A healthy balanced diet can have benefit your whole lifestyle
Have you ever considered what you eat might be influencing how you feel? What we consume can increase our energy levels and calm our mood. Before an exam, presentation or an important meeting it is all too easy to reach for a biscuit to provide some comfort. But that temporary junk food high or sugar rush is unlikely to help your mood - nor will it do your waistline any good.
We each now consume a staggering 24lbs of chocolate every year - and that's before you factor in any other sweet treats. Giving our bodies processed platefuls of food might make you feel good at first, but they can actually leave us feeling more wired. Whilst it is not always possible to avoid the trials and tribulations of daily life, what we can change is how we react to them with a healthy diet.
Sally Wisbey (www.sallywisbeynutrition.co.uk), Nutritionist suggests swapping some popular foods for a more natural alternative:
Swap: Refined white flours such as bread, pasta and rice and potatoes
Try: Wholegrain flour, bread, pasta and sweet potatoes. These will provide your digestive system with more fibre and maintains regular cleansing of the digestive system.
Swap: Caffeinated drinks such as coffee, fizzy drinks and alcohol as these may make you feel irritable
Try: Herbal teas such as chamomile can be pleasant and calming to drink. Green tea is an exception to the rule when it comes to no caffeine as it is supposedly richer in anti-oxidants than other types of tea because of the way they are processed.
Swap: Carbohydrate heavy diet
Try: Adding fish, chicken, turkey, beef or eggs to every meal. Protein contributes to the maintaince of muscle mass and bone development. It is also essential for the production of aminio acids, the building blocks of protein and has a role in producing neurotransmitters in the brain. When snacking on fruit, include a small handful of nuts and seeds.
Swap: Gulping down food
Try: Taking a moment out and relax, pop a soothing RESCUE® Pastille into your mouth. RESCUE Pastilles provide a moment of calm and contain a combination of five Bach™ Original Flower Essences - Star of Bethlehem, Clematis, Impatiens, Rock Rose and Cherry Plum. The pleasant-tasting Pastilles come in Elderflower & Orange, Blackcurrant or Cranberry flavours in a handy click-shut tin. Please note the Pastilles are not suitable for vegans.
RESCUE Pastilles cost £5.90 from Boots, independent pharmacies and health food stores as well as grocery stores nationwide.