The General Public and Nutrition

So it seems to me there is a HUGE gap in the knowledge of nutrition and fitness between the general public and the professionals. And actually a new community of semi-professionals have been born out of slimming clubs, internet research and Chinese whispers!
Now I'm being incredibly hypocritical since I am actually in the general public category myself and yet here I am dabbling in internet research and preaching. But the difference is, you have to get your information from trusted sources! Those of which I will link at the end.

The first thing I really wanted to talk about is something that I have been discovering myself and that is the rabbit hole that is nutrition. There are a million and one fad diets out there, the 5:2 diet, Atkins, Juice Detox, Slimming World, Weight watchers and the worst of all Special K Diet! And I'm sure many of you will stand by these names and proclaim your results, however the long and short of it is, concentrating on your diet alone, and cutting your calories in most cases will of course cause weight loss. But either your mind or your body will eventually give up on these. So how about a diet as old as man? Protein and Vegetables? I could sit and talk to you about supplements all day, but the first building block for anyone whether it be for fat loss, athletic training or general health needs to establish a consistently nutritious diet. And it couldn't actually be simpler, just eat meat and as much veg as you like and avoid anything processed (this includes things like smothering your food in pasta sauces etc). Don't concern yourself at this stage worrying about brown rice (which actually isn't that much better for you) and all the things you've heard you should be eating. Keep it basic! I know the term 'Eat Clean' is thrown around a lot, but its not just a fitspo term, as the Lean Machines like to say, if you can't pick it, or kill it, you shouldn't eat it. So with this mind set, you'll be on your way to a bikini body quicker than you can say Raspberry Ketone.

My problem with diets is, you can eat Special K for every meal, and it probably will make you lose weight, but where are you getting your fibre, your vitamins and minerals, your protein and your fats from? You'll be thin, but you're health will be rock bottom, and if you're as greedy and vain as me, you want your diet to benefit more than your weight, such as complexion, your hair and aside from the shallow things, your actual health! Processed foods are as bad for you body as drinking and other intoxicants!

As far as how much of each food group people should eat, its completely individual and this is where my main point comes in. If you're serious about your body, you need to get professional help! Weight is not necessarily just due to diet alone. Hormones for a start play a huge role in body shape, and personally that is the main reason my thunder thighs even exist! And so not amount of Kale or Spin class is going to help that! The contraceptive pill plays a huge role here, as pumping synthetic hormones through your system will of course cause havoc which is why many people gain/lose weight whilst using it! Another topic, which the general public barely realise exist, is Gut Health. Now all these things I'm mentioning require years of research and learning to understand, and thats why many nutritionists end up specialising in certain areas because each topic is so vast. But the moral of the story is, each individual will have different intolerances to specific foods such as dairy or wheat etc, even if you consider yourself to have no intolerances, you may not have even noticed that you don't digest some foods well, or that you bloat slightly more with some compared to others. And this can include carbs too, some people will feel so bloated after a bowl of porridge whereas others could do a spin class on a stomach full of oats. Without the use of MRT tests or stripping everything out of your diet, you will never know, so stop relying on the knowledge you think you know about yourself and get some help! Timing is another huge thing, people always throw around that you shouldn't eat carbs in the morning, or you shouldn't eat them at night and again this is completely down to how your body reacts, so stop trusting everything you read!

Another MAJOR contribution to the efficiency of your healthy lifestyle, is stress!! Something many of us accept as normal, but apart from the fact that stress can make you binge yourself into oblivion. It releases many nasty chemicals into your body such as cortisol. Until you get your stress and sleep levels under control, you won't progress as far as you want to! This all falls into place since processed foods make you feel sluggish and sugar binges will make you crash, so a nutritious diet will keep your energy levels up and your mood elevated.

I'm finding it increasingly hard to finish this blog since there is no end of things to go into, that Im almost getting lost in the web of it all myself!

So my main point is, go back to basics. Eat lots of raw, healthy nutritious fruit and veg, along with lots of meats such as Chicken, Lean red meats, White fish etc. Drink more water than you think possible. Get a good amount of deep sleep. De-stress your life (Exercise and things like Meditation can aid this) and most importantly stop worrying! Being healthy is an enjoyable life style, the second you begin to loathe it, you won't succeed.

And honestly, the best thing you can do is get help! Go and get personal training sessions, so training can be tailored to your body's needs and demands. Get a specific diet plan created for you, this will include help with your intolerances and hormones. If you've been dieting for years and can't seem to lose the weight, then you need to try other avenues instead of just getting depressed about what you eat!

If you want to know more, from the ACTUAL PROFESSIONALS then I recommend these:

BenCoomberTV - What this man can't teach you about Nutrition, isn't worth knowing.

TheLeanMachines - Fitness Gurus, Myth Busters and general all round great guys to help you with training and diet needs!

Carly Rowena - Something for the girls! Great for Womens fitness videos and also Diet advice!

Nichola Whitehead - Healthy recipes to replace the normal binge foods!

Come back to me when you've watched these channels and hopefully the fight against Diet Myths can be solved once and for all!

p.s. DONT EAT SHOP BOUGHT GRANOLA YOU MAY ASWELL EAT HARIBO.

xxx