishment to all the cells in your body as well as supports the optimal functioning of your brain, nerves, immune system, hormones, and metabolism.
Eating the right amount of healthy fats will also help keep you fuller for longer. Limit saturated found in full-cream dairy products and fatty animal products, and avoid trans-fats from fried and processed foods. Rather opt for non-fried fish, olive oils, flax oil, nuts, seeds, avocados, and wheat germ.
Tweak #6-Cut out processed carbs
Processed carbs such as baked goods, sweets, and fizzy drinks should be replaced with complex carbs such as fruits, vegetables, brown rice, beans, legumes, nuts, and whole grain cereals and bread.
Often processed carbs taste good but they’re actually difficult for the body to digest and often end up spiking blood sugar levels, which is then followed by a drop in blood sugar. This can end up creating extreme cravings, which could lead to overeating and weight gain.
Tweak #7-Pack in more protein
Proteins are the nutritional building blocks for lean muscle mass, and help fire up your metabolism. They also take longer to digest and use more energy to process. Additionally, foods rich in protein keep you fuller for longer and help stabilise your blood sugar levels, preventing drops in energy, cravings, and hunger.
This article was adapted from a Fitness magazine feature written by Julia Lamberti
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