Healthy living habits

The phrase "eating healthy" probably means something different to every person reading this. Some will have weight loss goals, others will be more interested in eating in a way that will support their exercise regime in sculpting their body to the shape and muscle mass they want to achieve. For others, health concerns such as high cholesterol, raised blood sugar or digestive problems may have started those warning bells ringing and prompted them to take action.

For anyone wanting to begin learning how to eat more healthily, there is a lot of help out there. The very best thing you could do for yourself would be to consult a Nutritionist. Find one by personal recommendation if you can, otherwise ask your Doctor or find the websites of practitioners local to you and choose someone you have confidence in and feel comfortable with.

A good Nutritionist will not start by telling you what you should be eating. Instead, they will begin with your lifestyle, what time of day you normally eat, what your food 'likes and dislikes' are, your goals and the time frame within which you want to achieve them. Then they will work with you to create small changes at first, working towards an eating plan that is sustainable and which fits in with your lifestyle and your goals.

Learn How Many Calories You Should Be Consuming

As I mentioned, everyone's needs and nutritional requirements are going to be different, but knowing your goals and understanding how many calories per day you should be consuming to attain them is a good start. A Nutritionist can help you with this but for a quick check, you can take a look at the Daily Food Plans at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) web site. Just put in your details and the result will give you a good indication of what your daily calorie intake should be.

Eat More Often

Try to eat more often. Instead of three meals per day, aim to eat four to six times. By this, I don't mean that you should sit down to six full meals every day but if you can ensure that you never actually get hungry, you will consume less food overall and you will maintain your blood sugar at a steady level. You will also improve your metabolism (the rate at which your body burns calories). You should also try to eat something from each of the main food groups every day - and if possible at each meal. Include:

• Grains (aim to make at least half of these whole grains)


• Protein (from lean meats, fish, eggs, pulses, soya or tofu)


• Vegetables and Fruits (aim to eat a 'rainbow' of these every day, especially the dark green and orange ones!)


• Dairy or Dairy Alternatives (Milk, Cheese and Yogurt or Dairy alternatives of these made with rice, almond or soya milk)

Try to eat breakfast and a good lunch each day. Eat a smaller meal in the evening than you might be used to - and try to eat a little earlier too. Then, in between main meals make sure you have snacks available, for example, hummus and rice cakes, mixed seeds and nuts, vegetable sticks or a piece of fruit.

Many people, especially when they are trying to lose weight, cut down on the amount of protein they are eating but this is not good for health. High protein foods like lean meats, eggs and pulses are essential for the building and repair of muscles and other tissues and also provide Vitamins from the B group plus minerals, Iron and Zinc.

Including the right about of protein in the diet supports the immune system and keeps the blood healthy. Nevertheless, it is not essential to consume a high protein diet in order to eat healthily; You should be eating more grains than protein. Try to include oily fish in your diet once or twice a week if possible and if you are vegetarian, you can ensure an adequate intake of protein by eating pulses, nuts, soy and tofu.

Just remember, don't try to make all the changes, all at once - your digestive system will thank you for it! Consult your Doctor first if you are considering a radical change to your diet. Take it slowly and be confident that each little step you take is getting you closer to your goal of a healthier, fitter, trimmer you!

Whilst some stress is beneficial, recognizing the symptoms of the negative effects of too much stress can help us take action. Physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioral problems can result if harmful stress is left unchecked. If you recognize any of these key symptoms, you could be falling victim to an overload of stress in your life.

1. Emotional Stress Symptoms

a) Feeling overwhelmed by problems, or that things are getting out of your control and you cannot regain it.
b) Finding that small things irritate you, leaving you feeling upset, angry or frustrated.
c) Finding it difficult to "switch off", being unable to relax in your leisure time.
d) Starting to feel depressed and having feelings of low self-esteem, wanting to avoid socializing whilst at the same time, experiencing feelings of loneliness.

2. Physical Stress Manifestations

a) Symptoms of tension, such as headaches, achy muscles, finding that you are clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth.
b) Excess perspiration, sometimes experiencing sweaty palms or feet which may feel cold and sweaty at the same time.
c) "Nervous" symptoms such as shaking, ringing in the ears, rapid heartbeat, insomnia.
d) Upset tummy, feeling nauseous or experiencing diarrhea.
e) Libido problems, either losing the desire or ability for sex.

3. Cognitive Symptoms

a) Becoming disorganized, forgetting things, feeling that life is becoming chaotic and you cannot cope.
b) Not being able to concentrate and think things through.
c) Become a "glass half empty" rather than a "glass half full" person, feeling pessimistic instead of optimistic about present and future situations.
d) Avoiding responsibility, not taking on new projects or interests, putting off jobs that need to be done.

4. Changes in Behavior

a) Changes in eating patterns. Eating too much or too little.
b) Becoming reliant on Alcohol, Tobacco or Recreational Drugs

Of course, all of the above mentioned symptoms may be related to other problems or an underlying physical illness so it is worth getting checked out by your doctor before taking action to tackle stress.

Cellular Aging - The Unseen Damage Done by Stress

In addition to the symptoms that we notice, stress causes unseen damage resulting in cellular aging. Simply put, all the cells in our bodies are constantly dividing and making new copies of themselves. In the division process Telomeres become shorter until they become so short that cells can no longer divide. Telomeres are strands of DNA which are found on the ends of chromosomes and which protect those chromosomes during cell division.

Studies have shown that cellular aging and shortened Telomeres have been associated with the onset of diseases that cause decline in mental faculties such as Alzheimer's. Research is ongoing into the effects of Telomere shortening on other cells and the possible links with premature onset of cardiovascular disease and other diseases associated with aging. The length of our Telomeres is a good indicator of our biological age (compared to our actual age) and research has shown that those with shorter Telomeres have a less good prognosis for recovery from serious illnesses (Source http://www.fdg.unimaas.nl/angiogenesislab/Mirrorsite/pdfs/Griffioen%20Inside%20Blood.pdf).

Taking Action

If you are definitely suffering bad effects from stress, the good news is that research has shown that in people who exercise regularly have some protection and cellular aging may be slowed down. Getting the exercise habit could be the best way forward for a healthier physical and emotional life.

So, if you recognize the symptoms of stress that are negatively impacting on your enjoyment of life and on your health, take action to address them. There are many valuable self-help books that can help you start looking at things differently.

If you could only choose one book, check out "The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook" by three respected authors, Martha Davis, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman and Matthew McKay, which has been recommended by many therapists because it provides a great introduction to the best and most effective stress management and stress reduction techniques.

If you are unsure about how to begin taking action, this book could help you directly with its wealth of advice and information and by helping you to decide which of the many ways of managing and reducing the stress in your life is most appropriate in your situation.