Planning your healthy diet
Planning your daily meals is one way of avoiding a dash to the nearest fast food outlet for a meal of additive laden, unhealthy food. It’s also a way to ensure that your body gets all the nutrients it needs for the day’s activities. A healthy diet is essential for a strong and healthy mind. It’s a way to beat the effects of stress on both mind and body.
Stress makes us head for sweet, starchy or fatty foods. This may initially alleviate the problem but it’s definitely not a long term fix. Rather have stress-busting snacks ready and available such as berries, walnuts, yoghourt and dark chocolate (not the whole bar!). Fresh fruit smoothies with avocado and dark leafy greens are also a great natural stress reliever.
The menu below is a good example of a day’s healthy food for both body and mind: -
On Waking
Breakfast
- Fresh fruit smoothie with avocado and berries OR
- Cooked teff porridge (gluten free and high in vitamin C and calcium) OR
- Teff soaked overnight (or for 24 hours) in water and served with toasted flax, cinnamon and some fresh berries – there are many recipes online
Mid-Morning Snack
- Natural yoghourt with fresh fruit and pistachios
Lunch
- A pasta salad (gluten-free) with handfuls of fresh, leafy greens
Mid-Afternoon Snack
Dinner
Bedtime Drink
- Chamomile tea
Throughout the day
- Drink lots of water
This sample menu gives you an indication of what you should be eating. There are so many healthy foods out there which will assist in helping you achieve and maintain a healthy body and mind, that you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to putting together your weekly menus.
Remember that you need to control your portions when it comes to foods such as chocolate, nuts and avocado. As delicious and health-giving as these foods are, they need to be eaten in moderation. You are what you eat and absorb, so ensure you eat quantities of foods that are beneficial to both your physical and mental health.
