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Category Archives: Health

Categories Health, Uncategorized

Breaking news: research confirms ‘processed food’ is bad for us

So. Breaking News…. “ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS CAUSE OVEREATING AND WEIGHT GAIN

Ok. In all seriousness, our initial response was ‘seriously, did we really need a study to prove this but….’

The really interesting thing about the research here was that the subjects receiving the ultra processed foods versus those receiving the minimally processed foods, received the exact SAME number of calories and macronutrients… initially.

Participants were instructed to consume until they were satisfied and what the research found was that those receiving minimally processed foods simply ate less. Those receiving the ultra processed foods ate more – carbohydrates and fat in particular. The ultra processed group gained weight, whilst those receiving minimally processed foods lost it.

Take home points:

-processed food is completely unsatisfying for the body. Its nutrient devoid; you will go looking for more because the body is simply not getting what it needs. We discuss this with clients. All. The. Time. You have to get off the bandwagon of addictive snacks, sauces, sugary cereals and drinks.

-processed food completely highjacks the appetite. You will have not appetite control on a diet of ultraprocessed foods. You will not stop. You know… the pringles saying? Its the truth!

-eat whole foods… good thing happen.

-Finally, in the same week, we have also heard that Weight Watchers have released a new app for kids in the US for kids to track their food intake, weight ad physical activity. Oh no. No no no. From someone who also deals with adolescents with eating conditions this is NOT good news.

Doesn’t this research prove that resources would be better directed at removing said processed food from kids’ diets because that is a major underlying cause of the childhood obesity crisis. Instead of allowing another generation of humans with eating disorders to evolve?

We are PASSIONATE about simply moving people to a wholefoods program here at The Balanced Nutritionist because even THAT can see some magic happen.

If you are struggling with too much ‘packet’ convenience food creeping in to your diet, feeling sluggish, heavy and yuck as a result book online here because our Back to Basics wholefoods program is perfect for you.

Anyhow, what we would like to see from here in the research world:

-we would have loved to see the result if both groups had to consume exactly the same amount of calories but in 2 different forms still – ultra processed and minimally processed. This would prove the point that its beyond calories and macros. Processed food interferes with the body on a cellular level. It results in vastly different hormonal and neurotransmitter reactions and that is how the damage is done…. providing excess energy is only half the problem.

These principles are exactly why our current wholefoods program is working well – the Back to Basics protocol I mentioned above.

Its a ‘no counting,’ ‘eat to your own appetite’ ‘wholefoods’ based 4 – 8 week program which just takes it back to basics, supporting you with the structure and accountability to do so.

Guess what happens as a result? You gain energy, clarity, happiness, health and released unwanted weight. Without math. Without stress. Without packets. Genius.

Categories Advice, Health

Business and Health…. Same Same?

I was asked just the other week to write down the top 3 things that have assisted me to build a successful nutrition practice and after I wrote them down I realized the same principles can be applied to getting healthy. So business and health… not that different after all!

This should come as no surprise. When I’ve met highly successful business people in the past (I mean, ones with much bigger businesses than my own) many of them have a really healthy and balanced lifestyle. They KNOW that eating well, moving regularly and looking after their mental health as well, has a profound effect on the way they can perform in their businesses. Now let’s look at some of the principles to apply to business and health.

1. Consistency: forget about starting a health kick for a week or a month or because you want to look a particular way for an event and instead focus on making it a lifestyle, because you will realise that ‘choosing health’ will benefit your life every minute of every day. If your health journey encompasses weight loss, this point is crucial as i will help you to enjoy the entire process of change. This is a much better way to track your journey than simply watching the kilos drop on the scales (because they may not drop each week!).

In business, this applies too because you have to consistently show up and be present to your clients; you have to consistently work on your own education to better your product or service and you have to consistently produce great content to attract your clients and customers.

On an important, side not, consistency is different from perfection. Hail those who never drink, never have sugar, never eat anything bad… that is so not me and that’s OK (see point 3 below!). Consistency means making good choices most of the time AND even more importantly, getting back up, dusting off the icing sugar (😂) and reverting to a healthy routine when you do fall off the bandwagon. And as far as business is concerned… well, we all have those days when we convince ourselves we are going bankrupt!

2. Caring: I really care about my clients and anyone who wants to make consistently healthy choices needs to care about themselves. This is far from selfish, because the more you look after you, the better shape you will be in to care for others. I also ask people to care about the food they put in their mouth and the people that have provided it to us. Too much of what is eaten is mindlessly consumed. How often do we stop to be grateful to the farmers and primary producers that produce all of the lovely food that makes it into our kitchen each week?

In business, you have to care for the product or service you are creating and you have to belief that it fulfills a need. I’d even go so far to say that you really need to be governed by a ‘higher purpose’ to really visualize and subsequently create a great business.

3. Being ‘me’ or in this case being ‘you’: in health, this means that 2 people can eat differently, exercise differently, relax differently, respond different to certain foods, like or dislike different things etc. It doesn’t mean one is better than the other – it just means we are all individuals. Whilst there are some key principles to ‘health’ there are certainly differences that will also set us apart. For example, I can eat gluten and dairy is a regular part of my diet, but for many of my clients this can not be the case. 

In business, this means that your message or your product or your service may be different from others in a similar field but it works for you, because you are showing up as your authentic self and offering something that is different from everything else out there.