Feel Great Food With Lee Holmes THE SUPERCHARGED APPROACH If you've wondered near and far for a suitable way of eating but you tend to find yourself swinging from one popular diet to another, then this post might help... When there are just too many diets to choose from, it may seem like it's the time to just throw in the towel, stop trying to be healthier altogether and grab a piece of chocolate cake. I'm here to tell you that it is possible to eat a healthy balanced diet and you shouldn't throw the towel in just yet! The everyday act of consuming food should never bring you a feeling of captivity or worry. In a supercharged life, food is to be enjoyed and savoured. In my years of studying nutrition, writing and researching books, I've personally found that the supercharged approach is simple and common sense! Basically it's all about letting let go of rules! A few of the things I’ve discovered in my journey of writing fifteen books about health and wellness is... EAT MOSTLY PLANTS The one thing we can all agree on is that eating plant foods is really good. I like to ensure that plant foods – such as nuts, seeds, fruits, grains, vegetables, herbs and spices – make up the majority of my diet, with the greatest emphasis on seasonal vegetables and especially greens. I still enjoy animal products but in smaller quantities. BALANCE OUT YOUR EATING Eating is all about balance. If you’ve been out of your normal routine while at work or on holidays and found you’ve overindulged in a specific food, spend the next few days nourishing yourself back to balance with the foods you’ve been missing. CUT DOWN ON PROCESSED AND INFLAMMATORY FOODS WHERE YOU CAN Industrially produced foods that your ancestors wouldn’t comprehend are best eaten in small 80
Issue #5 | The Inspired Guide | November 1st 2019
amounts. Any ingredient with a number, or a name that doesn’t register as ‘food’ when you read it, probably isn’t food and may not make you feel that great. LOOK AFTER YOUR GUT This is the engine room. Between 70-80% of your immune system tissues and cells reside in the gut. Our bodies function best when we eat foods that support the healing of our gut lining. Smoothies, soups and gelatinous homemade broth-based meals are wonderful. Probiotic and prebiotic foods are also important in creating the perfect environment for friendly bacteria in your micro biome to flourish. Munch mindfully, eat slowly and think about what you are eating and how it will nourish you. Rushing and stressing when you’re eating can interfere with digestion, and create imbalance in your gut ecosystem- this can lead to lack of energy, bloating, weight gain and digestive disturbances. LIVE BY THE 80:20 RULE Sticking to your nutritional values 80 per cent of the time will allow you a healthy margin where you can say yes to the chocolate cake at your friends’ birthday parties, or enjoy a big slab of pizza as you travel through Naples. TAKE AN AYURVEDIC APPROACH I’ve been deeply impacted by the ancient healing art of Ayurveda. It’s a whole-lifestyle approach that begins with determining your unique type, also known as a dosha. From there you can learn a host of lifestyle choices that best suit your emotional, physical, mental and spiritual needs. In Ayurvedic philosophies, the sense of taste is a natural roadmap directing us towards good nutrition and characterised by six individual tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent and pungent. I love this philosophy, as it recognises that no one diet is perfect for everyone, and it empowers you to be the author of your own health based on the knowledge you’ve gained about your unique self.