Olwen Anderson's Blog

We all make new years resolutions about our health. Any  resolutions you make will be even more effective if they’re specific (a vague goal like ‘get healthy’ is likely to produce only vague results.) To get you on the right track, here are 12 healthy changes you can make to your diet and lifestyle this year. 

1. Eat a protein-based breakfast that contains fibre too. It takes longer to digest, giving you sustainable energy. Eggs are ideal. A vegetable omelette, poached eggs on baked beans, or savoury mince on toast.
2. Make legumes part of your life. They’re high in fibre, contain complex carbohydrates and some protein too. As phytoestrogens, they will help balance your hormones. You don’t have to eat heroic quantities: Half a cup of cooked legumes every day is enough. Try some chick peas with your lunchtime salad.
3. Drink two litres of pure water every day. Just water. You’ll see the change in your skin.
4. Make fitness training part of your daily routine. Start slow; get help if you need to; but start. Today.
5. Stop and smell the roses for 30 minutes each day. Activities like meditation ‘switch off’ your stress response, helping you become more resilient to the pressures of modern life.
6. Enjoy seafood almost every day, especially oily fish like tuna and salmon.  Omega-3 oils are potent anti-inflammatory agents.
7. Use celtic salt (also known as ‘grey’ or ‘macrobiotic’ salt. ). Its evaporated sea water, full of trace minerals that are routinely removed from table salt.
8. Stop skipping meals, your metabolism may slow down in response. Especially important for weight loss.
9. Save cheese for special occasions. This is a high fat, high density food that was originally developed to save people from starvation over snow-bound winters.  We’re not subject to these conditions any longer, so too much cheese will just get deposited on your hips and in your arteries.
10. Go to bed a little earlier, so you get a full eight hours sleep. Yes, you might need to wrench yourself from the internet, but you’ll be more fun to be around the next day.
11. Play. Fun and laughter is really good for your wellbeing!
12. Switch to game meat: Kangaroo, now widely available, has almost no saturated fat, and is high in zinc and iron.

Take on one new health habit each month, and look forward to feeling and looking much healthier by December this year.