Thursday, December 20, 2012

Diet Diary: Entry #3

Okay, so it is now day 11 of my 30 day diet and I'm feeling okay. I've tried to go 'full out' healthy and have failed [almost] miserably. BUT on the plus side I have been eating more health foods. I'm eating more fruits and veggies. I'm having smaller portions at lunch and dinner. And I'm not returning to the kitchen for seconds. I only allow myself a sugary meal for breakfast (because I just simply don't function without it) and allow myself some 'cheat foods.' I call them cheat foods because although they may possess healthy qualities they are still not healthy enough to be classed as a 'health food.' (I'll give you a list of cheat foods at the bottom of this post).

As a mum (no matter how young) I need as much energy as I can get (i.e. from sleep and food) so I need more carbs in my diet. Carbs are not bad and neither is fat. God specifically designed our bodies in a way that needs carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in order to function. The problem is not with consuming these, but is in eating more than what is necessary (for your individual bodies) and where they come from.

Example 1:
A steak for dinner is far healthier than a meat pie. The reason being, even though it has fat, steak has far less fat than a meat pie and is a natural fat - not a trans-fat. In an average meat pie there is about 38g of trans-fat - that's already half the amount of fat we should consume in an entire day (and that's not even including the fat we consumed earlier in the day).

Example 2:
Have a bowl of fruit if your hungry and low on energy. As opposed to the sometimes more preferred snack (a packet of chips) fruit has nutritional benefits and gives you energy which lasts longer.

As it is important to chose a health-beneficial meal, it is also important that we eat enough of each type of food (carbs, proteins, and fats) and that they are properly balanced. According to the food pyramid, our diets should consist of 59% carbohydrates, 29% proteins, and %12 fats.So you can still have your carbs and fats, just keep to the recommended percentage of daily intake of these and one of the easiest ways to do this is to always choose the healthier option. The healthier option will always have a little less fat and a little less kilojoules.

SO keeping that in mind, here is a couple of cheat foods Ive been eating to keep my energy up 'without totally destroying my diet.
  1. Oat bars (although the sugar and fat content can be quite high in an oat bar, oats are good for you, provide energy, and make a yummy snack).
  2. Gluten and fat free (or low fat) products (almost everyday I ruin my healthy eating streak because of my sweet-tooth, so I decided that eating  'healthier' versions of the sweet things I like would be better than actually consuming the higher fat and sugar sweets). Some gluten free products include breads and biscuits.

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