Newsletter 2.

The latest news and health tips…Online Slimming

“There is no one giant step that does it. It’s a lot of little steps.” – Peter A. Cohen

Back in Shape

Gwyneth Paltrow famously followed a strict macrobiotic diet plan, which banned all meat, eggs, dairy, caffeine and other toxins. However, during her first pregnancy with her daughter Apple, she ditched this extreme diet and indulged herself with cheese on toast and chips. She began to put on the pounds.

Since the baby’s arrival, Gwyneth has resumed a healthier diet, although she admits she’s not as strict on herself as she once was. “I try to eat as organically as possible and I steer clear of sweets and sugar because I don't think there’s any energy in it,” she says. “I simply try not to eat any over–manufactured foods that aren’t naturally welcome in my body. I try not to eat anything "toxic" that will drain my energy.”

Gwyneth’s current moderate, balanced diet is fantastic for shedding pounds as well as maintaining your desired weight. The importance of eating fresh foods that you prepare yourself cannot be overestimated as part of a healthy eating plan. When you buy pre prepared and over manufactured foods, you cannot be sure of exactly what goes in them.

And even if the ingredients seem healthy, they may not really have any life in them because they have been hanging around for too long. Many packaged foods contain e numbers that can cause problems such as hyperactivity and fatigue. By preparing your own food, you are in charge of what enters your mouth instead of having to guess.

Consider what the food you are putting in your body is giving you. Is it offering valuable tools to work with such as vitamins, minerals, or fibre? Or is it dead food that is going to steal energy and nutrients from you? This simple question forms the basis of an easy and nutritious diet that you can uphold for life. It works for Gwyneth.

Diabetes…The Preventable Disease

Diabetes is thought to affect 2.5 million people in the UK, and is the third leading cause of death behind cardiovascular disease and cancer. The condition is becoming more common, with the number of diabetics in the UK expected to double in the next 10 years.

Fortunately, as shown in a recent article published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), dietary changes and an increase in activity can reduce the risk of diabetes by more than half. This is great news and shows that type 2 diabetes is a preventable illness.

The subjects of this study were asked to cut down on their intake of fat (particularly saturated fats found in animal products such as meat, cheese and butter), increase their intake of fibre, and take more exercise (at least 30 minutes per day). After four years, their risk of developing diabetes had fallen by an impressive 58% !

Don´t Drink All Your Milk?

The British Medical Journal has recently reported that milk may not be a useful source of calcium. The editorial shows that there is not as much evidence to suggest drinking milk helps to build strong bones as has been previously thought.

This review draws attention to the fact that populations consuming the most cows milk and other dairy products have among the highest rates of osteoporosis and hip fracture in later life, showing that the link between calcium and strong bones with milk is tenuous. It is not that milk does not contain calcium, it is that it may not be as useful to human beings as we think.

The fact is that there are actually many great ways to get calcium in the diet. Tofu is one of the highest sources of calcium with 304 mg. If you aren´t a great fan of tofu, increase the amount of spinach you eat, which contains 208 mg. There are so many great ways to eat spinach, including boiled, steamed, and raw (baby leaf makes a great salad). Dried figs, baked beans, chickpeas, and broccoli are other good sources of calcium.

Fitness tip: To build strong, muscular calves, try the "step up" exercise. Stand on a step on the balls of your feet, leaving the rest of your foot off. Use a wall to balance yourself so you don't fall. Rise onto your toes slowly as high as you can and hold for the count of three. Lower your heels below the step. Using your calf muscles, push up onto your toes again and lower. Repeat 10 to 12 times. Add another set as you get stronger. This simple exercise can be conveniently done almost anywhere. There is no expensive equipment needed and doesn´t require a gym membership. For toned lower legs, you only need a few minutes.

Stress Management tip: Great sages have been talking about the benefits of deep breathing for thousands of years. You can even take classes on learning how to breathe for renewed vitality. Yoga, Pranayama, Pilates, and meditation are just some of the ways that you can learn to breathe more profoundly. Really fill up your lungs and your belly with this life force. Watch your belly rise and fall. Keep thoughts at bay, when one enters your mind just let it go and get back to the breathing. Just five minutes and you will be a little more centred and refreshed.