Staying Healthy Part 3: What I have been doing this week

sweet potato, salad, health, diet, weight loss,
Losing weight and getting fit is hard, but sustaining it is just as tough. It is half term and there has been chocolate and fizzy drinks. Oh dear. All is not lost as I have been keeping up with my healthy habits and focusing on my goals. The occasional treat is fine. Or when you have two children under four, and no childcare, daily…. I jest.

My last chest X ray was a week and a half ago and my lungs are completely clear now. I also have no infection markers. It was a happy day but my doctor said that when young people get pneumonia it hits them harder and it will take me four-to-six weeks to get to my base line. So I have not been drinking alcohol as it weakens your immune system.
I have also been:

Making sure I stay hydrated. The negative effects of dehydration are underestimated. Drink more water!

Doing yoga with Adriene. I have long eschewed yoga, finding it too boring. I prefer to sweat and have a big calorie burn as I love food. I do know yoga has its benefits and I have decided to give it another go. Yoga with Adriene is fantastic. She is a blogger who does a free thirty day yoga course. I feel so relaxed when I do it. I also forgot how hard yoga can be. You need strength and a strong core. I have not exercised in over eight weeks because I had the pneumonia and I had barely exercised before that because I had my surgery, but I am slowly building up my strength. This course is perfect for that.

I have also been working on having my five-a-day. I have long felt inferior to people who manage to eat their five-a-day easily but I am good at it now. I usually add avocado to my toast, blueberries to my porridge and as much veg as possible to my supper. I also eat apples and satsumas throughout the day. Little things make a difference.

I have also not been forgetting my brain and I am learning a new language.

What have you been doing this week?

THE RIGHT DRIED FRUIT SNACKS CAN FILL NUTRITION GAPS, REPORT REVEALS.

Fruit Bowl pic Sadly, it appears that the five-a-day health message is failing and we are falling short of the latest guidance on fibre, according to a new report. So maybe it’s time to rethink healthy-eating messages and look for fresh strategies to ensure children, in particular, eat their five-a-day and hit the fibre targets. A review just published in the journal of Complete Nutrition suggests one simple step would be to swap a sugary snack for dried fruit or a fruit-based snack, which doesn’t seem like rocket science . Dr Emma Derbyshire, a public health nutritionist, mum and one of the report authors agrees: “Putting the new UK fibre guidance into practice will not be easy. This is why brands like Fruit Bowl have looked at how children in particular can increase their fibre and indeed their fruit and vegetable needs. They have just introduced the new Picked and Pressed range which provides a natural source of fibre and counts as one of our five-a-day. So, simple changes such as replacing one item of confectionary with a fruit-based snack such as Picked and Pressed will provide an immediate benefit in terms in increased fibre consumption.” It seems to Frost Magazine, and one of the high points of the Fruit Bowl snack is that it has no added sugar, which seems to be a bugbear in many lunchboxes. As well as fruit in the snacks, there is milled flaxseed which is rich in fibre, and doesn’t overlay the flavour of the fruit. The Picked and Pressed Bars are available in three flavours, strawberry, orange and apple and pear. And for the grown up, only 60 calories per bar. Can't be bad. Fruit Bowl® Fruit Bites (RRP £2.00 for a pack of 4 individually wrapped 19g packs of Bites)Sadly, it appears that the five-a-day health message is failing and we are falling short of the latest guidance on fibre, according to a new report.

 

So maybe it’s time to rethink healthy-eating messages and look for fresh strategies to ensure children, in particular, eat their five-a-day and hit the fibre targets.

 

A review just published in the journal of Complete Nutrition suggests one simple step would be to swap a sugary snack for dried fruit or a fruit-based snack, which doesn’t seem like rocket science .

 

Dr Emma Derbyshire, a public health nutritionist, mum and one of the report authors agrees: “Putting the new UK fibre guidance into practice will not be easy. This is why brands like Fruit Bowl have looked at how children in particular can increase their fibre and indeed their fruit and vegetable needs.

 

They have just introduced the new Picked and Pressed range which provides a natural source of fibre and counts as one of our five-a-day. So, simple changes such as replacing one item of confectionary with a fruit-based snack such as Picked and Pressed will provide an immediate benefit in terms in increased fibre consumption.”

 

It seems to Frost Magazine, and one of the high points of the Fruit Bowl snack is that it has no added sugar, which seems to be a bugbear in many lunchboxes.

 

As well as fruit in the snacks,  there is milled flaxseed which is rich in fibre, and doesn’t overlay the flavour of the fruit.

 

The Picked and Pressed Bars are available in three flavours, strawberry, orange and apple and pear. And for the grown up, only 60 calories per bar. Can’t be bad.

 

Fruit Bowl® Fruit Bites (RRP £2.00 for a pack of 4 individually wrapped 19g packs of Bites)