Just Be Real and Eat Real...

I was having a think about what to write about for this month’s blog and newsletter when I received, in very quick succession, no less than five “help me” messages from people battling the terrible COVID-3.

COVID-3 is that 2, 3, 4 kilograms that seem to have ‘snuck up’ on some of us during our last couple of months of lockdown.  I’d previously talked about how we needed to physically distance from the fridge … how did that work out?

If the answer is not all that well Tara, then let’s talk about what is in our fridges (and cupboards). And let’s talk about J.E.R.F.

J.E.R.F isn’t some fancy new diet; it’s actually our WLS basics with a twist of choosing the foods that you and your family enjoy that are real foods.  J.E.R.F stands for Just Eat Real Food.

If you look at any of the supermarket mailers that hit our paper or email mailboxes, it is a little disturbing to see how many of those promoted items are packaged or fake foods -  energy drinks, flavoured milks, muesli or high sugar ‘protein bars’, frozen pizzas, rice crackers … I’m seeing low nutrient, high-calorie foods labelled as a convenience.  

Is our health an inconvenience?  That’s the big question for me.

Are we choosing some foods because of a lack of time, because of a lack of knowledge or for some other reason. Eating real, eating healthy, shouldn’t be an inconvenience and it doesn’t need to be hard.  This is something I discuss time and time again.  

Whilst I’d love for most of us to stick to Real Foods - single-ingredient foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals, lack chemical additives and are mostly unprocessed - the reality is it isn’t always possible and that we don’t always want to, but we can get close for most of the foods we consume! Remember one of the WLS mantra’s is “living the healthiest life we can enjoy, not just tolerate”

Real foods, or whole foods, as close to their original form as possible are packed full of vitamins and minerals and if they don’t make up a large part of what we are eating, it can increase our health problems but also decrease the effects of efforts we are making.  For example, a diet low in nutrients can slow down weight loss as we feel less full after eating.  A diet of processed foods probably doesn’t provide enough iron which can affect our ability to exercise since it’s required to move oxygen around the body. This, in turn, limits our ability to burn calories through exercise. If I’m exercising, I want the most bang for my very sweaty buck thank you very much! 

Ever wondered why when we have sugar, we want more sugar?  

And I am not referring to the natural sugars found in fruits and vegetables, these are not the same as refined sugars. Refined sugars do little to keep us full. Studies show that a high intake of refined sugar can increase production of the hunger hormone ghrelin and dim the brain's ability to make us feel full. Fruits and vegetables, on the other hand, contain some natural sugars but also fibre and vitamins and water. 

After an event like Level 4 and Level 3 lockdown, it is understandable that some of us (I’ll put my hand up here) are a bit heavier than back in March, however the old crash diet format of restricting foods groups, wanting to go back to ‘shake’ meals and drastically dropping calories back undoes all the great work we have done so far and all the lessons we have learned.

For me, my Covid-3 Project Me, revolves around moving my body daily, drinking my water and then ensuring 80-90% of my plates are made up of real foods. I prefer, and I coach lifestyle changes instead of 4-week restrictive plans.  I don’t believe in restriction or obsession. I believe in J.E.R.F.

So how does that help you? Because you know I’m here to help.

In addition to recipes and meal posts and being happy to chat almost anytime about food, I’ve just finished the first of the Just Eat Real Nutrition Coaching Projects.

Just Eat Real is a do it at your own pace, in your own place, nutrition coaching project designed to encourage you to increase your frequency of eating healthy single-ingredient foods while reducing unnecessary processed ones.

Allergic to Sugar | Just Eat Real Food Project

https://allergictosugar.co.nz/product/the-just-eat-real-food-project/