How to Eat Well After Lockdown for Beginners Part II

*Originally posted on 18/07/2020

Real talk: to be honest, in clinic, I am meeting more and more people who are developing conditions such as Diabetes, that are mostly caused by not-so-great lifestyle choices. It can be very depressing and it made me realise just how important eating clean (and keeping fit) is. That’s why focusing on eating more healthily is worth it-you might feel the pain of that 20 minute gym session but it is WORTH it in the end. Welcome to part 2 of this short and sweet series on how you can start to eat well (aka eat more healthily) in life after lockdown.

Two Ways You Can Start Eating Cleaner

1 Eat more colourful fruits and vegetables

Credits: 1st pic (Josh Dunlop), 3rd pic (Paola Alberdi), 4th pic (Alyssa Rivers)

Before we get down to business, a little poll for you:

I remember when news came out a few years ago where apparently, some scientists were saying that the “5-a-day” rule for eating fruit/vegetables might not be enough nutritionally, and that it might need to be increased to 7 a day or even 10 a day! (If you’re not familiar with the “5-a-day” thing, it’s basically a way for people to get the minimum amount of nutrients your body needs by eating 5 “types” of fruit and veg everyday). Regardless of the rule, generally, it’s good to eat a range of colourful fruit and vegetables to get a range of minerals and other goodies they contain for good health.

Q What do I mean by “colourful” you ask?

Here’s the answer:

Ahhh, colouring pencils…haven’t touched one in years lol

The different colours of fruit and vegetables generally show you the important compounds these foods contain. Here’s a brief list of what each colour represents:

Red, Blue, Green = the fruit/veg probably has anti-oxidants
Orange and Yellow = the fruit/veg probably has Carotenoids
White = the fruit/veg probably has anti-inflammatory compounds

Anti-oxidants are anti-inflammation: these compounds help prevent your cells getting hyper-inflamed. Carotenoids are one of the many types of anti-oxidants that exist.

2 Replace white sugar with Honey

Ditch white sugar and come to the light… with honey

A few years ago, I realised that I was using A LOT of processed (white) sugar. So I decided to switch to a natural source: Honey. Honey has tons of anti-oxidants, great for your body’s cells, including your heart and skin!

Now I love tea (sorry coffee lovers😂) and the odd bowl of porridge (Oatmeal) so instead of using two teaspoons of white sugar, I just stick to one teaspoon of honey, or to be more specific, honey that’s hasn’t been mixed with something else e.g. Caramel or Syrup as this increases the sugar content even more. Try some delicious Bee Honey when you’re ready to officially ditch white sugar.

Beautiful black woman with honey — Honey is great when you eat it and for your skin/hair. Credit: Joey Rosado

Conclusion

So that completes this series on how to eat well in life after lockdown. Click here for more information on why good nutrition is linked to good foot health.

Comment below what you think about these tips. Some more tips on nutrition coming soon!

Loved the article? Please share it. If you’ve missed Part I, check it out here.