Everyone reacts differently to different foods. For wellness enthusiast Natalie Beuster, she can eat a bowl of rice and not feel bloated or heavy, while too much dairy makes her nauseous. Food intolerances can cause a lot of inflammation which stops your body from absorbing nutrients efficiently or can interfere with your body’s insulin absorption.
Natalie shares the following advice on healthier food choices:
You can train hard and eat right, but if you are eating food that your body doesn’t agree with, then you may end up feeling tired and drained. There are intolerance blood tests that can be done to help you get answers. Some people do the FODMAP or AIP diets for a while and then slowly reintroduce the missing foods to see how they react to each one, but it’s best to get help from the experts for this.
Gut health is so important. If you don’t have a healthy gut, then eating well won’t make a difference. One of the first things that collagen does is repair your gut lining so that your digestive system can absorb all the nutrients and they won’t just pass through your body. You also need good bacteria. Pre and pro biotics are essential.
I think that just starting a healthier way of life is the hardest part. Once you have a routine it becomes easier. Talk to friends about what they like to make for dinner and lunch. Maybe there is something that sounds delicious and it’s an easy way to find a new recipe or ingredient. Join your friends or colleagues for a gym class or their running group. Committing to meet someone is a lot more motivating than showing up on your own.
Vegetables Eat colour. Go for at least four or five colours on your plate and try vary them in the week. Put red or yellow peppers in a salad one day or use baby spinach in place of lettuce. Blending leafy greens into basil pesto is one of my favourites, and remember, brown and white also count as colours.
Whole grains Grains are important as they are high in fibre which you need to push everything through your digestive system. Try find a new grain every now and then. Add buckwheat to your salad or use seed loaf for toast instead of white bread. We all get bored of eating the same thing all the time so try something new; it may just be the item you didn’t know worked so well with your body.
Proteins These are essential. You can get your protein from vegan sources but either way, it is needed to repair your body’s cells, support your internal organs and build muscle. It’s a huge source of iron and without it your body will not cope. It is also essential for your immune system, so we make sure to have protein every meal.
Healthy fats Avos, nuts, seeds, olive oil, beans – they are items you can easily add to meals. Even eggs and full cream yoghurt contain healthy fats.
Water According to the specialist doctor that helped us with my son’s dairy allergy, on an average day we should be having 60ml of water per kilogram that we weigh. More on hot days or when exercising.
Foods to eat in moderation This depends on your body but the general rule is to limit sugars, try not to go over the recommended daily dairy allowance, and limit refined grains like bread and pasta unless you are about to run a marathon and need the energy to burn. Choose whole foods over processed.
Nat’s Breakfast Smoothie
Bomb the following ingredients into a blender and enjoy
One or two bananas; a handful or two of blueberries; chai seeds; full cream plain yoghurt; honey; ice.
For extra nutrition, Natalie adds 2 scoops Skat protein shake powder – the chocolate flavour is best.
Choc Protein Bars
You’ll need: 2 cups rolled oats; 1 cup almond flour; 1 cup of Skat protein powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 cup nut butter; 1/2 cup honey/maple syrup; 1/2 cup milk of choice
What to do: Put all the dry ingredients in a blender and pulse a few times. Microwave the nut butter and honey/maple syrup and add it to the mixture along with 1/2 cup milk of choice. Mix well and put into a greased dish (20cm) and bake for 25mins on 180 degrees. Cut in the dish roughly while it’s still warm. Melt some dark chocolate and spread over the top. Once cooled, cut properly into pieces and store in an airtight container.
Note: You can add some nuts and seeds to the mixture if you would like. I used chia and sunflower seeds.
