Nutritionists often talk about healthy diet, but what does that mean. Is it a vegan diet, is it counting calories and weighing your food. It’s much simpler…..
What is a healthy diet?
We are all different and so a healthy diet means different things. For a coeliac gluten would not be included in a healthy diet. Yet we talk about a Mediterranean diet as being healthy and that often includes pasta.
If you are a non-meat eater then a healthy diet for you would look very different from someone who eats meat. And how many portions of vegetables do I really need to eat every day?
And what about other health conditions, how do they work in a healthy diet?
It is far too wide a term to use. It really doesn’t mean anything, and could mean anything. It’s not helpful.
What does food need to give us?
Food needs to contain essential ingredients for health. Essential means that we cannot make it and so we need to consume it in our diet.
We need essential vitamins, minerals, essential fats. Some of them we need to consume daily, and others we just need to make sure we top up regularly.
And then there are lots of health promoting ingredients such as antioxidants, phytonutrients such as lycopene, resveratrol, or beta carotene which promote health and wellbeing and form part of a healthy diet.
But unless you are a nutritionist, or you have a meal plan created specifically for you, how do you know that you are eating a healthy diet?
My four simple rules for a healthy plate of food
- Protein – it is the first ingredient of our cells and we need to include it in every meal
- Colour – colourful fruits and vegetables so that we get all the wonderful phytonutrients daily
- Fibre – feeds our good gut bacteria, and helps our body eliminate toxins via healthy stools
- Healthy fats – to help us make hormones. Hormones are responsible to send messages around the body.
Is this something that you are going to use when you look at your next meal?
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Want to know more about ways to work with me?
There are many ways that you can work with me to balance your hormones and improve your health and wellbeing.
Firstly, I hope that you have listened to the podcasts episode that accompanies this blog. And if you liked it then make sure you subscribe to hear more like this every week.
I have a fabulous free community on Facebook Fab Female Nutrition Club where I offer lots of support and advice around female health and wellbeing. I love to cook and create recipes, and I’ll often appear live in the group cooking and sharing all the wonderful health benefits of the ingredients used in each dish I make.
Several times a year I work with groups of ladies to transform their health and wellbeing. Appropriately called The Transformation Program it can help with a wide range of different issues and we have had hugely impressive results – including up to 100% reduction in symptoms. If you suffer with IBS, fatigue, inflammation, hormonal imbalances or just want to spend some time concentrating on your health and wellbeing the Transformation Programs are fabulous value and great fun.
If you feel like you need a more bespoke option, then I also offer 1:1 coaching and support. Working with your specific health conditions and goals, we work together to create nutritional protocols specifically designed for your needs. This is a fully supported program that last 6 months. We take a full health history, then create and refine protocols so that you learn about your body and how to support it. I will be with you every step of the way to guide you and ensure that you realise your true health potential. Find out more here.