Another excuse to sunbathe!!

 

Hi guys,

Hope you coped last week without my usual blog, I was away on holiday which sparked inspiration for this one. How hot was it last weekend? ...& I think this coming weekend if supposed to be sunny too! If you feel guilty about a little sunbathing or if anyone thinks your being lazy, just say “I’m getting my dose of vitamin D!”

Our body cannot make vitamins itself so we have to attain them. We require 400 IU of vitamin D which can be found in fortified cereals, dairy products, & yes you guessed it, sunlight. The more intense the sunlight, the higher the ultra violet (UV) radiation we are exposed to which our bodies use to make vitamin D.

It is needed for healthy bones & teeth, plus for phosphorous & calcium production (also involved in nerve / muscle health). Deficiency in vitamin D is not uncommon; you may know it as rickets in children or osteomalacia in adults.  Both result in low mineral counts in bones & lower bone density, especially in the legs & spine. Symptoms may include thinning of tooth enamel & easily broken bones. Treatment involves vitamin D supplements until levels of calcium & phosphorous increase.

Remember though, use sunscreen when sunbathing and limit exposure according to your skin type. More guidance on this can be found on this NHS website.

Enjoy!

James.

A nation of inflammation?

Hi folks,

Last week I was chatting to a colleague who is training to be a nutritionist. It was one of those conversations where you find yourself getting more and more passionate about it as it gets more complex, the subject…inflammation!

We often think about inflammation around our joints, muscles, skin etc but actually it occurs inside us all the time. It is widely recognised that cancers, heart disease, high blood pressure, viruses, arthritis, and in fact most diseases are caused by chronic low-grade inflammation.   

As you know from previous blogs, the food we choose to eat has a huge impact on the health of our bodies. Here are my top five super foods to reduce inflammation.

1. Coco-biotics & wholegrain-biotics are cultures from your local health food shop that boost the microflora (good bacteria) to rebalance your gut & ease inflammation.

2. Lightly steamed broccoli helps fight eye inflammation and is loaded with calcium & vitamin C.

3. Natural omega 3 fatty acid oils such as hemp oil, flaxseed oil, high-grade fish oil, or rapeseed oil. Make sure they are not refined or solvent tested.

4. The onion family, including leeks & garlic contain great antioxidants that help fight inflammation & stimulate your immune system.

5. Pineapple contains an antioxidant to help boost your immune system & also helps digest proteins.

Eat fresh unprocessed foods regularly & as many of the above foods as you can to significantly decrease your risk of falling victim to some of the worlds biggest killers!

Why not go out and get some this weekend?

James

Are you having a laugh!

Hi folks,

‘You don’t have to be mad to work here but it helps!’ Arrrrrrhhhhhhhhh!! do you cringe as much as me whenever you see that poster? Well this week’s blog shows there may be something in a little laughter at work. I know what you’re thinking, we go to work to earn money, not to mess around and have fun. But have you noticed that the people that enjoy their jobs tend to be the ones that are the most social and partake in a little banter? After all, we spend most of our time there so why not lighten the mood eh? Research shows that a little laughter goes a long way.

According to a recent survey, 63% of workers said that job pressures interfere with their personal lives, and that 60% said it affects their physical & emotional well-being. Further research found that good humour is one of the most cost effective ways of reducing such stresses:

• Laughter gives employees an effective way of releasing tensions, which allows them to concentrate on their work more efficiently.

• A good laugh counteracts boredom and reduces personal conflicts.

• Enjoying co-worker interaction reduces the need to get social support from outside the workplace by calling home, bunking off with friends or staying away from work. It seems that being able to laugh on the job does go hand in hand with increased productivity.

I’m not suggesting that you should have fancy dress days or start a comedy club (that would probably cause more stress) but maybe have an embarrassing photo / caption board up with the latest staff doo’s Polaroid’s on, play a harmless trick on a co-worker, or pull a face through the office window once in a while. It seems getting the right balance is the key - be serious about your work and problems but don’t take yourself too seriously. Build this ethos in to your workplace culture and the difference will be surprising!

Have a good weekend,

James

Essential calories

Hi folks,

At first, nothing sprang to mind for this week’s blog, but I soon came across what is potentially the most important blog ever!

Recently I conducted a health assessment with a client, this included everything from blood pressure to nutritional intake. We found that…

a)      He was under-eating (up to 500kcal a day less than guidelines recommended),

b)      His body mass index was low, indicating that he was slightly underweight for his height,

c)      Yet his body-fat percentage was high.

….work that one out!

All I could think was that on the occasions he was eating, he was eating the wrong foods. After consulting his food diary this proved true and I realised that this may be a common trend on a global scale.

The problem starts when people aim to reduce their body-fat by eating less, but still of the same food types. In fact what would be beneficial is to switch to healthier alternatives before reducing calorie intake. So, what the main lessons to take away from this?

1) Calories are good (it’s the media that’s made them bad). We need them to survive, the more we do – the more we need!

2) Make sure these are ‘good’ calories from simple foods rather than ‘bad’ calories from greasy, salty foods.

3) No single test / measure is enough to gauge your health by, especially not BMI. The more health tests - the more accurate the result.

Hope this makes sense and may relate to / help some people,

James

Don't get caught out!

Hi folks,

Have you ever noticed that we rarely eat the ‘bad foods’ intentionally? Foods that contain excessive salt, sugar, & saturates are either consumed in one of two ways:

1)      By eating foods that we don’t realise are high in these categories.

2)      By being tempted on-the-go by items, adverts or special offers.

If you’re like me, you will struggle with no.2.  I try to eat healthy balanced nutrition & my shopping list looks amazing, but then I fall victim to the biscuit / sweet isle or succumb to the isle-end special offers. Another hurdle is to drive on past that takeaway drive- through that springs up at every roundabout. Here are a few strategies to help you stop falling in to these habits:

•         Know the basic food groups & do a few quick checks of the food labels before you drop them in your trolley (even the ones that you trust can be misleading!)

•         Think about where that food has come from & any processes it may have been through to reach your plate.

•         Plan your shopping list in advance & stick to it. (schedule small treats in)

•         Only buy special offers if it’s something you would already buy.

•         Sail right passed the isles that contain unhealthy foods – don’t give temptation the chance!

•         Put treats at the back of the top shelf in your cupboard until u really want them, this will stop you grabbing them when you actually went in there for something else!

Research says that you have to do something / not do something 21 times before it becomes a habit. I’m not sure if this is true or not but it can’t hurt - pick one of the point above that’s relevant to you & your goal is to nail it 21 times! 

Let me know how you get on,

James

Mind over matter in your workforce!

Hi folks,

Despite it making tasks a lot easier, I’m not going to teach you how to turn your workforce in to Jedi’s. However, in the more recently published research papers on the management of musculoskeletal conditions (lower back pain, repetitive strain injury, etc), emphasis has been put on the mind of the worker – their attitudes. It’s easy to see how physical exercises & ergonomic aids can reduce such conditions but how can their psychology impact on them?

Here are a few of what we call ‘yellow flag’ psychosocial characteristics:

Ø     Believing that any physical injury is harmful long-term & leads

            to severe disability.

Ø      Avoiding activities in fear that it may cause injury / staying inactive.

Ø      Refraining from communication / social interaction with colleagues & management.

Ø      Believing that prolonged rest is a better management strategy than being active.

If an employee’s mindset ticks the boxes above then they are putting themselves (& those they influence) at a higher exposure to developing work-relevant physical health conditions.

As you can see, much of this is about creating a positive mindset to health & work in each employee, therefore breeding a new workplace culture – not any easy thing to do. The best way to achieve this is by investing in your employees & engaging with their individual job experiences through my Occupational Fitness Workplace Workshops. This type of training has proved a fantastic rate of return, so in this tough economic climate the question is “Can your company afford NOT to have this training?”

Thanks & have a great weekend

James

Alternative lunches

Hi folks,

Two weeks ago I posted a template for a balanced day’s nutrition. However I realise that staff canteen facilities differ greatly from workplace to workplace. A well rounded meal needs to contain some protein, some complex carbohydrate, some fibre, & some vitamins in the form of vegetables & fruit. So, here’s a little further help if you, like me, live out of your packed lunch box with only a kettle & microwave for company:

Home made batches – make up a large batch of spaghetti bolognaise or chili using 5% fat mince beef, tinned tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, & season with chili powder or mixed herbs to taste. This can be refrigerated & then reheated with pasta or baked potato at work!

While this is slowly cooking, why not make up a big tub of fresh fruit salad, or mixed salad leaves with spring onions, radishes & cherry tomatoes to use throughout the week too?

Other healthy meal ideas that can be stored in a container & reheated or eaten cold are:

•         Cold turkey, brown pasta, sliced red pepper, & spring onion, lightly seasoned & drizzle with olive oil.

•         Flaked salmon into brown rice with sweetcorn & chopped leeks.

•         Mini boiled potatoes mixed with sliced boiled eggs, grated beetroot & carrot, lightly seasoned.

•         Chicken, mushrooms & spring onion, on a mound of egg noodles lightly seasoned or drizzled in sweet chili sauce.

•         Tinned mixed beans, mixed leaf salad, sliced peppers, sweetcorn, crusty brown bread, seasoned & olive oil.

Liven your lunch up a bit for a tasty change! All it needs is a little preparation the night before & you’ll be the envy of all the boring stodgy sandwich munchers.

Thanks

James

Supping energy drinks?

Hi Folks,

In both the fitness and the workplace environment, people are always asking my opinion on the effects of energy drinks. Below is my advice on their use & effects:

If you are exercising continuously for 90 minutes or more, and to a high intensity (breathing heavily) our glycogen stores (preferred energy source from carbs) begin to run out. At this intensity your body cannot effectively convert stored fat to energy so this means our body may then start to break down muscle tissue for an emergency energy source. The sugary carbohydrates in an isotonic energy drink taken halfway through the long session will help prevent this.

If you regularly drink energy drinks at work or when not exercising then you may be damaging your body. When your body experiences a boost in sugars, your pancreas releases insulin to help remove the high sugar concentration in your blood stream to your cells. Initially you feel the positive affects but around one hour later you experience an energy crash which makes us want to drink another one (mood swings). By continuously taking such drinks & not burning off their energy, your pancreas is taking a hammering & your insulin levels become erratic. If this is a regular habit of your lifestyle then you are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes where your cells become insulin resistant.

Here’s my quote…‘If you’re not going to use it – lose it! However, if you do need to use energy drinks then why not try making your own? 50% squeezed orange fruit juice, 50% water, with a sprinkle of salt to compensate for sodium loss.

Thanks,

James

Eating @ work

Hi folks,

One of my blog-followers Steve, has asked me to give some information about what food to eat while at work. So without boring you with too much detail, below is my basic guide:

Breakfast:

This is important to give you slow release energy for the day & stop cravings! Go for complex carbs such as wholegrain cereals or toast, add eggs for protein to wake you up. You could also involve a few sugars in the way of fruit / fruit juice.

Mid-morning snack:

If you really can’t manage breakfast then make sure you have some of the above foods here. If you have had breakfast then go for a healthy cereal bar, yogurt & fruit here. Eating smaller meals every three hours is much better for your digestion than just three big meals.

Lunch:

Aim for a balanced lunch containing complex carbs such as a baked potato, protein such as lean chicken/ fish, with some mixed salad for fibre & vitamins. Use cold olive oil as a healthy drizzle if needed.

Mid afternoon snack:

This is a great time for a couple pieces of fruit which will give you an energy boost up to tea time. If you’re going to be exercising after work then a source of protein such as mixed nuts, eggs, or small meat sandwich would be good here.

Tea time:

Go big on the meat / fish & vegetables here! Just a small amount of complex carbs (potato, rice, pasta, bread) as the body is winding down soon. If you’ve been exercising & just got home then it’s still important to eat – no matter how late.

This is a balanced diet based on a typical working day (not shifts), & remember to drink around 8 glasses of water between meals if possible.

Enjoy the Royal wedding!

James

Burn the brain fog!

Hi folks,

Most of us have little spare time, whether it’s filled with important responsibilities or a compilation of daily tasks that have become part of a routine. We often jam our days full of jobs then flop down on the sofa just before bedtime, next morning it all starts again! These jobs could be something you absolutely love doing, or hate but either way take a step back & analyse them. Often our brains don’t get chance to ‘wake up’ as they’re constantly obsessed with the next task.

Think about your priorities in life, what’s important to you, and the overall aim of your daily activities. Do your daily routines / tasks make the best headway to achieving this aim? If yes, perfect! If no, what do you need to change?

Give yourself 5 minutes right now to think if you are heading in the right direction, & then what the next productive step needs to be. No, I'm not turning in to a life coach, just a thought that may help improve workplace health & performance.

Use this technique in the workplace & with your workforce in one-to-one appraisals or consultations, emphasising job performance & satisfaction as the aims. Also why not use this approach in group training exercises & meetings to really boost those increasingly vital psychosocial factors of workplace health?

Have a great bank holiday weekend

james

The best exercise!

Hi folks,

As a trainer people always ask me what types of exercises are best? If you’re slaving away down the gym & putting 100% in to that class then you want to make sure it's blood, sweat, & tears well spent right?

If you’re training for a certain goal such as increasing sport specific performance or training a particular part of the body then yes there are strict guidelines to follow. But if you want to stay healthy, fit, & get the whole range of benefits associated with fitness then there is one answer……holistic training! This means training the whole body, not splitting it up & working through the muscle groups, but performing movements that involve all muscle groups.

Your body is made up of fascia, muscles, tendons, nerves, & ligaments that act over your different joints. These have grown to perform best working in sequence with each other, each supporting the next. In fact is when body parts are isolated & worked intensely that you change their movement patterns, likely exposing them to injury!

So which exercise machine will burn lots of calories, increase muscular fitness, increase heart & lung health, flexibility & motor skills? Well non on any gym floor I’ve seen. Use your own body weight or grab a medicine ball and pull off a move that involves as many joints as possible across all three planes (forwards & back, up & down, rotation). Chances are it will look pretty funky so just get a trainer to make sure its safe, but there you have it – your own beautifully efficient exercise!

Of course, examples of these already exist such as a ‘squat-press’ or a ‘lunge-twist’ which are often known as functional exercises. Make exercise interesting & try them for yourself. It is precisely these exercises that I include in Occupational Fitness’s 'Workforce Workouts' to benefit your employee’s tasks. Please contact me for a FREE taster session!

Have a great weekend

James

Whistle while you work

Hi folks,

Does music help you work? Well know that it can alter our mood, upbeat music in the car may spice-up our driving, while chill out music in the sun may relax us. At times we may not even notice the music but still be influenced by its atmosphere.

There is a lack of solid evidence for this topic, most statistical data comes from music magazine surveys & guess what they say! However while digging through the HSE archives there was one paper that mentioned music played in the workplace could help with the psychosocial issues.

There are so many variables, what type of music, what type of work, volume of music, individual preferences, other noise pollution present etc. Therefore, unfortunately I cannot give any conclusive evidence. But keep reading as here are some bits I did find:

1) To boost concentration at work, a steady beat & light melodies are recommended.

2) A person's ability to recognize images, letters & numbers, is quicker when either rock or classical music is playing in the background (from a report in the journal Neuroscience of Behaviour and Physiology).

3) If you are aiming to be more productive through being more relaxed, then upbeat music can reduce stress hormone levels by as much as 41% in a group tested.

My personal recommendations are that background upbeat music can raise productivity of a manual workforce doing a low-risk task if all workers give their consent. Also if you are a solitary worker then listening to a radio station may not only act as physical stimulus but as a social connection to the ‘outside world’.

Why not analyse your workforce’s demographics & tasks to see if music may raise moral & productivity in your company? Let me know your thoughts in the comments box below.

Enjoy the good weather this weekend!

James

Cholesterol - What is it?

Hi folks,

We’ve all heard of it & we all know we should keep it low right, but what exactly is it? Here is my quick guide:

1. Cholesterol is mainly made in your liver from the ‘bad fats’ (saturated) you may have eaten.

2. Our body needs a little cholesterol for our cells to function, but too much & we are at risk from heart & circulatory diseases.

3. Good cholesterol (High Density Lipoproteins) carry any surplus ‘bad fat’ out of the bloodstream & back to the liver. (aim for >1mmol/l)

4. Bad cholesterol (Low Density Lipoproteins) carry ‘bad fats’ through the blood stream to the cells – too much of this & it gets deposited on the artery walls (aim for <2mmol/l).

5. Triglycerides mainly produced in the body from eating unhealthily are also a fatty substance like LDL cholesterol that needs to be kept low (<1.7mmol/l).

6. Cholesterol is checked by taking a very small blood sample from a finger prick. You can have this done at your doctors, most chemists, & maybe your occupational health dept at work.

7. We can improve the balance of our cholesterol by eating foods high in soluble fibre (porridge, beans & pulses, fruit & veg) & taking regular moderate exercise.

Hope this clears things up a little & helps you adjust your lifestyle / that of your workforce accordingly if needed. If you would like to know more please visit www.bhf.org.uk

Thanks,

james

Men Vs Women!

Hi folks,

Yesterday I attended a very entertaining seminar revealing how men & women think differently & it turns out that the old stereotypes are actually not far off. Without explaining all the science, its men’s instinct to crave a certain amount of power, be in a feeling of control, or want to ‘fix’ an issue. Women are naturally concerned with avoiding danger, looking after themselves / others, & preventing harm.

So, why do we need to know this in a workplace health setting? Think about the last time you tried to persuade someone. The way we do this may involve taking advantage of their gender. So, if you wanted to convince your boss to free up some of the budget towards those new work place health measures you’ve got planned, then your pledge may go something like this:

“John, I’d like to implement these new well-being measures. We have the potential to really reap the benefits of a healthy workforce in our company. These measures would increase our employee attendance giving us real control over production, & solve gaps in communication.”

Or like this:

“Sue, I’d like to implement these new well-being measures. I’ve noticed that much of our employee’s health is reaching dangerously low levels & recent absence records are terrible. As a safety conscious industry I feel that we have a certain responsibility to our workers, & these measures would also help protect against future issues.”

 

Both paragraphs give the same message but do you see the difference? Think about how you could use this approach in when talking to reluctant employees, trying to involve them to take part in health measures at work. The degree of success does depend on how 'macho' or 'feminine' that male or female is but be a little cheeky & try this out on the next person you speak to today whatever the topic. Have some fun with it – it really works!

Thanks,

James.

Do we really need Pre & Post-biotics?

Hi Folks,

My inspiration for this blog came from chatting to one of my clients at the gym. Enthusiastically, he came up to me & said "Hey, did you know that those good-bacteria yogurt drinks aren't really that good, eat 1 leek instead & this will give your gut all the good bacteria it needs for a whole  year". 1 leek for an entire year I thought, this has got to be worth looking in to, especially as like most of us, I reach for a gut-friendly yogurt each morning. Here's a brief summary of what I found:

As you know our gut is absolutely packed with bacteria. If we take pro-biotics, this is a culture that actually contains live good bacteria so we can increase their number in the gut. These helps us digest our food, aid our immune system, & fight illness that may be brought on by 'bad bacteria' (usually from eating too much stodgy & junk food). Pre-biotics are foods that nourish & maintain these 'good bacteria'.

Trials have been done & tend to say it is most beneficial for us to eat pre-biotic foods such as bananas, onions, artichokes, garlic & yes leeks, rather than just take the pro-biotic cultures alone. My own view is that we should take a bout of pro-biotic cultures for 1 week in every 6, then try to include as many of the above foods in there remaining 5 weeks to feed them. Also, if you have been ill or on antibiotics it may be worth re-supplying your gut with pro-biotics then too.

Right, I'm off to eat a chicken pasta with leeks, onion & garlic, then bananas & custard for desert!  

Podiatry is powerful stuff!

Hi folks,

I was at the ‘2011 Health & well being @ work conference' yesterday at the Birmingham NEC. One of the most fascinating seminars & the one that had the most potential was by Chris Sharp on gait analysis. If you’ve not heard of this it’s basically how our feet work (or don’t work) when we walk, sit, drive, & stand.

From my own workshops on postural analysis I knew that many of the body’s problems could be traced back to the feet. Think about it for a second…our whole body balances on these two small pieces of apparatus, over time its likely that these will develop minor defects that not only affect their own function but the function of potentially everything else above it (like a chain reaction). But yep you guessed it, it doesn’t stop there – we already know that physical discomfort can affect us psychologically too.

So, could that backache & lack in concentration you’ve been getting all week be actually due to undetected foot issues? Look down & take a look…AAAAAAARRHHH!!

If you’re not wearing ‘sensible shoes then you already know the answer! If your shoes are fine but you think your feet don’t look ‘right’ in the flesh then you may also want to get them checked out.

In an analysis session you can expect non-invasive tests that involve looking at your foot print, your arches, measurements, & filming your feet as you walk. These will reveal how YOUR feet work & what affect they have. Correction techniques may involve supports, stretches, & exercises but will be well worth it. Now think about the potential in your company, do your people really have the right footwear for their tasks?

Check out Google for your local podiatrist & Chris’ webpage for more info

Thanks

James  

'Psycho' assessment

Hi Folks,

Throughout my research in to WRMDs (workplace relevant musculoskeletal disorders) it is more apparent that psychosocial factors hold a huge significance. Enough with the jargon, in English this means that our physical health is influenced hugely by our mindset rather than just the physical aspects of our lifestyle.

Tests show that this new approach in workplace health can be twice as effective as more traditional methods & only equalled by massage, specific exercise, or acupuncture. Here are some examples:

·         Believing that health issues can be managed & fully overcome.

·         Knowing that ERTW (early return to work) is often best cast scenario.

·         Engaging in tasks / activities without fear of injury.

·         Working on good relationships with colleagues & managers.

·         Being satisfied with our jobs & enjoying work.

·         Your job uses your potential & is a positive challenge.

·         Engaging in social aspects of the workplace.

Yes, all these help you stay injury free! I have set out the above as an example of positive cognitive behaviour modelling. If I were to list these with a negative spin (e.g. believing that most health issues lead to long-term disability) then they would be an example of ‘Yellow flag’ employee characteristics & we would have lost even before we had begun.  

Analyse your own attitude & the workplace culture that surrounds you. How could you adjust this – when we speak? – our actions? – posters & literature? – watch out for ‘yellow flag’ attitudes!

Thanks for reading,

James

Take 1min to reduce your waist line!

Hi folks,

If you’re a regular reader of my blogs then you will recall a blog written late last year about staying active in an office environment. Well, I’m feeling rather smug to say that the European Heart Journal seems to back up my advice with some interesting results.

The journal states that 4757 people took part in a US ‘Health & Nutrition Examination Survey’ from 2003 to 2006. Those who took more regular short breaks had slimmer waists by up to 1.6 inches over those who just took occasional breaks.

By minimizing the period of time we sit stationary for, we can not only reduce the circumference of our waists but maintain our levels of ‘good' HDL cholesterol too (which deplete in long periods of sedentary).

So, taking as little as 1 minute regular breaks to stand up & stretch, re-hydrate, chat to a colleague face to face, or get some fresh air, looks to be a win: win situation for your waist line, your posture, your lower back & your overall productivity......sounds like a no-brainer to me!!

Why not start off this good habit right now?

Thanks

James

Zinc - What's all the fuss?

Hi folks,

You might be aware that Zinc has been hitting the headlines this week as an exciting remedy for the common cold. Well I thought I'd be topical and investigate this for you a little further, plus it follows on nicely from my recent blogs. For quick reading, here is the verdict in bullet point form:

•         Zinc works by coating the virus that helps stop it entering the body & therefore protects us against becoming ill.

•         Taken within 24hrs this same affect stops the virus from replicating meaning that we can recover quicker if we do become infected.

•         Zinc is available in syrup form, tablets & lozenges. However the specific doses are still being determined so at the moment these are more likely to leave a nasty taste, stomach upsets, nausea or diarrhoea due to their toxicity.

•         So for the time-being I advise just involving foods naturally high in zinc such as cocoa / dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, oysters, roast beef, lamb & liver.

As the scientific community has still not completely finished with Zinc, try staying healthy using the magic properties of garlic (lookout for more about garlic in future blogs).

Thanks for reading

James

 

Top 10 healthy food rules

Hi folks,

Here's a quick one for those of you dashing to the supermarket this weekend, and for you guys who are fed up of munching on celery as part of your healthy eating resolutions...my top 10 foodie rules:

1.      Prepare meals & snacks from scratch (you control whats in them)

2.      Start the day with a good breakfast, based around complex carbs & protein (slow release energy & alertness).

3.      A mix of 9 fruit & veg per day varying in colour (different vitamins)

4.      Eat smaller portions more often - 5 small varied meals per day (we can digest it properly & never feel hungry!)

5.      Stay hydrated – don’t wait until you feel thirsty (or hungry).

6.      Buy ‘own brand / saver’ veg & invest in good quality meat (all veg is the same but quality meat = quality nutrients).

7.      Make your own sauces, using tinned tomatoes / cold oils – no cheese (sauces contain hidden dangers)

8.      Look for wholegrain / brown varieties (you're gut will love you for this).

9.      Steam or grill if possible (keeps the nutrients in without adding any bad fats)

10.  When time, make extra portions for quick meals later in the week (one of my favourites).

 Why not try these simple techniques out this week folks & add a comment below to say how you're getting on?

James