The 12 challenges of 2014

New blog is live at http://twelvechallengesof2014.wordpress.com

Thank you all for having followed Eating Well In 2013!

Lots of love

Alix

The confusion between being healthy and being on a diet

I used to find there was a thin line between being healthy and being on a diet, and I think there still is for a lot of people. So I have thought deeply about it and here are the differences to me:

              

So it appears there are more things to think about when trying to be healthy, but in my opinion it is worth it. You may have noticed these two lists I made don’t mention every food groups. I wanted to focus on the differences between dieting and being healthy. I haven’t directly mentioned protein, but it goes without saying that any meat eaten should be organic and grass fed for best quality. This way it shouldn’t have received hormones and other crap. Fish should be organic too or wild, but I know there are some wild fish that we shouldn’t be fishing for ecological reasons, however I don’t know much on that subject. I usually buy organic fish. Same goes for eggs and pretty much everything.

Nuts and seeds (brazilnuts, pecan, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, etc.) should be an important part of a healthy diet too as they provide nutrients that other foods don’t. It’s easy to introduce them to your diet by adding them to porridge, yoghurt, and salads.

I guess what I’m trying to say here is that it is important to eat a wide variety of foods, it’s the best way to get all the nutrients we need for optimum health. I will never diet again because I’m worth better than that, and eating healthily won’t make me put on weight!

One last thing, I know buying fresh and organic is expensive. I spend a lot of money on food and I understand some people can’t afford it. But I need to say it, I don’t earn much money, but I made my health a priority and decided to be ok with spending more money on food than the average consumer. It’s my choice. I spend less on shopping.

P.s: If you’re wondering why I am focusing on eating healthy and natural food so much, it’s because diet related diseases are the new epidemic of this century. They are caused by eating too much sugar, the wrong fats and processed and unhealthy foods. I will write something about that later, probably this month, because it is really important that we try to improve our diets. Eating well can make a difference to our lifespan, and help avoiding diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and even some cancers. Food can be our fuel for long and healthy life, why not make the most of it?

New Year’s Resolutions: February update

Photographs by (clockwise) Aubrey LaMedica, Peter Hawley and Lindsey Shifley

Hello there fellow bloggers ! How are you keeping up with your New Year’s resolutions?

I am sure you have all heard of Jamie Oliver and what he has been doing working hard for a healthier nation. One of his foundations if called Jamie Oliver Food Revolution. Its aim is to get people cooking more, pass it on, teach their kids, come up with healthy resolutions, etc. It works mainly on a community level and a lot of people are getting their children’s schools on board, some are getting in touch with their local farmers markets and other just want to share what they’ve been doing that they think is healthy. And I’m one of them. Back in January, I wrote a little article on my personal New Year’s resolutions, which they published on their website (http://www.jamieoliver.com/us/foundation/jamies-food-revolution/news-content/working-towards-healthier-nutritional-ha).

We’ve kept in touch and I feel very privileged that they invited me to take part, on Wednesday, in a Food Revolution Google hangout, with Dr. Willett, professor in nutrition from Harvard School of Public Health, and two other committed food revolutionaries, to talk about our resolutions and how we’ve managed to stick to it so far. Lindsey Shifley (http://themullies.blogspot.co.uk/) shared the story of her daughter’s sensory processing issues at school, that dramatically improved thanks to better nutrition. Next Claire O’Meara (The Lifestyle Kitchen and Little Lifestylers) introduced us to her resolutions to getting school children active in the veg garden and how it was so successful that she has been given a piece of land and kitchen facilities by her local council. I talked about my resolutions that are to cut down on carbohydrates and sugar and how it has positively impacted on my weight and energy. Dr. Willett gave us all, tips on how to cut down on calories, improve our lifestyle and how to stick to resolutions.

I learned a lot through this very inspiring hangout and am so happy to have met like minded people who believe in better nutrition for a better future.

Watch the video here: http://bit.ly/ZJgxea

Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Alix x

Me looking nervous before the hangout

Ready, steady, GO!

Temperature: 1’c – starting to snow a little

Who cares! I went for a run this morning and I feel so good for it. It wasn’t easy to motivate myself to get out of the warm house but I remembered my friend blogger halezi said “getting out is the hard bit, but once you’re out and running you feel so good, you know it’s worth it”. And she is so right!

Healthy lifestyle 1 – Crappy lifestyle 0

Morning run in morning sun

I went for a run this morning, not long after sunrise, before heading to uni for my 11am lecture.

What an amazing morning! The sun was shining, and reflecting on the river. Birds woke up in a happy mood, singing, as me and my friend jogged by. While city workers were making their way to the station, we enjoyed our early outing in the village. Exercising definitely needs to be a part of my healthy resolutions. I am aiming to go again on Saturday and try make this a twice a week thing from now on. Exercising + nature + healthy breakfast = ultimate well being.

As we say in France:  P U R    B O N H E U R

At uni, outside the cafeteria