I went away recently with my mum, something we’ve been doing for the past 3 years, and each time she has asked me the exact same question.
“Why have I slimmed down and feel lighter when I’ve been eating more than I usually do?”
Because we increased her protein amount with each meal and snack, we ate more vegetables plus consistent regular meals.
We actually lived together for a time as adults some years back. I was doing all the cooking and showed her a new way of eating, and I’m proud to say that Mum has held onto that foundation ever since, maintaining a good daily eating strategy. But what was obvious to me on our most recent holiday is that although Mum’s eating is generally quite good, she hasn’t been eating enough protein, veggies or frequently enough.
I also see this a lot with my clients and it is a good reminder that, as women, we are generally eating pretty well but not eating nearly enough. This tends to be because we feel that we don’t have enough time, we are stressed, tired, and reach for a carbohydrate fix or we want to lose weight which we think means that we need to eat less.
Well…
This is an outdated thought that we should have tiny little plates with tiny little servings!
It’s just not the case because when every single one of your meals contains adequate amounts of protein, good fats and something fresh, you’re giving yourself a whole meal that is appropriate, satisfying, and nourishing for you as a woman.
I know it can be challenging thinking about what to eat each day to make sure you’re ticking all the healthy boxes. But let me reassure you it does get easier by forming your own nutritional daily eating foundational structure that you can build every meal and snack from.
Essentially there should be three things on your plate:
1. A source of protein.
2. Some good fats.
3. And lots of fresh foods.
I know carbs are important too, but they automatically appear when you’re choosing things like vegetables and fruits, so they require less thought.
Here are examples of what we ate on holiday for breakfast, lunch and dinner:
Breakfast:
Porridge (organic GF oats) cooked in water with protein powder and topped with yogurt, banana, kiwifruit, and Ceylon cinnamon.
Lunch:
2 Organic rice cakes with cheese, avocado and tomato with a protein shake made with rice mylk, plant-based protein powder, banana and Ceylon cinnamon.
Dinner:
Tuna salad with roasted veggies, variety lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, carrot and 2 boiled eggs.
Once you know how to put together (or order) a meal, it becomes so much easier to make better choices which can improve your metabolism, energy and your body shape.
If you’d like support with formulating an individualised nutritional daily eating foundation, please contact me to discuss how we can work together.
To your health and wellness
Marianne x
P.S. This is one day’s food intake, we did a minimal amount of exercise that day (gentle walks), so we ate slightly less. We ate more on the days we did more exercise, such as going for a bike ride.
Comments