1. Forget the detoxes and other fad diets. They rely on severe energy and food group restriction leading to nutritional inadequacy, as extreme fasting can cause protein and vitamin deficiencies and electrolyte imbalance. Focus on changing habits for the long term by focusing on healthy eating versus quick fixes.
2. Plan your meals and snacks based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines and Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. You might prefer three meals without snacks and smaller meals with mid meals, like morning and afternoon tea in between. Find what works for you and choose foods based on the food groups within your budget that you enjoy. Planning ahead is important for healthy eating and being mindful of portion size at meals also avoids overeating or eating unplanned discretionary foods.
3. Eat mindfully. Mindful eating uses mindfulness to develop a state of awareness of the body’s cravings, hunger and satiety cues. This approach to eating can help with your emotional and physical response to food, eating habits, food choice and portions to help with weight management.
4. Caution with portions. Pay attention to the amount of food and drink you are consuming. Awareness and managing portion sizes helps you enjoy your favourite foods in a healthy balanced way. Know what a serving size is for each of the food groups. As a guide, aim to fill half your plate with vegetables, one quarter with lean protein (meat, chicken, fish, eggs, legumes) and one quarter with carbohydrates (rice, pasta, noodle, potato).
5. Eat Breakfast. Start each day with a healthy breakfast!. Avoid skipping breakfast to ensure you get into the rhythm of having three main meals a day. This will help you manage your hunger and avoid getting over-hungry and overeating later in the day.
6. Snack right. Your meals including snacks should include a variety of foods from the five food groups. Unstructured snacking is more likely to lead to 'sometimes'/discretionary foods that are often high in saturated fat, added sugars, salt and kilojoules minus the nutrients and fibre. If you feel hungry between meals, try healthy snacks such as fruit, yoghurt, cheese, hard-boiled eggs or nuts. If you don’t feel hungry between meals, snacks are not essential.
7. Fluid flow. Optimise your hydration with fresh water. Swap alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages with water to help you reduce excess kilojoules. Limiting caffeinated drinks may help with sleep and relaxation.
8. Get to bed. Getting less than 7 hours of sleep has been linked to increase in hunger and appetite, cravings for high carbohydrate, high kilojoule foods, weight gain and increased stress, as being tired and not getting enough sleep is likely to lead you to overeat and make unhealthy food choices. Aim for 8 hours of sleep each night.
9. Move your body. Get your daily dose of yoga to improve your energy levels, fitness, and mobility. Movement assists building muscle mass which results in an increased metabolic rate. Physical activity also improves your mood, helping you to cope better with the stressors of daily life.
10. Enjoy your commitment to yoga and healthy eating! Think of moving and eating well as a reward in itself. Be active and eat healthy everyday as a way of life.
[1] Queensland Government. Nutritional Education Materials Online. Weight Control Resources [Internet] Queensland Health; 2015. [cited 2016 August 3] Available from: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/nutrition/resources/wtmgt_hungerscale.pdf
[2] Eating Disorders Foundation of Australia. Mindful eating fact sheet. [Internet] 2014. [cited 2016 September 3] Available from: https://www.eatingdisorders.org.au/docman/fact-sheets/234-fact-sheet-mindful-eating
[3] Queensland Government. Nutritional Education Materials Online. Weight Control Resources. Caution with Portions. [Internet] Queensland Health; 2015. [cited 2016 August 3] Available from: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/nutrition/resources/wtmgt_portions.pdf