Do you know your portion sizes?

I imagine you're looking at this photo and thinking, god she is restricting herself.

What about this one?

Looks like a good plateful of food, doesn't it?

Well, there is exactly the same amount on that plate as the first one. The point I am trying to get to is that a lot of people often can't understand why they aren't losing or have put weight on.

Did you know that since the 1960s plate sizes have increased by 36%. An average plate used to be between 7-9 inches and now they are up to 12inches. I guess that doesn't sound like much but if that means the size is now over 30% bigger than what it was, chances are you're eating a third more food than necessary.

Food is very visual. The average person would look at the first plate and think, I am still going to be hungry after this. But the second one might leave you feeling over faced. Ever heard the expression your eyes are bigger than your belly? It has some merit.

It takes about 20 minutes for you to start feeling full. So, if you had a big plate like the first one and filled it, you could keep on eating not realising you have eaten enough until it's too late. We have all had that feeling where it hits us suddenly and we are uncomfortably full but we don't know why because we didn't think we ate that much. You might have eaten more than you realised if the plate was big.

However, if you eat from the small plate, you may think you're still hungry when you've finished. Just wait for half an hour and see how you feel then.

By all means, if you are still hungry, listen to your body and eat some more. Go for seconds but try to make it a celebration of veggies, salad or fruit as the main body of the plate. The fibre should fill you right up then, with fewer calories.

I'm not saying you should bin your lovely expensive plates, but just be more aware the next time you dish up that it doesn't need to be full to the rim.

A good rule of thumb is that the protein should be about the size of your fist and the carbohydrate should match. Then the veggies should be twice that amount. See what that looks like on your plate and it might surprise you.

Just have a little more awareness about portion sizes and you should see a reduction in dress sizes.

Secret Sugars - How to avoid a sweet overload

It is everywhere, there is no hiding from sugar. Sometimes you might not want to, and that is fine, but when you are trying to cut down on the sweet stuff it might be harder than you think.

I can tell you 41 different terms for sugar right now, and in fact, I will list them for you at the end of this blog.

When it comes to eating better we can all be sucked in by labeling. Low fat - often means loaded with sugar to replace the flavour lost, healthy - sometimes means it has a few healthy ingredients like oats/nuts/seeds, no added sugar - can mean that a sweetener is used instead.

My advice would always be to go for the foods which have natural alternatives such as honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar. While the chemically modified versions may be lower calorie, they are foreign to your body so it is less likely react to or process them normally. Also, as your brain doesn't recognise these new ingredients it is rare that they actually satisfy your sweet craving leaving you still wanting more.

Some names are more obvious that others, some sound healthy because they have other known foods in their name, for example, Fruit Juice Concentrate. Others you might not recognise as a sugar because they sound so strange eg, Maltodextrin or Turbinado.

While it is true, that some sugars aren't so bad, (I am an advocate of honey) if you are trying to cut down your sugar intake, finding ingredients such as this in certain foods won't help you if you are trying to manage the amount you consume. Because as always, it is about moderation.

The best advice I can give you is to always choose natural, unflavoured products eg, yoghurt or oats and add the honey or sweet option of choice yourself. That way you know how much you're consuming and you can manage it.

Another tip which is something I try to live by, check the ingredients list. If it has more than one line of ingredients it is probably not good for you. Use your common sense though here as this in rare occasions doesn't apply. For example in Nakd bars, they are made using natural goodness but have a few different ingredients.

Generally, if you don't recognise or can't even pronounce the ingredients, back away. There will be lots of secret sugars, preservatives and chemicals which your body does not want or need.

As promised here is my list of 41 sneaky sugars:
Agave Nectar, Barley Malt, Beet Sugar, Black Strap Molasses, Brown Rice Syrup, Brown Sugar, Cane Sugar, Caramel, Carob Syrup, Coconut Palm Sugar, Corn Sweetener, Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Crystalline Fructose, Date Sugar, Dehydrated Cane Juice, Dextrin, Dextrose, Dried Oat Syrup, Evaporated Cane Juice Crystals, Evaporated Cane Juice, Fruit Juice Concentrate, Glucose, Golden Syrup, Gum Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Honey, Inverted Sugar, Malt Syrup, Maltodextrin, Maltose, Maple Syrup, Muscavado, Palm Sugar, Refiners Syrup, Simple Syrup, Sorghum Syrup, Sucanat, Sucrose, Treacle, Turbinado.

Eat the rainbow!

By now we all know the main principal of healthy eating is to have a good balance of the three macro nutrients, Carbohydrate, Protein and Fat.

But that's not the end of it. It is imperative to get as many vitamins and minerals into your diet as possible to make sure your body performs at its best.

Now, there are many ways you can try and do this but the easiest way to ensure you get plenty, is to eat the rainbow.

Obviously, I don't mean skittles, but if your plate is all one colour, it looks bland and boring. But if your plate is splashed with reds, greens, oranges etc not only does it look more interesting but it provides many more nutrients. Each one can really benefit the other too, for example, eating vitamin C with iron increases absorption so combining a nice lean piece of steak with a red pepper salad is a great way to maximise nutritional intake.

Phytonutrients are what give foods their colour and each colour has its own unique property. For example, orange foods, eg carrots and sweet potato have carotenoids which help with vision (yes granny was right, carrots help you see in the dark) and blue/purple foods like blueberries have anthocyanins which help to keep your heart healthy. Now, I won't go into every single colour but you get the idea.

Every fruit, vegetable and grain has its own unique property offering a whole range of benefits. For the purpose of this blog, let me give you one of my favourite summer salad recipes, with additional nutritional info:

Rainbow Salad

Rocket: Only 25 calories per 100g. Strong delicious taste which stands up to most food. Laced with vits&minerals including: Iron, Calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and Magnesium.
Cucumber: 16 calories per 100g. High water percentage to help with hydration and feeling full. Source of Vitamins A, C and K, Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorous and Manganese.
Yellow pepper: 27 calories per 100g. Excellent source of vitamin C. Also, Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Magnesium, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium and Manganese.
Edamame: 122 calories per 100g. Great source of protein at 11g per 100g as well as high in vitamin and mineral content including, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Vitamin K, Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Folate, Manganese.
Feta: This would be the "fat" in the salad and also acts as a dressing due to it's tangy flavour. 14g of protein per 100g, good source of Calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B6 and B12 and Riboflavin which helps activate other vitamins.
Tesco Pink Slaw - Red and white cabbage, red onion and carrot. Calories = 38 per half pack (70g).

Enjoy x

Stop saying no to CHO!

I am tired of hearing about all these fad diets. One in particular that bugs me is "paleo" or "low carb"!

Why would you do this to yourself? Why can people  not understand that we need carbohydrates, they are our body's main source of fuel!

Ideally, at least 50% of our diet should be carbs. This same feeling is reflected to low fat too. I know there has been a little resurgence lately and more people are understanding that not all fat is bad but it is not enough.

I still have to speak with people daily who choose low fat things that are caked in sugar.

We need to find a balance. Yes, you may see the odd low fat product which isn't a con and if you're looking to reduce calorie intake, I would recommend it due to fat's high calorie content. A great example is Fage Total 0% Yogurt. It is actually genuinely good for you. High in protein and calcium, no fat and more importantly, no added sugar! It is creamy and delicious and you can flavour it how you like. That is the key, that way you know exactly what is going into your food and your body. Skyr is also a good brand FYI.

But this post is not about fat it is about carbohydrates.

Your body turns carbs into glucose or blood sugar which enters your cells, tissues and organs to provide energy. The key is to aim for starchy and fibre based carbs to keep you full and stay away from simple carbs - which is a term I am sure most people have heard of by now.

My other half recently spoke with a friend who told him he did two to three days per week low carb - we're talking 100grams per day max - to help him shred and look more defined and so Matt insisted we did it too. I caved and agreed, more than anything to prove a point. We were both starving all day and all we could think about was naughty foods such as pizza. The next day, carbs were reintroduced, and despite eating what we normally would, it wasn't enough, again we were hungry all day and couldn't be satisfied. Because our stores had been depleted. We had no energy in the gym either. The key thing to remember here is, we are both usually very active. All we wanted to do was sit on the sofa and eat food. I felt this little experiment proved my point.

Here are some top tips for consuming a healthy balanced diet with carbs.

Choose wholegrain (not brown bread, wholegrain!) and start your day with some slow releasing carbs like oats. If you don't fancy hot oats try my Overnight oats

Replace your usual sandwich casing with a wholegrain bread, wrap or pitta alternative. Check the ingredients list to make sure something wholegrain based is the first ingredient. Or move away from the traditional sandwich all together and make a tasty salad using brown rice, quinoa, bulgar wheat or whatever takes your fancy.

Eat whole fruit over fruit juice, less sugar, more fibre and certainly more filling.

Eat more beans and legumes for a good dose of slow releasing carbs and protein.

Don't be afraid of carbs, embrace them and learn which are good and bad. Obviously, we all know cakes, biscuits, chocolate etc.. are "bad" carbs so just limit the amount you eat. Don't cut them out though! Why should you, we all deserve to enjoy something a bit naughty once in a while. It stops us bingeing if we don't restrict ourselves too much. Just learn moderation. Eat well most of the time and exercise. I think I have said before but the 80/20 rule is the best thing I have heard. Eat well 80% of the time, enjoy whatever you want to eat the other 20%. Happiness is the real key to good health!

A healthy mind makes for a healthy body

About 18 months ago, I wrote a blog raving about a calorie counting app that I swore by.

This blog is actually going to contradict that a little bit as I am going to talk about why I will not use it, or any other cal counting app, anymore.

I absolutely agree with counting calories when you need to lose a significant amount of weight, I mean at least more than half a stone - which at one point, I did and the app helped. But once you're at a healthy weight I believe Kcal counting may be a little unhealthy, and I am talking from first hand experience here.

I inputted my food and drink intake as well as my exercise routine religiously every single day. This worked for me at first as this app in particular (I can't speak about any others) was great at showing me how many calories I was consuming. Not only that but it showed me my macro intake. With this app I could see the balance between carbohydrate intake, fat intake and protein intake and it helped me find a balance.

But, after a year or so, maybe even less, I had taught myself the basics to good nutrition and I had a rough idea of what foods were high in calories, as well as carbs, fat and protein, so I had a good idea of what I was eating and putting into my body.

I firmly believe that once you are at this point you have already achieved success, whether you are looking to lose weight or gain more energy. By then you should be in a habit that will keep fueling you with the right type and amount of food you need without having numbers staring you in the face.

There may come a point when your body needs more than 1,200 calories (based on my needs not everyone else's) because you have more lean mass, and you can up your intake using the right foods without gaining weight.

However, if at this stage you are still calorie counting, chances are you haven't revisited your ideal calorie and macro nutrient intake. This is where the problem lies.

I was feeling hungry a lot, so when I was updating my daily diary I was beginning to see I had gone over my "requirement" according to the app.

This led to a vicious circle of self loathing, punishment through starvation and then binging due to stress and angry feelings.

I was beginning to feel very negative about myself, believing I was greedy and out of control.

In the end I told myself to stop counting the calories because I didn't need to see those numbers every day they just made me feel bad. I knew roughly when to eat and how much to eat. I knew which foods worked for my body, would give me more energy and wouldn't make me pile on the pounds. So I just stuck with that.

More than six months down the line I feel better than ever (and that is including eating over the Christmas period). I eat well, and I eat when I am hungry. I occasionally eat bad food and binge but that is okay, because generally I eat good food and don't feel like i'm starving all the time. I enjoy my food now as I don't have any numbers staring at me and making me feel guilty.

I also believe that the more you think about the food, which you do a lot if you have to constantly update a diary, the more you want food. And often, you want to rebel against the numbers or get an attitude which says I don't care anymore, before reverting back to guilt.

I enjoy what I want when I want. The proof is in the pudding, I do not feel as low in myself anymore, I can look in a mirror and compliment myself, rather than grab a fat roll and tell myself it's because I had 150 calories more than my limit yesterday.

Like I said, calorie counting has its pros and cons. For me the pros were in the beginning and once I hit my healthy weight the cons came into play. If you are at a healthy body weight, then start taking care of your brain's health too. It will all fall into place then.