1. Stop starving yourself.
I know from my own experience that regular meals are one of the most important factors that affect our energy levels throughout the day. Just imagine: you have breakfast in the morning and then you are swept into the maelstrom of daily activities leaving you little if any time to grab a snack. When you finally get back home in the evening, you are famished so you put together a quick dinner. As usual, you eat too much and end up feeling heavy, only to start rummaging through your cupboards in search of some sweets half an hour later. Finally, you sink into the sofa, feeling you don’t have the strength to do anything else even though it is only 7 o’clock.
Sounds familiar? Small wonder, especially considering that such sensations result from your body’s physiological reaction to the crazy fluctuations of your blood glucose levels caused by fasting followed by a hefty meal. And how to eat properly? No, you don’t actually need to eat five small meals a day. Just try to eat similar amounts of food at different times throughout the day to prevent feeling extremely hungry. Before you grow into the habit of eating this way, try to keep about 4 hour intervals between your meals.
[Translate to English:]
[Translate to English:]
Brzmi znajomo? Nic dziwnego, zwłaszcza, że takie zachowanie organizmu wynika z jego fizjologii i szalonej huśtawki poziomu glukozy we krwi, którą fundujesz przy okazji przegłodzenia się i następującego po nim obfitego posiłku. Jak więc jeść? Nie, niekoniecznie pięć małych posiłków dziennie. Po prostu postaraj się jeść dania o podobnej wielkości przez cały dzień i nie dopuszczaj do silnego uczucia głodu. Zanim zbudujesz taki nawyk, możesz pilnować, żeby odstępy pomiędzy kolejnymi posiłkami wynosiły około 4 godzin.
2. Start your meals with a salad.
It is common knowledge that an appropriate amount of fruits and vegetables is fundamental for a healthy balanced diet. As it turns out, starting your meals with a portion of vegetables can also significantly reduce your calorie intake. Isn’t it great news? Just conjure up a bowl of delicious raw vegetable salad and then eat whatever you want to your heart’s content: the total number of calories that you consume will be much lower anyway. If you follow this rule with each of your meals, you can easily achieve results comparable to those of a weight loss diet without eliminating meals or reducing the amount of the food you eat.
3. Avoid eating out.
As the saying goes, 'God made food; the devil the cooks.’ The findings of a study conducted by researchers from Tufts University prove we should take the saying seriously. The goal of the study was to analyse the average calorie content of a single meal serving at a restaurant (meals offered at more than 100 different restaurant kitchens were measured). A single meal serving, without beverages, appetizers, or desserts had a mean count of more than 1,200 calories. It covered as much as a half of the daily caloric requirement of an adult person.
Be under no illusion that things are different in Poland. Restaurants are there to surprise us with a great meal price-to-quality and size ratio. This means the cook will liberally use sugar, fat and salt, and the size of the portions served to a petite 50 kg woman and a tall athletic man will be the same. In view of this, a home-made lunch is an option worth considering. If preparing your lunch five days per week seems too much for the time being, start with just one or two meals per week. Even if you only change this much, you will still greatly improve the quality and calorie content of your diet.
4. Supplement the sunrays.
Or vitamin D, to be specific. Even though the astronomical spring has already started, we are nowhere close to bathing in the sun. At the same time, early spring is the season when our blood level of vitamin D is at its lowest. And what does it have to do with our mood? Several studies have suggested that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of depression. It is related to the fact that this vitamin is important for a healthy brain function. One capsule per day doesn’t cost much and can really boost our energy level. Not to mention we get protection from osteoporosis and atherosclerosis as a bonus.
We have a huge influence on how we feel, how much energy we supply with our diet, and how it affects our whole body. It is up to us whether we take a step towards change, or focus on looking for ‘easier’ solutions or ‘innovative’ supplements.
I used the following publications:
* http://jandonline.org/article/S0002-8223(04)01132-0/abstract
** http://jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672(15)01736-0/abstract