Healthy Eating for Women
Sustainable fat loss principles and how to achieve a happy, healthy life
At Go-FitUK, we will educate you to eat modest amounts of fresh, whole, preferably organic, unprocessed foods. Wholefoods contain vitamins, minerals and important phytonutrients which are all required in abundance by the body. They also contain fibre, necessary for proper digestion and intestinal transit, an integral part of the process of balancing your hormones.
You have probably seen countless other websites, books or videos that preach about nutrition. Often times they are from someone’s personal experience point-of-view and they assume that it will also work for you. At Go-FitUK, we don’t take that approach. We know that everyone is different, and that nutrition isn’t just a series of hyped-up trends that you should jump on. We take each and every factor of your lifestyle into account to truly tailor your nutritional intake to what’s best for you, your body and your goals. We’re not here to promote specific products or force you on to a hype-train of “fashionable” dieting techniques.
Eat your greens, reds, yellows and purples
Cover 50% of your plate or 2-3 fist size portions of a wide variety of vegetables – the fresher the better. Fresh veg means your body is getting lots of the hormone balancing phytonutrients in requires. You can be especially generous with the green variety.
Lean protein
We advise eating a palm-sized portion of protein of some kind; lean meat, fish, eggs, pumpkin, hemp or chia seeds. If you are vegetarian or vegan we would suggest you include a moderate amount of fermented soy foods such as tempeh, no more than 50g per day. Please note while we agree certain soy foods eaten in moderation can be a healthy addition to your diet, women who eat soy at every meal or even every day may be putting their health at risk. Soy has its good points but too many soy phytoestrogens do have an oestrogenic effect.
Complex carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates, like whole grains and legumes, contain longer chains of sugar molecules; these usually take more time for the body to break down and use. This, in turn, provides you with a more even amount of energy. Simple carbohydrates are composed of simple-to-digest, basic sugars with little real value for your body. They are higher in sugar and lower in fibre.
Fruits and vegetables are actually simple carbohydrates — still composed of basic sugars, but they are drastically different from other foods in the category, like biscuits and cakes. The fibre in fruits and vegetables changes the way that the body processes their sugars and slows down their digestion, making them a bit more like complex carbohydrates.
Complex carbohydrates such as bulgur, quinoa, millet, amaranth, buckwheat and brown rice will help with digestion and elimination. Be mindful, a diet high in carbohydrates can be counterproductive and may well lead to weight gain. For women no more than one cupped hand of complex carbs with each meal, two for men. We would advise that during your fat loss phase, complex carbohydrates be consumed after your training only. In time complex carbohydrates will be gradually phased back into your diet.
Fats
Along with health science’s low-fat diet reversal is its revision of which type of fat is the healthiest. You may remember the day when margarine, mainly hydrogenated polyunsaturated plant oil was going to save the world from heart disease? Well…we found out over the last two decades that it was actually a big contributor to heart disease.
We now understand that dietary fat doesn’t necessarily make you fat. In fact the huge amount of sugar and refined carbs such as pastries, cakes, bread, pasta and bagels have made a far more significant contribution to our ever expanding girths. Eliminating fat from our diets in an attempt to lose weight made way, not for more vegetables and fruit but for packaged, processed low-fat/high carbohydrate, calorific products with little to no nutrient value. A highly refined carbohydrate diet sets the body up for weight gain and an increased oestrogen burden far more than a diet with balanced amounts of healthy fats and wholefoods.
When choosing fats look for a cold pressed dark green extra virgin olive, it tastes so good you’ll only need a small amount. Also consider saturated fats such as coconut oil, grass fed butter and nuts. Saturated fats have gotten a bad rap but moderate amounts may be beneficial to your health. Coconut oil and peanut oil are best for cooking at high temperatures. Avocado oil is a good monounsaturated fat that’s rich in healthy essential fatty acids. Omega 3 fats are found most abundantly in fish such as mackerel, herrings, sardines, wild caught salmon, tuna, trout and cod. A balance of the right fats is important, they are required for joint health, brain function, mood stabilisation, and beautiful skin. Again remember portion control; no more than a thumb-sized amount of good fats with each meal.
Sugar cravings are a common problem. As hormone levels change and fluctuate enormous stress is placed on the nervous system. In order to maintain homeostasis, the body uses up its reserves of magnesium. Magnesium is an extremely important macro-mineral, meaning it is required in huge amounts by the body. Magnesium plays a major role in mood, relaxation and sleep. Low levels of magnesium will lead to sugar cravings. In the ancient past, before the invention of refined sugar, fruits and berries high in magnesium would have been consumed. Unfortunately, today we are much more likely to reach for sweets and processed foods. A diet containing good amounts of vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts, quality protein, healthy fats, and moderate amounts of fruit will help support your nervous system. High sugar foods tend to cause unstable blood sugar levels, which inevitably lead to you craving more and more of the same…….eventually leading to weight gain.
An inseparable connection between body fat and oestrogen exists because fat cells are oestrogen factories. Women become caught in a cycle where increased body fat raises oestrogen levels, and oestrogen in turn increases the tendency to accumulate body fat.
What you eat influences the type of bacteria that reside in your gut, this will have a huge impact on your hormone levels. We know that friendly microbiome feed on substances called lignans, present in some natural foods, including vegetables, fruit, healthy wholegrains and legumes such as beans and lentils. If you consume these foods you will be getting a regular dose of phytoestrogens, which will help to support your hormones. However, no amount of lignan containing food will help you if your friendly bacteria are out of balance with the bad.
Fermented foods
We encourage you to eat plenty of microbiome loving, healing foods; they are the real stars of your diet. Make sure they are raw and unpasteurised in order to receive all the benefits. We recommend all cultured foods; raw organic apple cider vinegar with mother, raw cultured veggies such as kimchi or sauerkraut. Also you may like to consider kefir – a fermented drink made with goat or cow milk, coconut or filtered water. No medicine can replace the benefits of the friendly bacteria they will create.
The friendly microbiome inside you require a specific environment in which to thrive. If this changes, even slightly, the bad guys move in and take over. Antibiotic use, stress, digestive problems, smoking, alcohol, processed foods, sugar, caffeine and food poisoning can affect your microbiome levels.
A glass or two of red wine may be very appealing after a stressful day. However, take note – this little habit is extremely detrimental to your gut. Studies show that just one glass in women and two in men can induce dysbiosis and bacterial overgrowth.
If you are unsure about where you can make changes to your diet, speak to your Go-FitUK body transformation coach or a nutritionist who can help you cut the calories with a nutrient-dense plan, which will not leave you feeling hungry and miserable.
Keep it simple, you don’t need to weigh everything out. Most people think controlling portions means counting calories, but we believe there’s a better way.
The hand measure system
Your hand is proportionate to your body, its size never changes, and it is always with you and makes the perfect tool for measuring food.
There are many reasons why we pack on the pounds but one of the biggest culprits is not being aware of the number of calories we are actually consuming throughout the day. One study by Cornell University showed that we tend to underestimate the number of calories we are consuming in large meals by around 30%.
The maintenance calorie guideline for men is 2500 calories and 2000 calories for women. By logging your food on the Go-FitUK app and also being mindful of portion control, you will be able to easily track how many calories you are consuming.
There are many reasons why we pack on the pounds but one of the biggest culprits is not being aware of the number of calories we are actually consuming throughout the day. One study by Cornell University showed that we tend to underestimate the number of calories we are consuming in large meals by around 30%.
The maintenance calorie guideline for men is 2500 calories and 2000 calories for women. By logging your food on the Go-FitUK app and also being mindful of portion control, you will be able to easily track how many calories you are consuming.
We all slip up when we’re out and about. Maybe you are rushing around with the kids or perhaps you have had to work late and don’t feel like cooking. This is usually when we turn to convenience food.
Prepping your meals will ensure you don’t leave your success to chance. Prepping your food will ensure you are in control of everything that you put into your mouth.
Drinking enough water will keep your friendly gut bacteria and liver happy, both essential to keep hormone levels in check. Water is also important for regulating body temperature, cushioning your joints, strengthening your muscles, providing moisture for your skin and other tissues, and also to carry nutrients to your cells. The human body is more than 50 percent water, although the exact percentage varies, based on a number of factors, including gender, age and body composition.
Keep yourself hydrated by drinking at least 2.5 litres every day, more if you are exercising. Consider starting every day with a healthful beverage consisting of hot water and the juice of a lemon; hydrating, detoxifying with an added vitamin boost. How about a homemade flavoured water? Add mint, cucumber, berries…..the combos are endless. But please stay away from unhealthy sugary or diet drinks.
By staying hydrated you are helping to keep your cravings at bay. It may also help with fat burning by improving digestion thus enabling you to metabolise calories more effectively.