Fast foods, processed foods coupled with food additives and preservatives are making us grow larger, quicker. Food technology has resulted in an increase of preservatives, sugars and salts being used in foods. Having a diet that is rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, drinking plenty of water and also exercising regularly can all help to ensure greater health.
Taking care not to over-boil vegetables will ensure they maintain their vitamin and mineral content. Simple lifestyle changes can make all the difference to our weight and health.
Try to minimise the amount of processed foods and look at the labels on foods you buy. Try to keep the fat and salt content of foods you purchase to a minimum. You have the power to choose the kind of foods you buy, so choose well and stay healthy. Try to keep ‘naughty’ foods to a minimum and, if you do have any high-fat snacks, be sure to exercise to burn some food energy.
We can easily find ourselves eating a high fat diet without much difficulty. But, unless we also exercise regularly and take care to eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, our weight can increase and our health can suffer. Many ready-made meals are high in fat and salt.
Frozen foods, pre-cooked dinners, tins of foods and take-away dinners are convenient foods but are best eaten in moderation. Eating fresh foods and cooking from fresh ingredients is a healthy choice. If you don’t have time to cook every day, you can always snack healthily.
How much time do we spend sitting down each day? Many of us do not exercise enough on a daily basis. It is important to factor in exercising as part of our daily routine, otherwise we do not burn up the food we eat and then it is easy to put on weight. Exercising regularly alone does not automatically mean that you will lose weight. If you continue to eat a high sugar and high fat diet while exercising you will more than likely maintain the weight that you are.
Reducing the amount of fat and sugary foods in your diet plus regular exercise contributes to a more healthy lifestyle.
These are some of the ways to decrease chances of obesity.
Sweets and fizzy drinks Popcorn, fizzy drinks, cakes, biscuits, sweet bars – all the tempting foods – are packed with added sugars, sugar substitutes, preservatives and high fat content.
If we don’t exercise regularly and we eat a high fat diet, then the weight can really pile on fast! Supermarket shelves are packed with tinned, frozen and packaged food with a long shelf-life. Fresh foods, on the other hand, have to be eaten within a few days or else they will go off. In order to maintain the life of food, manufacturers have to use salt and sugar to preserve the food.
It is easy to be fooled by low calorie labels on drinks or foods; they can often be high in sugar substitutes or preservatives.
Check the labels before you purchase; it doesn’t take much time to do this and it can make the difference between a healthy or a high-fat meal.
For a free consultation on how we can help you with weight loss and lifestyle changes, please call us on 01342 590023.