But why do we always overdo it? Holiday celebrations are often seen as a ‘write offs’, where we can eat as much as we want of anything we want. For some, this can lead to a binge on typically high calorie, fat and sugar foods which leaves us feeling unfulfilled, tired and with a nasty ‘food coma’. Nevertheless, these foods play an important role in our social agendas and we should be able to enjoy them from time to time without the attached feelings of guilt.

Read on and learn how to indulge sensibly!

• Less deprivation, more moderation. If you are constantly depriving yourself of your coveted treat foods, you are only going to crave them more! If you really feel like eating a piece of chocolate cake, then eat it and ENJOY IT! But do it mindfully and take the time to really taste it, not gulp it. As long as you aren’t craving cake for every meal or every day of the week, believe it or not it can be included in a healthy diet.
• Listen to your body! We say it time and time again but learning to interpret your body’s appetite sensations will help you to eat more intuitively – that is, you’ll be able to know when you should start eating, when you should stop, and which foods truly satisfy your body. Take time out while eating and try to minimise distractions like TV or work, as these can cause you to ignore hunger and fullness signals. Eating regular meals, every 4 hours or so, can help you become more aware of these signals and leaves less room in your diet for those calorie-dense additions.
• Accept taste changes. Once you’re able to do this, you’ll probably find that your body naturally craves a variety of foods (yes, including vegetables and fruit!) and you won’t always feel the urge to binge on less nutritious foods.
• Prepare Plan and Prosper. If you do find yourself struggling with your food choices at an event or social gathering, try to fill up on nutrition-packed options first like fibre-rich vegetable sticks and low fat dip, and only eat a small serve of your favourite treat.
• Last but not least, drop the guilt altogether! Whilst some foods do provide less nutrition than others, food is neither ‘good’ nor ‘bad’ and being able to truly enjoy food for all of its qualities – taste, smell, appearance as well as its nutrition content is key in having a positive relationship with food and your body.

So ditch the binge-guilt cycle and instead enjoy nourishing your body with the foods that you love.

Enjoy the change…

Want more information?

You can see Dietitian, Marcela Velasquez-Villa, for more information and advice tailored to your needs by calling us on 8373 5655, or booking online here.

The post A Dietitian’s Guide to Indulgence appeared first on Move for Better Health™.

Here is a list of super healthy foods in no particular order of priority.

1. Salmon – Salmon and oily fish like tuna, mackerel, sardines and swordfish are rich in essential omega-3 fats that not only help reduce your risk of heart disease, but can also ease the symptoms of arthritis, delay mental decline and elevate mood in people suffering depression. Start with at least one fish meal a week, aiming for two or three.
2. Blueberries – Blueberries and other berries like raspberries, blackberries and strawberries are rich in antioxidants that help prevent cancer. Include a handful as one of your two serves of fruit each day.
3. Walnuts – Walnuts are packed with a bunch of nutritional goodies, including omega-3s, fibre and the antioxidant vitamin E. They can help cut your cholesterol level and cancer risk. Grab a handful of nuts each day.
4. Tomatoes – Tomatoes are one of the best sources of lycopene, an antioxidant that protects against prostate cancer in men. Include fresh tomatoes in sandwiches or salad and add canned tomatoes to recipes.
5. Oats – Oats and other wholegrain cereals contain low glycaemic index (GI) carbohydrates that help fill you up and give you sustained energy. Porridge is ideal for breakfast as it also provides soluble fibre that can reduce blood cholesterol levels and is good for your gut health.
6. Yoghurt – Yoghurt is highly nutritious with calcium for strong bones, protein for muscle repair and lactobacillus bacteria to help maintain the right intestinal balance. Add yoghurt to your oats or as a between-meal snack to help promote a healthy digestive tract.
7. Broccoli – Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower (they have a cross shape in the stalk) are rich in vitamin C, folate and phytochemicals (beneficial plant compounds) that can help prevent a range of cancers. Include broccoli in your five serves of vegetables each day.
8. Soy – Soy is another cholesterol-fighting food and a good source of protein. Soy contains phytochemicals that may also reduce cancer risk. For these benefits, add two to three serves of soy to your daily diet from soy milk (250 ml), tofu (100 g) or textured vegetable protein (100 g).
9. Kidney beans – Kidneys beans, chickpeas and lentils are packed with soluble fibre to help cut cholesterol. They contain low GI carbohydrate so they also help level out your blood sugars. The protein and iron in beans also makes them a great addition to evening meals and salads.
10. Lettuce – Lettuce is the ultimate weight control food. It’s bulky to fill you up, but contains almost no calories. One cup of shredded lettuce has around 5 Cal or 20 kJ. Lettuce varieties, particularly ones with dark green leaves, will also boost your antioxidant intake. Make lettuce an essential item in lunchtime sandwiches and salads.

Want more information?

You can see Natalie Long for more information and advice tailored to your needs by calling us on 8373 5655, or booking online here.

The post Super Foods or just Super Healthy Foods? appeared first on Move for Better Health™.

The diet’s key action is to reduce the amount of gas produced by bacteria in the gut, which then reduces the amount of pain experienced.

Intestinal gas doesn’t cause pain in everyone. Why would it cause pain in some people but not others?

The causes of IBS are so far unconfirmed while possible mechanisms include visceral hypersensitivity, altered gut microbiota and immune system activation.

Today FODMAPS diets are so popular that you can find low FODMAPS foods and meals in supermarkets, on menus in restaurants and you can search for low FODMAPS recipes online.

The thing that is lesser known is that FODMAPS diets were essentially designed to be a 2-6 week test diet, followed by challenging of particular carbohydrates in each FODMAP group (eg fructose, fructans, mannitol, sorbitol etc) followed by the reintroduction of tolerated foods. Challenge foods are selected to be high in one particular short chain carbohydrate and low in others to give you a clearer idea of which type of FODMAPS you may be reacting to.

A dietitian experienced in FODMAPS diets can guide you through the diet itself followed by the challenges to test your reaction to each type of FODMAP.

Depending on the results of the challenges, the dietitian can provide you with a final specialised list of foods and suggested meal plan that is expected to be better tolerated, coupled with a list of foods higher in the particular FODMAP/s you reacted to.

Staying on a complete low FODMAPS diet long term may mean you are unnecessarily missing out on some healthy foods as well as making it harder to select foods to eat. Be sure to get some experienced dietitian advice to help you away from your symptoms of irritable bowel.

Jane Whitbread is a accredited practicing Dietitian at Move. Find out more about Dietetics & Nutrition here, and learn more about Jane here.

The post Reduce IBS Symptoms through FODMAPS Diets appeared first on Move for Better Health™.