There are so many diet-recommendations out there. And even more resources full of all the should's and should dont's when it comes to food. This is not one of those articles. What is this then?

 

 

here you get eight tips on how to make a few simple shifts that will get you eating in a way that makes you feel strong, beautiful and healthy. 

 

Let's look at these simple shifts that we can make today that will allow us to nourish our body in an empowering and healthy way, 

 

Most importantly that these steps will get you WANTING to eat more healthy and make better choices for yourself. 

 

Change is not a process - change happens in an instant! 

When is that instant for you? NOW?

 

Here are the 8 simple steps in a list format. Below you find a detailed description of each step.

 

 

 

1. SET YOUR OWN STANDARDS:

The national standards are often not built on the optimal diet and way of eating. The national standers is a compilation of pieces of advice that the health-authorities expects us to be able to follow.

 

What does this mean to us? It means that if you look at the national recommendations, you might be looking at a standard that isn't high enough for you.

 

That also counts when comparing your way of eating to others.

 

Set your own standards, that way you ensure they are high enough and that your life remains in your own hands, not others.

 

AND! Remember, it is not the every-now and again that determines your health, it is what you do on a daily basis.

2- CHANGE YOUR QUESTIONS:

We all have internal questions that we keep answering. The questions decide what we look for, where we put our focus and the quality of our life and health.

Are moles blind?
What animal is a bird, yet can't fly?
What's the capital of Australia?

Instantly your brain is thinking of the answers to the above questions, right? You might continue reading and though the answers aren't written here, they will have popped into your brain.

This question-answering function also happens when we ask questions like
"Why can't I ever do it right?"
"Why am I always so tired?"

What questions do you tend to ask yourself?

Our experience of life depends on the questions we ask ourselves.

Would a person who is thinking:

"How do I do it better?" or "How can I get more energy" Experience a different quality of life to the person asking the questions "Why can't I ever do it right?" or "Why am I always so tired?" ? You bet!

This counts for our health and diet as well.

If we ask questions like:

"What can I eat that is quick and easy?"
"What do I crave right now?"

Those questions will get us to choose what to eat.

Change your questions to:

"How can I best nourish my body right now?"

And you will be looking at completely different answers and food choices.

 

 

3 - MEAL PLAN & WEEKLY SHOPPING:

Oh baby, yes, planning, some of us will love this and are already planning, some of us not so much....

 

We all relate to time in two different ways:

 

#Through-Time: We might be through-timers: meaning we are great at seeing past, present and future simultaneously. It makes us incredibly good  at planning.

 

#In-Time: If we are in-time oriented we live in the moment. This means that we are less great planners and MAXIMISE LIFE ENJOYERS. 

 

It would be great if we could all harness the power of them both.

 

Are you In-Time orientated or Through-Time?

 

Simple being aware of this will help you develop the benefits of the opposite. 

 

SO! if you aren't already planning your meals, try it out for the next week.

 

Why planning? 

 

Because when we get hungry or starving, we simply don't make the best choices. We want to eat NOW! QUICK and we tend to go for our cravings. 

 

We forget all about health because we have an urgent need to fill our belly. 

 

Planning the meals of the week once a week will ensure we know what to cook, we don't need to be creative, come up with something quick or try and work our what we have in our fridge. 

 

There's an extra benefit to this: 

 

Once a week shopping means less exposure to shopping opportunities. 

 

Do I only speak for myself that almost every time I come home from the supermarket I find items that were not on my shopping list? It can get expensive if that's a daily ritual.

 

So plan your meals ahead and shop for them once a week is first step on this list.

 

 

4 - PRACTICE 3 QUICK MEALS:

 

And the days where you don't have a plan, or plans have changed, it is great to have 3 simple meals that you can whip up in a few minutes. A meal that is both something you want and nutritious. It can be a quick pasta sauce (use lentil, chickpeas of buckwheat pasta) or a stirfry with lots of veggies. 

 

When you are feeling powerful and in a peak state, help your future self to remain in that state or being able to tap into that state again. Having these three recipes at the top of your head is like being able to reach yourself a hand when you need one.

 

5 - THINK GREEN FEEL ALKALINE

Just as we want to maintain our body temperature, the same counts for acid-alkaline balance also known as our ph-balance. We want to create the perfect environment inside our body, to maintain health and longevity.

The majority of our organs and our blood needs a slightly alkaline environment. It is very easy to create and maintain an alkaline environment. If we are too acidic we age quicker.

Be sure to eat food that alkalise your body. The best way to ensure this is to think green when you plan your meals. Add broccoli to most of your meals, steamed, fried or roasted. Get your plate full of seasonal veggies and colours.
 

6 - A BODY, A HOME:

 

Finish the two sentences here:

 

"My body is......."

"Food is...."

 

What answers popped up for you?

 

The way we look at our body and food determines how and what we eat. 

 

If we see the body as a lump of flesh, we might not be so encouraged to take care of it. If we see food as a burden, we might not make wholesome choices.

 

I challenge you to the next seven days when you are getting up in the morning, in the shower or brushing your teeth to try out these two sentences:

 

"My body is sacred"

"Food is an offering to myself"

 

7 - INTERMITTENT-FASTING

 

Living a fulfilled life or eating our way to one?

 

We all need food to survive physically and we all need love to survive emotionally and spiritually. 

 

Do you know that empty feeling in your stomach? And I am not referring to the feeling of being hungry. 

 

Just those moments where life seems meaningless or overwhelming. I know those feelings very well. 

 

We can easily turn to food or other addictions to try and fix that empty feeling. We eat our way to self-love and fulfilment, though it often turns out the exact opposite, we feel regret, bloated and ugly. Perhaps even fat. It is not a nice feeling, we might even try to eat other things to make those feelings go away. 

 

Our relationship with food is important. 

 

Why do we eat what we eat? Perhaps it reminds us of a great moment or a specific feeling or a person in our life. 

 

Food is meant to leave us with more energy than when we began to eat. Can you honestly say that that is how you feel after most meals? I had the same experience until a began intermittent-fasting. Being okay with being hungry is a great place to be, not that we shouldn't eat enough because that's not a way to take care of ourselves either. 

 

Over-eating and under-eating are both ways to fulfil our needs in empowering, unhealthy ways. On the surface, it might look like we have an eating issue. The issue presented is rarely the real issue. We need to look somewhere else and offer healing, understanding and awareness. Our relationship with food will change as an effect of that healing. 

 

That was a little sidetrack. Your beauty shines from within. 

 

But giving our digestive system rest between dinner and breakfast is a gift. 

 

Finally, 

 

8 - TREAT YOURSELF:

 

We must begin to associate differently to unhealthy food items, like processed food or takeaways. 

 

What do you associate with burgers? Pizza? Pasta? Candy? Crisps? Cakes? 

 

I challenge you to change the craving feelings you have towards these food items, to a yucky-feeling. Change the way you see them.

 

Read the ingredients list at the back. Google the e-numbers and how flavours and aromas are made.

 

imagine what they look like if you left them out for a month or visualise how much refined sugar they contain. Look at the salt amounts or what fat they contain. Even depict yourself after eating only take aways breakfast, lunch and dinner for one month. 

 

And lastly, give them a different name. Treat are rarely treats

 

Often what we call treats are nothing but a treat. When we say treats, most of us think of the colourful, indulgent candy and chocolate session in the supermarket, or crisps.⁠

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I have eaten my fair share of these products and I know that “treating” myself to one of these items leaves me far away from feeling empowered afterwards.⁠

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Changing habits is a challenge, but a place to begin is calling the things we indulge in for what they really are.⁠

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Isn’t the word “treat” telling our subconscious mind that these things (can hardly call them food) are desirable and rewarding? We all know that it is far from the truth.⁠

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How would you define a “treat”?⁠

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Do most of the things we associate with treats live up to your description?⁠

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Of course, we can treat ourselves, bake, freeze, blend and buy sweet treats. Let’s just up our standards for what goes into our “treat” category. ⁠

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Most important in our life is:⁠

(1)🧠Knowledge⁠

(2)⚕️Health⁠

(3)🧡Love⁠

(4)💰Wealth⁠

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If we don't have the knowledge, we don’t know the best way to take care of ourselves. > When we don't take care of ourselves, we can’t live, love and earn. SO! Your body is worth more, treat yourself to a fresh pack of organic blueberries, or another favourite fruit or berry. Perhaps a raw chocolate date sweet or a Medjool date. ⁠

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I found it hard to swap sugar for dates, to me dates tasted healthy.⁠

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Now I have come to associate health with longevity. Dates and berry, bananas, dark chocolate nuts and dried fruits all taste so good now (apart from raisin and prunes HAHA🙃).⁠

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Call those "treats" what they truly are, visualise what is inside, how they are made, read the packing. When I remind myself of what "treats" really are, I prefer to make or buy a real treats. And our son deserves an inspiring, empowering, healthy Mama!⁠

• Who deserves you to be at your best?
• What will you call those surgery, white flour "treats" from now on?
• What real treats can you think of that you will enjoy eating and that will make you feel great?

 

This is also why we don't drink alcohol :) I simply have too much I want to do, achieve and experience in life. I don't have time to feel the negative effects of alcohol, and I don't want to offer it to my body. ⁠The few benefits some might claim to find in alcohol are fare better accessed other places :) 

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It is a simple choice.⁠

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I think I am going to have a treat now :)⁠