Food and Mood
How often do we hear about this new diet or that amazing new super-food? Nearly everyday a miracle food or product is brought to our attention. The term “We Are What We Eat” has a great deal of truth in it. Too much sugar can give you instant energy but is just as quickly gone, overload on carbohydrates especially refined ones can make you lethargic. Keeping a Food and Mood Diary will help us review and tweak what is best for you.
Protein is often misunderstood, with contradictory information available and the “rise and fall” of high-protein diets. It is a question of balance and getting it right can give you a real metabolic advantage. What sort of Carbohydrates, Fats should you be eating, how much water? A personal eating plan for you as an individual can be the answer to mood swings, fatigue, poor sleep patterns etc.
Weight Management
I can advice you on this and with a well-balanced regime in place those yo-yo diets could be a thing of the past. Not eating enough on a calorie restricted diet forces the body into starvation mode and it begins to conserve energy and reduces the metabolic rate. You reach that target weight and go back to normal eating…..9 out of 10 of us find the weight goes back plus more. So let us try a more sensible and in the long-term successful way…. 1 to 2 pounds a week, which I appreciate does not sound a lot but if your metabolic rate is not affected the weight loss achieved can then be maintained and a healthy eating plan established for the future.
Combined with exercise it can only be a positive and balanced outcome!
Eating for Body Types
Determining Body Type
There are 3 main body types with many subtypes but if you tend to follow the dietary requirements for the dominant body type; to determine body type the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is required.
Measure the circumference of your waist and your hips and divide the first number by the second.
Mesomorph (String Bean) Range does not correspond with either of below.
String beans are well proportioned with long legs, shoulders and hips tend to be identical in width with a straight or boyish waist, can eat a range of foods without weight gain and can also lose any extra pounds easily. String beans are often athletic, build muscle well and good with flexibility exercise such as yoga and Pilates. String beans fare best on a well-balanced diet of whole grains, animal and vegetable proteins, fruits and vegetables. They can consume more seeds and nuts than the other body types as they use the essential fatty acids without putting on weight. Shellfish is fine as they are not prone to high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. Avoiding junk food will mean they rarely need to diet.
Endomorph (Pear) A range of 0.72 - 0.78
Pears have wide hips and thighs, flatter or droopy bottom with narrow shoulders and gaining weight in the lower body and therefore appear to be bottom heavy with short legs. A lower risk of heart disease than Apples even when MBI is high because fat is stored away from the vital organs. Pears have a tendency to crave high-fat and dairy foods especially cheese, butter, cream and ice-cream with less interest in fresh fruit and vegetables. They need to lower saturated-fat and increase intake of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as fibre to regulate their blood sugar levels.
Ectomorph (Apple) A range of 0.82 - 0.89
Apples have a broader upper body and smaller lower body, gaining weight around their middle; they are the most likely to gain weight but are also able to lose it with correct dietary regime and exercise. Apples have a higher risk of heart and cardiovascular disease and high cholesterol than other body types with 85% of diabetic women being apple-shaped. Apples tend to crave simple carbohydrates like white bread, potatoes, biscuits and cakes. Having a sweet-tooth they are most likely to overeat and binge and it is therefore important for Apples to cut out refined (simple) carbohydrates and replace with complex carbohydrates and whole grains. Studies show that including 20+ servings of wholegrain foods a week in an Apples diet can cut the risk of developing heart disease, strokes and diabetes type-2 by 40%! An increase in protein with 5-6 portions of vegetables a day helps to regulate their blood sugar levels but fruit should be kept at 2-3 portions daily due to the sweet cravings. Soya products are beneficial by replacing the saturated fats from dairy produce and adding phytoestrogens that help to regulate female hormones. The essential fatty acids from nuts and seeds are a good source of vegetable protein replacing animal protein that is high in saturated fats. Nuts and seeds make a good snack helping to regulate blood sugar levels between meals but limit to 30g per day.
Eating for your Body Type
P – Protein
Animal protein from poultry, fish, shellfish, lean meats & dairy products
Vegetable protein from pulses & beans, Soya products, nuts and seeds.
C – Complex Carbohydrates
Grains (starches) = whole grains, cereals, breads and crackers, pastas & noodles
Starchy vegetables – root vegetables
An excess of starchy carbohydrates in the evening will not be used for energy but converted and stored as fat. Have a maximum of 2 portions of grain-based starches and 1 vegetable-based starch each day. Starchy vegetables have a high GI when cooked so should be eaten with protein to counteract the glucose release into the bloodstream and the blood sugar level.
Non-starchy vegetables & herbs
Can be eaten during the day and the evening as they do not affect blood sugar levels like their starchy relatives.
Fruits – Apples to Water melon
Best to eat fruits that are grown on the same continent (
F - Fibre
Found in all the grain-based carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables and salad foods. To ensure adequate fibre on a daily basis aim for 1-2 grain-based portions and 4-5 portions of vegetables and fruit but limit fruit to 3 portions per day, more will throw your sugar levels out of balance.
FA - Essential Fats
We need fats for all the bodies’ vital functions and the brain and the nervous system are made up of 60% fats. Our hormones are produced out of essential fats and our skin is protected and lubricated by these essential fats. The largest organ of our body is the skin and our first line of defence so any lack of essential fats in our diet will manifest as scaly skin, ageing and weathering.
Saturated Fats – Meats, dairy products, cakes, biscuits.
Moderation as they block the action of the beneficial fats or essential fatty acids that our brain cells and nervous system require.
Polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated Fats – Nut and seed oils.
Do not block the arteries and are needed by our brain and nervous systems as well as our heart and cardiovascular systems.
Omega -3 & 6 fatty acids - Nut oils for added flavour, using sparingly and should be mixed with extra virgin or light olive oil - pumpkin seed oil, walnut *+& hazelnut oils.
Omega – 3 essential fatty acids are the best and vital for cognitive function, nervous system and are responsible for some of the anti-inflammatory processes in the body. Mainly found in oily fish – salmon, tuna (fresh not tinned), sardines, herring, anchovies and whitebait as well as seeds and nuts the best being almonds, sunflower and pumpkins seeds.
Mesomorph (String Bean) String Bean meal serving
percentages
String beans have the most flexibility with their percentages having a more even weight and fat distribution. They can eat the highest rate of lean animal proteins and function best eating plenty of fibre and relatively low complex carbohydrates.
Endomorph (Pear) Pear meal serving percentages
Pears need a higher percentage of complex carbohydrates and are well suited to beans, pulses and legumes; keep animal protein consumption low because of the tendency to store fat in the lower areas which is difficult to shift; therefore important to eat plenty of fibre.
Ectomorph (Apple) Apple meal service percentages
Apples need a higher percentage of lean proteins with their tendency to store around their middles. A good percentage of both types of fibre to ensure constipation in avoided
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