11 Tips to Fight Fatigue and Boost Energy

I never looked forward to springtime. Even though there is more sunshine, air is getting warmer and birds start to sing in the morning, none of that would cause joy to me as I’d just feel tired and sleepy all day. If this sounds like you, then these lifestyle and diet tips will make your life so much easier! 

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Good news is that “spring fatigue” is not an illness, but rather a discomfort of fatigue caused by seasonal changes. It’s hard to disagree though that fatigue is really annoying! It makes you feel there’s never enough sleep and being exhausted, unable to concentrate, work, exercise, memorise information or react quickly. It also causes mood swings and even depression, which is definitely not fun.

So what I am going to tell you in this article are the practical and very efficient tips that help deal both with spring fatigue and fatigue in general that can occur at any time of the year. These tips are also advised by doctors to people suffering from CFS and CFIDS to help them feel better and even get rid of these syndromes completely.  So let’s get cracking!

First things first. If your fatigue lasts several weeks, it is a good idea to undergo a medical examination to check your blood hemoglobin level, thyroid and whether you may have an infection.  After all if the cause is known it becomes much easier to treat the symptoms.

Here’s a list of factors contributing to fatigue:

Allergies (food or environmental, including hayfever)
Anemia (low blood hemoglobin)
Bacterial infections
Cancer
Chemical sensitivities
Diabetes
Diarrhea and loss of nutrients as a result
Chronic Pain
Constipation
Depression
Environmental toxicity
Hypoglycemia
Lack of sleep, poor sleep or sleep apnea
Low immunity
Low hydrochloric acid
Low thyroid function
Low adrenal gland function (often due to prolonged stress and overconsumption of sugar)
Lack of rest
Metabolic diseases
Mould sensitivity
Nutritional deficiencies and poor dietary habits
Obesity
Parasite infections
Poor digestion
Progressive diseases
Psychological problems (conflicts at work, family or in a relationship, boredom, overall unhappiness)
Sluggish Liver
Stress (physical or emotional) and anxiety
Substance abuse (caffeine, any energy drinks, alcohol, rancid oils, marijuana and other drugs)
Overworking
Taking antibiotics
Toxicity from the colon, intestinal dysbiosis
Viral infections (acute like cold, flu and hepatitis or chronic like HIV or EBV)
Yeast overgrowth (candida albicans)

1. Listen to Your Body

The starting point for anyone experiencing fatigue… is to get as much physical and mental rest and sleep as possible. Your body is screaming for it, so try to make time to give it what it needs the most! If possible, work less and make time for quality relaxation. Come home after work or uni and, giving yourself a break from domestic duties, change into comfy soft clothes, relax completely and go to bed early.  Simply spending an evening or at least an hour or two in a comfortable horizontal position lying on a sofa or bed is extremely beneficial. If you have a big family, let them know that you feel exhausted and ask for help with kids or house if necessary. Watching a good movie (which is not a horror, thriller or tragic drama), listening to soft relaxing music, taking a warm bath or reading a book are great ways to get your relaxed, but note that browsing internet or playing computer games won’t give you the same amazing results / are very far off from giving the same amazing results / from being as effective. Also, if you have an opportunity to take a nap during the day, definitely take advantage of it! Even simply relaxing with your eyes closed for 10-15 minutes is absolutely fantastic.

As to a proper sleep per night, aim at 8 or more hours of shut eye per night and go to bed early to achieve it.

In the long run, it is imperative that you find a balance between work, play and regular rest. But it all comes with fantastic rewards, which are better productivity at work and emotional and physical wellbeing. 

2. Avoid Foods that Cause Fatigue

Some foods dramatically increase your blood sugar level, which is then followed by a drastic drop (state called hypoglycemia). When this happens, it causes exhaustion, drowsiness and even irritability and mood swings.

These products are those that have high glycemic index (GI) and high glycemic load (GL) and include refined grain based and refined sugar based products such as anything baked from white flour, white rice and rice flour, sweetened breakfast cereal, canned fruit, candies, maple syrup, molasses, couscous, fries and crisps, cakes, cookies, pastries, chocolates and so on. There are also foods that naturally have high GI and GL too: dates, raisins, cooked potatoes and cooked carrots, polenta, corn, rutabaga, spelt.

Soda drinks, energy drinks and lemonades are extremely packed with sugar and artificial junk, so watch out for those.  

Note that skipping meals causes hypoglycemia and fatigue, so taking time to eat a meal when you are hungry definitely pays off!

3. Limit Stimulants and Alcohol 

Things like coffee, tea, chocolate, soda drinks or energy drinks are not magical tools for resolving your problem. They may provide only a temporary fix, but unfortunately after the effect is gone, they only make your fatigue worse. When your body is naturally tired, artificially pushing it to work overtime only deprives it of its energy and vitality reserves that were already quite scant.

Caffeine remain in your body for around 9 hours (and remain up to 14 hours until eliminated from your body completely), so they can greatly interfere with your sleep at night which is the key to replenishing your energy. If a coffee or tea is your most favourite thing in the world, definitely keep it within 1 cup limit per day, exclusive only to the morning time and don’t go for the ‘double shot’ dose. Cutting stimulants out completely is of course ideal.

Alcohol in small amounts and within your daily unit limits is ok only if you feel well and strong. When you experience fatigue and drink alcohol, you put additional workload on your liver and other organs that work to purify your blood from it. This will leave you even more tired. What’s more - your sleep will not be as revitalising and you may wake up at night or an hour before the usual time, exactly because your organism was working instead of resting.
So while you are recovering, it is a good idea to avoid alcohol completely.

Check out some very helpful guides on how to cut down alcohol:
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/alcohol/Pages/Tipsoncuttingdown.aspx 
http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/drink-less-alcohol.aspx

4. Get the Right Foods in Your Diet

 

Malnutrition may occur not only when you don’t eat enough food, but also when don’t get enough of essential nutrients. The superheroes that give us strength and stamina are: Magnesium, Iron, and Potassium. Also Iodine, Calcium and vitamins B9, B12 (and to some extent vitamins B1, B3 and B6 too), C, D and E and essential fatty acids are important to fighting fatigue.

To get these minerals and vitamins, incorporate the following products into your diet:

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•    Dark green leafy vegetables kale, watercress, rocket, arugula, mustard greens
•    Simple raw vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, cabbage, raw carrots, avocado
•    Broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms, green beans, courgettes and squashes but cooked only slightly
•    Seafood, salmon, sardines, tuna, eggs, lean red meat
•    Wholegrain brown rice, whole rolled oats (non-instant), quinoa, buckwheat
•    Black beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans, lima (aka "butter") beans
•    Grapefruit, apples, cantaloupe, kiwi, pears, mango, berries
•    Olive oil, olives, sunflower seeds

In addition:
•    Restrict your salt intake or avoid salt completely
•    Eat regular meals

Note that caffeine, alcohol and sugar (including refined carbs) decrease your magnesium levels. Caffeine and alcohol also greatly interfere with absorption of vitamins and minerals from food.

Vitamin B12, which is known as “red” or “energy” B vitamin, can be obtained exclusively from animal foods. Vegans often suffer from deficiency of this vitamin, so you may need to discuss supplements with your doctor if you are vegan.

What I usually do myself and advise to everyone experiencing bad fatigue is to eat as much raw vegetables as possible. Vegetables and leafy veg should form at least 50% of all foods consumed per day. They are packed with enzymes and phytonutrients, which speed up and balance all processes in your organism. When I feel completely out of energy, I eat raw salads at all mealtimes, even for breakfast. Remember that it is not about calories, but it all boils down to the right nutrients you get from food.  

5. Stay Hydrated

Drink plenty of clean filtered water between mealtimes. A glass upon waking up, after exercise and before going to shower, bath or sauna is an absolute must. Staying hydrated fights fatigue quite impressively! Water participates in numerous metabolic processes and transports nutrients and oxygen to cells and helps body get rid of waste material. Human body consists of water by 75%, so water is absolutely crucial for our survival. 

Water requirement for adults can be calculated by multiplying 35mls to body weight in kg.

6. “Pick Me Up” Foods

•    Grapefruit is my favourite trick of all. Eating this fruit in its raw state provides virtually an instant “pick me up” effect and gives you a feeling of being refreshed and revitalised. It is a fantastic drowsiness fighter too!

•    Semi-Smoothie is what I make by blending just a half of fruit with a glass of water. It promotes hydration, without adding too many carbs or extra calories. Try combinations like quarter of a pear and few slices of orange or grapefruit. Few slices of mango and cucumber works also great and is very delicious.

•    Ginger root drunk as tea is a warming herb, stimulates circulation and improves digestion. It also helps with headaches and is a fantastic immune booster!

•    Ginseng works great to relieve physical fatigue and has stress-reducing properties

•    Licorice root drunk as tea is a great balancer. It enhances energy and provides an “up” feeling.

•    Gotu kola provides mental clarity, improves memory and reduces fatigue at the same time.

•    Cayenne pepper  is a spice that you can add to foods and is a natural energy booster.

PRECAUTIONS:

Avoid ginseng root if you have high blood pressure, are pregnant or breastfeeding, suffer from bleeding conditions, auto-immune conditions, hormone-related conditions, heart conditions, diabetes, insomnia, schizophrenia or have undergone an organ transplant surgery.

Avoid licorice root if you have high blood pressure, heart or kidney disease, have undergone or preparing for a surgery, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, suffer from hypokalemia, hypertonia or hormone related conditions (e.g. PCOS).

Avoid gotu kola before and after surgery, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or if you suffer from any kind of liver diseases.

If you are pregnant, please consult your doctor if it is safe for you to add ginger root to your diet.

7. Avoid Fasting or Overeating

Many people try to fight fatigue with detox plans, juicing or fasting. However, these are too far off from being a good idea, because most people suffering from fatigue are more undernourished than they are toxin-loaded. Fasting leads to even more nutrient loss and will only aggravate fatigue. Therefore, focus on rebuilding your energy first.

Overeating and snacking too often is not a good thing either as it puts your inner organs under additional stress. Too much food leads to blood sugar fluctuations (see Nr 2 above), exhaustion and weight gain. You clearly don’t need any of those!

 

8. Exercise… Well, not really! 

You probably read lot of advices on the internet suggesting you to get moving in order to fight fatigue. Well, yes, in the long run, exercise makes you stronger, more energised, helps fight stress and improves sleep. But when your energy levels are too low (for example, CFS or CFIDS), increased physical activity can exacerbate the fatigue and make you feel even more exhausted.

This is interconnected with the point I made in NR 1 – listen to your body. Get adequate rest and sleep first, get your diet in order and only then start moving little by little. Start with stretching exercises, slow low intensity yoga and then if you feel stronger, gradually move on to cardio or higher intensity exercises, such as dancing, pilates, jogging, running or whatever your heart desires. 

9. Get Some Fresh Air

 

 

This one is overlooked too often. Ideally for anyone, at least one hour a day should be spent outside on fresh air (not on a busy high street full of cars and no trees). If you have such opportunity, get out of the house when it is sunny and take a slow walk. If that option is not available, take an evening walk or sit in the garden, even if it is just 10 or 15 minutes. You may also walk part of the route to or from work. When you have a day off, get outside and spend as many hours on fresh air as possible. If you have a family, plan weekend trips together, a picnic in the park or any other outdoor activity. Make use of your garden if you have one.

When you get strong enough to exercise, having workouts on fresh air is absolutely amazing both for your body and mental health. That’s why a morning run is my favourite thing!

10. Address Psychological Problems

Firstly, learn and experiment stress management techniques. (Paul McKenna has a short but very good practical book called “Control Stress: Stop Worrying and Feel Good Now”)

Secondly, put an end to anything that is destroying you. If you need support, speak to your friend or your loved one or seek professional help, such as counselling or cognitive behavior therapy. Remember that no matter how difficult the situation or circumstances are, you always have a choice and there is always a way out.

 

11. Find Something to Look Forward to

 

This works wonders and gives nice mood boost. There’s no need for major things like vacation or an upcoming wedding. Life is composed of little things, so even looking forward to your morning cuppa, watching a movie and seeing a friend can give you positive emotions and expectations. Let yourself be excited about upcoming things and consciously acknowledge and maybe even write down the things you look forward to today or in future. Work on developing optimism and practice gratitude.

If there’s too little joy, think of ways of how increase it in your life. It may be even a treat to yourself from yourself! Set yourself goals, make plans and do more of what makes you feel good in life!

And don’t forget to laugh! Laughter is a natural remedy that is more powerful than most medications out there!

Healthy alternatives to foods high in saturated fat

Hello my Lovelies! Following my previous two articles about limiting your overall fat intake and choosing healthy fats, I thought it would be a great help having a clear guide in front of you helping you choose healthier food options. Unfortunately, lots of people these days are used to foods that are super-packed with unhealthy and harmful saturated fat, wrecking their health in so many ways. Limiting saturated fats is especially important to men of all ages and postmenopausal women, so if you fall into either of these groups, choosing the right kind of dietary fat is crucial to keep your heart and whole cardiovascular system healthy. To make things easier for you, I've put up a table of smart substitutions to the foods high in saturated fat. What's good about it - having tried this substitutions, you'll see for yourself that healthy meals can be absolutely delicious (do check out my Instagram page to see a proof)! Go ahead and introduce small diet changes gradually but consistently and your body will thank you with wellness and healthy weight.  

Foods high in saturated fat and its content per 100g:	Healthier Options:
Butter (total fat 80g of which saturated 51g)	♥ Avocado ♥ Peanut butter (sugar and trans fats free) ♥ Olive oil (for frying) ♥ Skip butter completely. Please, leave in past combinations like: butter & cheese sandwich butter & ham sandwich butter & salmon sandwich butter with porridge butter & scone / croissant / pancake etc.
Cheese (total fat depending on the variety 28-46g of which saturated 21-30g)	♥ Eat in strict moderation or skip completely ♥ Thinly grate instead of thick slices when using to add flavour ♥ Choose low-fat / reduced-fat cheese with 20% or lower fat content, e.g. quark, cottage cheese, ricotta, reduced fat edam or mozzarella ♥ Avocado
Cream in coffee (total fat 19g of which saturated 12g)	Low-fat milk, unsweetened almond or oat drink
Whipped cream in coffee shop serving per 1 regular drink (total fat 8-12g of which saturated 6-9g)	Skip completely (sorry guys!)
Double cream in baking (total fat 50.5g of which saturated 31.4g)	♥ Oat or Almond cream ♥ Coconut cream ♥ Reduced fat or fat-free crème fraiche ♥ Reduced fat or fat-free Greek yogurt ♥ Mashed banana
Sour cream, salad cream, mayonnaise as salad dressing (total fat 18-30g of which saturated 12-21g)	♥ Olive oil ♥ Low-fat plain yogurt ♥ Reduced fat or fat-free crème fraiche ♥ Reduced fat or fat-free Greek yogurt
Evaporated or condensed milk in baking (total fat 9.4g of which saturated 5.9g)	♥ Low-fat milk, unsweetened almond or oat drink with mashed banana ♥ Oat or Almond cream ♥ Coconut milk ♥ Coconut cream ♥ Reduced fat Greek yogurt of crème fraiche
Ice cream (total fat 8-15g of which saturated 6-9.5g)	♥ Frozen yogurt ♥ Reduced fat ice cream ♥ Mashed banana based dessert
1 small pancake (60g) (total fat 9.8g of which saturated 4.2g)	♥ 2 ingredient banana & eggs pancakes ♥ Homemade pancakes from eggs / egg whites, low-fat yogurt and oat bran ♥ Buckwheat pancakes
Potato crisps (28g) (total fat 9.6g of which saturated 4g)	♥ Snack on sliced fresh veg (cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, peppers), fruit, raw seeds or nuts (bear in mind the limits on nuts which are a tricky food), hard-boiled egg, low-fat yogurt or yogurt smoothie, lean meats, wholemeal toast with peanut butter or avocado and cucumber. ♥ Avoid eating just because you are bored or stressed or just seeking to boost your mood. ♥ Drink a glass of water. Most likely you’re just dehydrated if you crave solid crunchy foods ♥ If you crave potatoes, bake them with skin in the oven on parchment paper. Sweet potatoes are less harmful for your figure.
Chocolate (total fat 31g of which saturated 19g)	♥ Eat sparingly ♥ Almond, oat or coconut drink with chocolate flavour ♥ Chocolate milk ♥ Hot chocolate with no sugar added
Cheesecake (total fat 26-36g of which saturated 14-19g)	Cottage Cheese & Banana Cheesecake
Flapjack (total fat 17-27g of which saturated 8-15g)	♥ Vegan oat & banana cookies ♥ High-fibre oat granola bars
Carrot cake, 1 slice of 100g (total fat 19g of which saturated 5g)	♥ Eat sparingly as a celebration or occasion meal ♥ Never eat them in place of main meal (most often – breakfast), have a normal meal first ♥ Eat complex carbohydrates for breakfast, e.g. porridge or raw muesli and have adequate protein intake throughout the day to avoid sugar cravings ♥ Fruit smoothie ♥ Fresh fruit ♥ Warm fruit on wholemeal toast ♥ Dried figs and prunes ♥ Plain yogurt with fruit, berries and cinnamon ♥ Homemade fruit pies using low fat dairy products or dairy substitutes ♥ Vegan oat & banana cookies ♥ Healthy Italian biscotti with almonds and orange zest (dairy-free, wheat-free, low-fat)
1 medium Croissant, approx. 60g (total fat 16g of which saturated 6g)
1 large Almond Croissant approx 80g (total fat 23.5g of which saturated 11.7g)
1 Belgian Waffle, approx. 25g (total fat 7.3g of which saturated 4.5g)
Sponge cake, 1 slice of 100g (total fat 27g of which saturated 6g)
1 Shortbread biscuit, approx 12g (total fat 3.6g of which saturated 2.4g)
1 Danish pastry with fruit, approx 100g (total fat 15.5 of which saturated 9.4g)
1 Pain au Rasin (total fat 15.4 of which saturated 10.7g)
1 Pain au Chocolat (total fat 18.6 of which saturated 10.6g)
1 Éclair, approx. 50g (total fat 16g of which saturated 8g)
1 Butter cookie (total fat 16g of which saturated 8g)
1 Muffin, chocolate chip, approx. 100g (total fat 18g of which saturated 11g)
Lard (total fat 99.8g of which saturated 40g)	♥ Olive oil ♥ Avocado (as a topping on a slice of bread) ♥ Coconut oil
Ghee (clarified butter) (total fat 99.5g of which saturated 62g)
Goose fat (total fat 100g of which saturated 28g)	♥ Olive oil ♥ Coconut Oil
Red meat, ribs (total fat 30g of which saturated 12g)	♥ Lean cuts of beef (lean sirloin, tenderloin steaks with fat trimmed) ♥ Turkey or chicken (preferable white meat that comes from breast) with visible white fat cut off and with no skin ♥ Quail ♥ Oily fish (non-deep fried) ♥ Lean fish (non-deep fried) ♥ Seafood (non-deep fried)
Minced beef, extra lean (total fat 14g of which saturated 5.5g)
Fillet steak (total fat 16g of which saturated 6.5g)
Sausage (total fat 25g of which saturated 9.2g)
Pâté (total fat 33.3g of which saturated 12.4g)
Salami, beef, 1 slice of 10g (total fat 5g of which saturated 2.1g)
Salami, pork, 1 slice of 10g (total fat 3.5g of which saturated 1.2g)
Pepperoni, 1 slice of 10g (total fat 2.6-4.3g of which saturated 1-1.5g)
Bacon, streaky, grilled, 3 rashers (60g) (total fat 16.1g of which saturated 6g)
Lamb, lean leg (total fat 16.5g of which saturated 7g)
Goose, roasted, no skin (total fat 22g of which saturated 10g)
Duck breast, with skin (total fat 43g of which saturated 11g)
Chicken breast, with skin (total fat 14g of which saturated 6g)

Eating Healthy While Travelling

Be it a business trip or a long awaited holiday, eating right while traveling will make a huge difference to your energy levels and your overall freshness when you reach your destination. While it may be very challenging to make healthy choices on the road, in an airport or on a plane, there are a few ways to get round this:

 
1. Eat as healthy as possible a day before you depart

Make sure your meals consist of as much vegetables and fruit as possible. Include lean meat or fish and wholegrains and go easy on the salt, sauces, sweets and alcohol. Your body will need to be prepared for a long way and it will need a lot of energy.

 
2. Check the inflight meals menu with your airline 

If you have any special needs, for example you are vegan, vegetarian or suffer from food allergies, you can make a prior request with your airline company and choose a meal that suits your needs. You can also call your airline to find out about the ingredients in the meals they offer.

3. Pack some fresh fruit and vegetables with you
 

Raw foods are a nature made catalyst of all the processes in our body. They are a true fount of vitamins, minerals, phyto-chemicals and enzymes that speed up processes in our body, including healthy heartbeat and digestion, and make us stronger and healthier. Unfortunately, not all plane foods are rich in raw vegetables and fruit and the chances are that a description on a menu will not meet your expectations. A meal can either turn out to be deep-fried, too greasy or too spicy or you may simply not like the taste. My suggestion will provide you a back up plan if such frustration is a case. Other things you can take with you are: nuts, dried fruit, sliced wholegrain bread or home-baked grain bars, yoghurt pot, sliced cheese, peanut butter, hummus and carrots. Liquids up to 100ml in volume are allowed to be taken in a cabin luggage, so you can safely put liquid foods into a clip lock box. A yoghurt can be carried in a small plastic bottle. 

4. Prepare some healthy snacks or meals to take with you to the airport or to eat onboard

I frequently find myself in a situation, where I have a very busy morning before traveling to the airport  and then a hunger hits me when I'm pass the customs or the plain takes off. The worst thing is when there is a poor choice of snacks and meals available on a plane. Taking a pre-packed healthy meal or snack is also a good idea if your kids are traveling with you. Apart from the foods I mentioned above, you also take with you sliced avocado, boiled eggs, or sandwich with lean meat. These foods are safe to store outside a fridge for up to two hours. As a drink, unsweetened almond milk or juice is a good option too.

5. Have a bottle of water in your cabin luggage 

Staying hydrated during your flight is a crucial task. To put it simply - it enables you feel fresh and strong, promotes a good digestion and sound sleep. Believe me, flying is stressful for your body so we have to make this experience as easy and harmless as possible. Be prepared to drink more water than usual during your flight as dehydration during the flight is massive. To promote hydration, take 2-3 dried apricots with you or a clip lock box of sliced fruit like cantaloupe melon, banana, kiwi, citrus fruit. These fruit are rich in potassium that promotes hydration, enhances energy levels and boost your body's endurance, supports normal acid-base balance, nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction.  If you suffer from high blood pressure or any cardiovascular decease this is step you cannot ignore. Remember that drinking tea, coffee and alcohol or eating salted nuts, crackers, potato chips and chocolate dehydrates you even more. Having a glass of wine a night before your flight or onboard a plane is not a good idea, but if you do make sure you have an extra glass of water and include raw vegetables and fruit to your diet. 

6. Avoid fast food restaurants and do not overeat

Needless to say about the havoc that fast or junk food does to your body.  Not only internally, but you'll also simply feel lousy. Same is with overeating - it creates an extra stress to your body and will make you feel irritated and exhausted. 

5 A DAY? What you REALLY need to do to lose weight and to be in rude health!

There has been a lot of criticism of 5-A-DAY campaign saying it is useless and you need other nutrients too that fruits and vegetables cannot supply and there’s no evidence it can protect from cancer, heart disease or diabetes.

I am of a strong opinion that, of course, your diet should be balanced and fruit and veggies should not be the only foods that you eat. As for disease prevention, other factors play a huge role, like smoking, alcohol, drugs, medications, pollution, lack of sleep and stress and also ensuring your diet is hormone and chemical free, and you are also thinking happy thoughts.:)

But just looking at the idea in general - I think it is a great place to start! I have seen a miracle changes in people around me, my clients and I myself when started eating a lot of fresh produce. I am 100% confident that eating these foods, and especially fresh raw vegetables and fruit, is the best thing you can do for you body to feel full of vitality, strong, happy and to lose weight.

That’s why I always start by recommending including vegetables into one’s diet first instead of going on supplements when a person complains about fatigue, digestive disorders, weight gain and frequent colds.

IS '5-A-DAY' FORMULA OPTIMAL FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

I don’t fully agree with the '5-A-DAY' formula for 2 reasons:

1. Firstly, some people might think that "Well, I ate 3 kiwis and 2 apples today, so I’m done, the box is ticked". 
2. Secondly, more and more packaged pre-cooked foods, like sauces, canned cooked vegetables and fruit have a writing saying “I am one of your 5 a day.” This is misleading over the top, because these foods are processed and have added either sugar and salt and were cooked for too long. As a result, their nutritional value is depleted and they withstand no competition with the same fresh raw vegetables and fruit.

WHAT I SUGGEST INSTEAD OF THE VAGUE 5-A-DAY FORMULA

Rule Number 1

Treat fruit as a dessert replacement or a snack or a small part of a meal. But fruit do not work well as a proper meal replacement. The only exception I can think of is on a hot summer day when fresh sliced fruit for breakfast works perfectly... :)

But as a rule, remember - fruits are quiet high in sugar and even though it is a natural sugar you still need to watch it if you want to lose weight and keep it off. 

Have to say that weight loss is not the only reason why you need to watch your sugar intake. Problems associated with high blood sugar level are - increased the risk of diabetes, arhtritis and joint pain, inflammatory processes in the body, damages your teeth and liver, anxiety. It also overloads your inner organs,  and can lead to hormonal disbalance and infertility... Not funny at all!

By the way, here's a nice summary of 126 adverse effects of REFINED sugar. Next time you reach out for a candy, doughnut or pastry it won't be that appealing anymore... :) http://www.dreamviews.com/lounge/5272-126-reasons-sugar-ruining-your-health.html

Rule Number 2

Focus on fresh vegetables. And here are 3 sub-rules:

Firstly, the amount of fruit a day should be only 1/3 of the whole amount of vegetables you eat in that day. So for each portion of fruit, you'll need 3 portions of veggies. A portion differs for each person as we come in different shapes and size. What fits comfortably into your palm/handful is the best measure for your own personal portion size.

Here's a rough guide of fruit & veg portion sizes that will give you an idea -
http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/5aday/documents/downloads/5aday_portion_guide.pdf 

Secondly, the amount of vegetables should fill at least half of your plate.

Thirdly, raw vegetables are your primary choice. If you can eat something raw, definitely go for it and eat it raw. Otherwise, if you eat lightly cooked vegetables (e.g. lightly stir fried for a short time, in a little amount of olive oil and on a low heat OR steamed just until they start becoming soft or baked in an oven in a mix of little olive oil and water for 30 minutes), the intake should still be balanced with raw vegetables in order to make a substantial improvement of your health and achieve tangible results.

By following these rules you won’t need to worry about any detox plans. ;)

ARE ALL VEGETABLES EQUALLY BENEFICIAL FOR WEIGHT LOSS AND HEALTH?

Luckily, as per the original idea starchy vegetables like potatoes, yams, cassava or plantain DO NOT count towards your 5-a-day plan, and I fully support this idea.

Even though these products have beneficial properties, they do not promote a healthy detox, they do not keep your gastrointestinal tract as clean as other vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, broccoli, kale, leafy greens and so on. If you want to lose weight, remember - these starchy vegetables raise your blood sugar level and trigger fat-storing hormones. I also recommend avoiding rutabaga, swede turnip, boiled carrots, cabbage turnip (kohlrabi), jicama (mexican turnip), corn and taro.

RAW root vegetables like carrots, turnip, celeriac, knob celery, turnip rooted celery are OK. You can eat radish in unlimited quantities. ;) 

You can also enjoy cooked parsnips, pumpkins, sweet potatoes baked with skin, squash, marrow  in moderate quantities IF you want to maintain your weight, but cut them down if you are in a weight loss stage. Same is with cooked turnip, celeriac, knob celery, turnip rooted celery - the glycaemic load is quite low, so you can eat them in very limited amount, but cut them down if you are trying to lose weight. 

THE GOLDEN RULE TO TAKE WITH YOU 

What I learned myself the hard way and what I advise you is the golden rule of healthy body inside out and healthy weight:

If you want to become best friends with your body, you’ll need to become best friends with vegetables and I can guarantee your body will love you back!

With Love,

Natalia xx