94. Food Diary

Porridge

Apple juice

Coffee

apple

Cold boiled egg

Cottage cheese, flax oil, onion and chives

Green tea

home made lasagne

summer fruits with goats plain bio yoghurt

93. Other Ways To Improve Metabolism

Become active.
There are always ways in which you can become more active. If you have to drive to work, park a little bit further away than usual, so that you walk a bit more.

cardio vascular exercise means getting your heart to pump faster for at least 30 minutes at a time, every day. This can include brisk walking. Don’t think you have to be a marathon runner to include cardio vascular exercise in your daily routine.

Get Enough Sleep
Sleep loss is believed to affect the secretion of cortisol, the hormone that regulates your appetite, and your body will automatically require more energy the more tired it feels, so you will feel more hungry than usual when behind on your sleep.

You are also unable to make rational judgements when you are over-tired and could well end up bingeing. This not only ruins your hard work so far, but can cause guilt which is a form of stress. Stress can lead to no end of health problems. This is why it is essential that you get enough sleep.

Eat good carbs and lean protein
The human body burns some of its own calories when it digests food.This is the TEF – (thermic effect of foods) and it’s what makes protein (which has the highest TEF) and good carbs great for your metabolism. Proteins that build calorie-burning muscle are lean turkey and chicken. Your body’s major fuel source should be whole grains, legumes, fruit and vegetables. These good carbs give you the energy required so that you can get moving and burn more calories.

Drink Water.
Water fills you up, and curbs your appetite. It flushes your system out, and rids the body of bloatedness. You need at least 8 to 10 glasses every day and more if you are active. in Germany researchers found that drinking water may increase metabolic rate. The participants’ metabolic rates increased by 30 percent after drinking just 17 ounces of water. Your metabolism needs water to make the energy-burning process work effectively.

Eat ice cubes!
The energy needed to melt the ice will sustain your metabilic rate when not exercising.

Fidget!
Rock in your chair, tap your foot, or your hand or bob your head. You’ll probably want to wear mp3 earphones whilst doing any of these, or you may be carted off in a white van! But fidgeting really does count as exercise, and will burn calories, maintaining your metabolism!

92. Food Diary

Apple juice

Porridge

Coffee

Apple

Green tea

Cold boiled egg

Cottage cheese, flax oil, garlic, onion and chives 2 x Ryvita

Green tea

Rice and Millet Pasta with home made Bolognaise

Decaf coffee

91. Food Diary

Porridge

Apple juice

Banana

Beetroot

Cottage cheese, flax oil onion and chives

Green tea

Cranberry juice

Half avacado

Chicken, brown rice and broccoli

Cornflakes

90. Grade C Foods

As stated earlier these foods will boost your energy temporarily in the same way a chocolate bar will. You may be surprised at some of the foods in this list.

white pasta, bread, white rice, rice noodles, egg noodles,

green peas, zucchini, cucumbers

tomatoes, prunes, all dried fruit, grapes, figs,

cheese and mil, beef, lamb, veal

89. Food Diary

Not been well today.

Porridge

Banana

Egg and ryvita

decaf coffee

that's all, but I may have cornflakes for supper

88. Food Diary

Porridge
Apple juice

black decaf coffee

Banana

cold boiled egg
cottage cheese and flax oil, garlic on 2 slices Ryvita

green tea

Apple

Beetroot
Baked potato with spinach, prawns and goats cheese

cold porridge

87. Grade B Foods:

Buckwheat, red macrobiotic rice, wild rice, oatcakes

Potatoes, corn, squashes, beetroot, peppers, wild rice, yam, watercress, salad leaves

Peaches, apricots, mangoes, papayas, bananas

Kidney beans, black beans, peas (dried / split), almonds, chicken, game, turkey, venison, nut butters, yoghurt, cottage cheese

86. Food Diary

Apple

Porridge

Banana

Egg mayonnaise

Cottage cheese, flax oil and onion

Green tea

Chicken and Vegetable soup

Goats milk yoghurt with muesli and honey

Cornflakes soya milk

85. Food Diary

Cornflakes

apple

Porridge

Smoothie

two soft boiled eggs with Ryvita

pear

Green tea

avacado

Baked potato with prawns and mayonnaise

mixed nuts

camomile tea

84. The ABC Energy Guide

Energy Foods are all natural foods and are graded A,B or C.

Grade A provides the best cource of energy, and B also a good source, but Grade Cs are the quick fixes, but won’t manitain your blood sugar.

Grade A Foods:
Complex Carbs like oats, barley, brown rice, millet, corn, rye and wholegrain bread.

Vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, mushrooms, raw carrots, asparagus, artichokes and spinach.

Fruit such as avacados, apples, pears, pineapples, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and cherries.

Protein such as salmon, tuna, herring, amckerel, seaweeds, eggs, tofu, walnuts, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, linseeds, sprouted seeds and grains, haricot and lima beans, chickpeas, lentils and soya beans

These are the most important but we’ll cover Grade B and C later.

83. Food Diary

Porridge

Decaf coffee

Smoothie made with 2 bananas, summer fuits and apples, in the absence of apple juice. It was so thick, I saved lots and put into dessert dishes.

Boiled egg, Ryvita and soya spread

Decaf coffee

Made Hotpot for tonight’s meal, and didn’t need anything to eat all afternoon as I kept pinching bits of hotpot. Hotpot is like stew or goulash. It’s made with potatoes and beef with onions a vegetables in a gravy sauce. I used leeks, cabbage, carrots and peas.

Instead of adding the diced potato to the meat and veg ‘soup’ I mashed the spuds, and put it on top, so now it’s more like cottage pie!

82. Fat Free Mince

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but as far as I know I’m the only person who does this, and it’s a great way to cook minced meat to ensure you get rid of all the fat.

Put it in a glass bowl and microwave it. Drain off all the fat (which even in ‘reduced fat’ mince, will still be quite a bit).

If I’m making lasagne or bolognaise, I will then put the solid cake of meat into a food processor to separate it again. The longer you leave it, the finer it becomes, but it will be pure meat, and NO FAT!

81. Food Diary Sunday and Monday

Sunday

Poached eggs on toast (and I don’t have bread in MY house!)

Coffee

apple
ham salad sandwich

Banana

Apple
Baked Potato with tuna and sweetcorn mayonnaise

Smoothie with yoghurt

Mint tea

2 litres of water at least


Monday

Cornflakes

black coffee

Apple juice

Half raw red pepper
cottage cheese and flax oil, leeks, onion and chives on 2 x Ryvita

Banana

Black Decaf coffee

Apple
Spag Bol

porridge

80. Food Diary

apple
Porridge

Coffee

Smoothie

apple
two sticks of celery, cottage cheese, flax oil, onions and chives

beetroot

pear

cranberry juice
King Prawn Salad (friend’s house)
Walnut ice cream (I was being held down with a gun to my head of course)

1.5 litre of water

79. Muscles Boost Your Metabolism

Ways To improve Your Metabolism Part 1

Become active. there are always ways in which you can become more active. If you have to drive to work, park a little bit further away than usual, so that you walk a bit more.

cardio vascular exercise means getting your heart to pump faster for at least 30 minutes at a time, every day. This can include brisk walking. Don’t think you have to be a marathon runner to include cardio vascular exercise in your daily routine.

Pumping iron will impove your metabolism – it’s true! Any sort of weight training or toning will count as pumping iron.

Your resting metabolic rate (RMR) is the measurement of how many calories your body burns at rest. It’s closely linked to the amount of muscle you have and It accounts for 60 to 70 percent of your daily calorie expenditure. the more muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn, even while you’re asleep. Lean muscle actually needs calories just to exist, so get active today!

You do not have to lift heavy weights to pump iron. Lifting tins of beans for two minutes every day will count as toning exercise, and is better than nothing.

Your resting metabolic rate (RMR) is higher the more exercise you do. It’s like the more money you have in the bank, the more interest you earn; the more muscles you have, the more easily you can lose weight!

I know it’s not fair, but that’s the way it is. Exercise and you will be rewarded!

I’ve recently bought two 2kg World Gym dumbells, as my tins of beans alone just weren’t getting me very far!

And I do 32 bicep lifts twice a day, followed by 64 using 1kg weights, then 64 using the tins of beans (420g). Always use the heaviest first, then go lighter because if you were to use the same weights throughout your workout, they would seem heavier and heavier with every lift, so it’s easier to go lighter as you go on.

It’s also important to note that I ALWAYS do a warm-up of at LEAST a 20 minute walk, followed by my favorite exercise video. Never lift weights without a warn-up. And don’t lift anything too heavy. Always build up gradually.

78. Food Diary

apple juice
Porridge, raisins

Decaf coffee
Banana

Smoothie

apple
cottage cheese and flax oil avacado and onions on 2 x ryvita

beetroot

Apple
Home made vegetable soup

Smoothie

Camomile tea

1.5 litre approx of water throughout the day

77. Tips For Healthy Eating At Work

Always Eat Breakfast
You need to be alert, and you will stuff your face during your first break if you decide to skip breakfast. what if the moring meeting over-runs, and you have an important role to play? – but all you can think about is devouring a horse.

Take a Banana and at least one other Fresh Fruit
The benefits of Bananas were listed here the other day. And they HAVE to be eaten, don’t they, or they will go off. If you eat fruit every day for a fortnight, it will become second nature, and you’ll put all unhealthy snacks out of your mind.

Don’t have more than one or two Coffees
Otherwise you’ll be irritable and lethargic later on.

Take fruit and Dired fruit and Nuts with you
and keep picking at these, to retain your energy levels.

Have Dried Non Perishable Snacks in your Desk
such as cereal bars, and crackers, licorice sticks, healthy biscuits

Leave The Office At Lunchtime to Clear Your Head
You will feel refreshed after a walk in the fresh air, or a change of scenery. You resnt your job and workplace less, and be more procuctive.

Don’t overeat at lunchtime
If you do, you will be more tired in the afternoon, and that’s when there’s a natural lull at the best of times. If you’ve been picking at snacks all morning, you shouldn’t need to overeat at lunchtime.

Drink Plenty of Water
to remain hydrated and keep your head clear. You’ll also be less likely to drink sugary or caffeine drinks.

76. Food Diary

apple
Porridge, raisins

Banana
decaf coffee

Camomile Tea

apple
cottage cheese and flax oil with chives and onions on 2 x ryvita

Half a red pepper

Apple
Home made lasagne with peas

fruit smoothie

fennel tea

1 litre of water throughout the day

75. Food Allergy vs Food Intolerance

The difference between a food allergy and a is Food intolerance is that the first is an immune system response and the second is a digestive system response, so not as serious. Asn allergy occurs when the body mistakes an ingredient in food (usually a protein) as harmful, and so creates a defense system of antibodies to fight it. Allergy symptoms develop when the antibodies are battling the ‘invading’ food. The most common food allergies are peanuts, tree nuts (such as walnuts, pecans and almonds), fish, and shellfish, eggs, milk, soy products and wheat.


A Food Intolerance occurs when something in a food irritates the digestive system or when a person is unable to properly digest or break the food down. The most common food intolerance is to lactose, which is found in milk and other dairy products.

74. Food Diary

apple
Porridge, raisins
apple juice

Banana
Detox Tea

Home made lasagne
decaf coffee

Half a yellow pepper

Apple
cottage cheese and flax oil with chives
half an avacado

porridge

1.5 litres of water throughout the day

73. Dairy Food Back On!

My doctor told me I shouldn’t eliminate dairy food, as I could be missing out on lots of vitamins and minerals. So I’m going to go back to eggs and goats milk cheese and just eat them in moderation.

In my food tolerance test, it said I shouldn’t have cow products, so that does not cover all dairy foods. Now I have to find a manufacturer of goats milk ice cream! Can’t buy an ice cream maker – my freezer is too small. Anyway, I’d become obsessed with making ice cream, which is NOT what we want!

72. Food Diary

apple juice
Porridge

Black decaf
2 figs

fruit smoothie
apple
Prawn salad, with avacado

Green tea
Banana

beetroot
half red pepper

apple
baked potato, chilli made with pork mince

camomile tea

1 litre of water

71. Bananas

When you compare a banana to an apple, it has 4 times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, 3 times the phosphorus, 5 times the vitamin A and iron, and twice as many other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.

A medium banana contains:
86 calories
1 gram of protein
3 grams of dietary fiber,
467 mg Potassium
43 mg Magnesium
27 mg Phosphorus
7 mg Calcium
1.3 mg Selenium
0.4 mg Iron
Also trace amounts of zinc, manganese and copper
95 IU Vitamin A
11 mg Vitamin C
22.5 mcg Folate (needed during pregnancy)
0.7mcg Vitamin B6
0.6 mg Niacin
0.31 mg Pantothenic Acid
0.67 IU Vitamin E

I try to eat at least one banana a day, but actually I should probably be eating more. They are so good for you, they can help with such things as:
Anemia,
Depression,
High Blood Pressure,
Constipation,
Hangovers,
Warts,
Sunburn,
Mosquito Bites
Improved Concentration,
Morning sickness,
Nerves
PMS
Help to give up smoking
Stress
Strokes

70. Food Diary

Porridge

apple
Heated up quarter pizza – I’m too poor to waste food!

fruit smoothie with banana, pear, apple juice and summer fruits

decaf coffee

cottage cheese with flax oil and onions, with cold baked potato

apple juice

muesli

69. Wheat Free Flours

I went to an Italian restaurant a few months ago and when I told the chef I had a wheat intolerance, he made up fresh pasta from ‘wheat free flour’ He used his own blend of rye, corn and millet flour and it was no trouble to him at all. I was so impressed that he was this accomodating.

What I didn’t know was, just how many wheat free flours there are. I’ve listed some here, although not all are gluten free as well. I can eat gluten. A lot are not suitable for making bread.

Amaranth flour
Arrowroot flour
Barley flour
Brown rice flour
Buckwheat flour
Chick pea flour
Cornflour
Cornmeal
Maize flour
Millet flour
Potato flour
Potato starch flour
Quinoa flour
Rye flour
Sorghum flour
Soya flour
Tapioca flour
White rice flour

68. Food Diary

I’m going to start a points system soon, based on when I’ve been good and bad. For example, a green tea will be 10 points, and a coffee will be minus 10 points! A decaf minus 5 points etc.

I’ve also bought colored stickers to stick on my wall chart, to indicate when I’ve been good. I don’t intend just to have them for food – the red ones are for work, blue for exercise, yellow for diary and weekly tasks (1 per day). Green is for Healthy Eating, and if I do not acquire a certtain number of points, I can’t have a green star!

I’ve yet to work out what foods are worth what points, but it has only just occurred to me, that I have no way of measuring how disciplined I am.

Ironically I was very naughty today. Have you noticed when that happens, I just list SOME of the naughty foods I’ve eaten, not list them all, like I should?

OK, I went on a trip to a safari park, and had very good intentions because I took a banana and porridge with me. But when we all had lunch in the café, and I smelt the meals, I couldn’t resist – I had french fries, sausages and gravy. And a cappucino. Ooops.

I also had a ham sandwich later and several jaffa cakes, which boast 1 gram of fat per cake, but that’s not the point; it’s still full of sugar and god knows what else. I bought a whole packet, but shared them with everyone else, so I reckon I only had about 4 or 5.

Then tonight my friend brought pizza round. It wasn’t even thin and crispy. Now my legs are itching like mad. Serves me right.

So today would probably be minus 200 points! and I’d need a truck load of green tea, and vegetables to put it right.

67. Bloating

Many people mistake bloating stomach bloating for IBS and that’s silly. Irritable Bowel Syndrome would often mean you range from constipation one day, then the opposite a few days later. It is recognised as being caused almost entirely by stress, although it can be cured by a good diet.

But then so can ordinaryu bloating. We’re all guilty of abusing our stomachs by eating irregularly, and having large meals after allowing ourselves to get over hungry.

A lot of people feel full at lunchtime, in the evening or after a large meal. Eating small reqular meals ensure that the stomach never gets overloaded. Irregular meal patterns and an unexpected large meal with a lot of fluid can end up stretching the stomach muscels causing it to expand and 'bloat'. Not eating breakfast and then eating a large lunch can have the same effect.

Air in the stomach can cause it too, usually by eating too fast. Exercise is brilliant for air in bloated stomachs, because it forces air out! So burp your way out of discomfort!

66. Food Diary

apple
porridge
Banana

Decaf black coffee
beetroot

apple
cottage cheese, celery and flax oil 2 slices of Ryvita

pear

apple
baked potato, prawns and tomatoes in mayo

3 jaffa cakes (my friend came round – it’s her fault!)
Decaf coffee

Green tea

65. Aloe Vera Benefits

For thousands of years the properties of the aloe vera plant have helped to heal many ailments. When consumed or taken externally, it speeds up the healing porocess for all types of damaged skin, including burns.

When taken as a drink it is great for stomach problems, but cells all over the bosdy can greatly benefit form the drink.

It reduces inflammation of irritated skin and relieves itching.
It is helpful in softening and moisturizing skin.
It improves and speeds any general healing
It is great for killing bacteria and fungus.
It even improves the effectiveness of sun screen products.

64. Food Diary

I’ve been forgetting to eat fruit before every meal, so I’ve started to eat an apple each time. And I weighed myself today for the first time since I started my special diet – and I’m over the moon! I have lost 8 pounds!

I suspected I might have, as my jeans are a bit baggy around the waist – woohoo! My objective wasn’t to lose weight, but to eat more healthily so I feel fully well, and can sleep well.

Today I ate:


apple
porridge

Detox Tea

apple
cottage cheese, red pepper and flax oil 2 x Ryvita

apple juice

banana

half apple
baked potato, chicken in white sauce, made with cornflour and soya milk

halfo apple

decaf black coffee

63. Food Diary

Porridge

Black coffee

Apple juice

3 beetroot

cottage cheese and flax oil, chopped cooked leeks, onion and chives on 2 slices of Ryvita

Banana

natural licorice

Baked potato and fish pie with cod, prawns, spinach, onions and leeks, in a soya cheese sauce

Black Decaf coffee

Apple

cornflakes soya milk

62. Levels of Caffeine

a cup of filter coffee is approx 100mg
a cup of instant coffee is approx 66mg
a cup of tea made with loose leaf tea is approx 41mg
a cup of tea made with a teabag is approx 40mg
a can of cola is approx 23mg
a 50g bar of plain chocolate is approx 20mg
a 50g bar of milk chocolate is approx 7mg
a cup of hot chocolate drink is approx 5mg
a cup of green tea is approx 4mg
a cup of decaff is approx 3mg
a fizzy drink containing the herb guarana: This is a South American herb closely related to caffeine but not believed to be as toxic.
a cup of ‘Red Bush’ herbal tea: This is naturally caffeine free although it does contain tannin, an ‘antinutrient’ which binds to minerals such as iron and zinc in the gut thus preventing their absorption.

61. Food Diary

Apple juice

Porridge with raisins

Black coffee with one fruit sugar

Banana

½ avacado, cottage cheese and flax oil, onion and chives on 2 slices of Ryvita

Apple

Mint tea

Fish pie with cod, prawns, potato, spinach, onions and leeks, in a soya cheese sauce

Camomile tea

4 plums

cold porridge and honey for supper – yes, I’m truly disgusting

60. Juicers and Smoothie Makers

There are a lot of different types of juicers on the market, and there are advantages and disadvantages with all of them, but the best type you can buy in terms of nutition and taste, is the Twin Gear juicer.

Other types are Centrifugal juicers and Masticating juicer which work differently and ‘batter’ the juice out of the fruit, adding heat and air to it, and shortening the shelf life.

Smoothie makers are just blenders with taps on! So I’ll save my money and stick with my old fashioned blender. Smoothies are great if you want to keep all the fibrous matter and pulp included, which is discarded in the juicing process. One good advantage of eating the fibre is it’s brillaint for digestion.

Always drink the smoothie straight away, or freeze it. Leaving it - even in the fridge, will enable the nutitional value to deteriorate.

Always remember to wash the fruit and remove pips and seeds, unless they’re very tiny.

Did you know that there is a small amount of cyanide in apple seeds? I used to eat apple seeds as a child - that would explain a few things!

59. Food Diary

Porridge with raisins

Black coffee with one fruit sugar

Pear

Apple juice

cottage cheese and flax oil, with garlic and celery on 2 slices of Ryvita

Banana

Fennel tea

whole red pepper

Fish pie with cod, prawns, potato, spinach, onions and leeks, in a soya cheese sauce

Fennel tea

about 6 strawberries

58. Update

I’ve been away, then I was ill. And I’m pleased that during both, I still managed to eat healthily overall. When I was ill, I could hardly eat anything but porridge anyway.

I started to keep a note of what I atewhilst away, but that soon got forgotten. All I know is I ate an awful lot of bananas. When in doubt, eat a banana, that’s what I say. After all, you can usually get hold of them wherever you are.

Weaning myself off dairy products is proving more difficult than I’d thought. I no longer have milk in tea or coffee (which I should also cut out, but I do have decaf mostly), but I have to still have cottage cheese and flax oil every day, so I can never cut out dairy completely.

I haven’t had eggs for at least two weeks, and I miss them. I love poached and soft boiled egg yolks. I guess I have to just put them out of my mind.

I haven’t bought any milk or yoghurt, and am not missing them, but cheese – how does one give up cheese?

I can make dairy free cheese sauce, with soya milk and soya parmesan substitute, but I love to top lasagne off with a bit of grated cheese, and always make proper broccoli cheese. Out of cheese and eggs, cheese would be the best one to give up, but it’s so hard!

Anotehr thing I’ve found difficult, to go without sugar in drinks. I used to have two fruit sugars in tea and coffee, and found it quite easy to go from two to one, but not from one to none!

It would really be handy too, because I was at a friend’s the other day, and she ran out of sugar, so put artificial sweetener in my tea – with the lovely guest star; ‘Aspartame’. I was too polite (and too much of a sweet-tooth) to refuse. But if I didn’t take sugar, I wouldn’t have that problem.

I did treat myself to dark chocolate when I was ill, which I munched during Ugly Betty – pure bliss!

I don’t know what ‘Day’ I’m up to, and more importantly, I don’t know why I had to number the Days anyway – the blog posts all have the date on! So there’s no need for Day numbers anymore.