If someone gave you a blue pill and told you that it would zap away your energy, and a red pill that would give you constipation would you take them? No, I thought not.

Fries?? ...Again?!?

So, why is it that no matter how much we tell ourselves that healthy food = healthy living we can’t seem to change our bad habits?
We must start to make the connection between the food we put into our mouths and our health. It is all too easy to eat junk food – as it tastes (artificially) good and it’s quick and easy, but the long term results are not good, trust me.

Healthy ingredients

This summer I kept a food diary - keeping a note of what I ate and drank and how it affected my moods and energy levels. This turned out to be an eye opener as it made me realise that too much wheat made me feel sluggish and depressed, and an increase of fresh fruit and vegetables boosted my energy levels.
Recently I have ‘slipped’ back into old habits; I eat too much bread and cheese and hardly drink water. I can feel the difference; I feel lethargic, my skin is looking dull, and my hair lacklustre, and as the Autumn months draw closer I feel that this is a problem many women face.
Salads aren’t as appealing when it’s raining outside, and we also cover up as the weather gets colder so we don’t mind so much that our bellies are bloated and our legs resemble that of an over stuffed chicken.
We need to look after ourselves. It’s not just how we look; it’s what we’re doing to our bodies. My body is craving the youthful energy that it was given two months ago, my skin is craving moisture and my partner is craving my libido!

Pea soup

Since last week I have added fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds to the shopping list, and have cut down on wheat, started cooking proper meals and I am starting to feel good again. The sooner we connect a healthy balanced diet, to a healthy body and mind the sooner we’re going to change the way we eat forever. It doesn’t mean cutting out chocolate and ‘goodies’ that make us feel guilty.
It simply means treating such foods as an occasional treat, cutting down on fat, and eating your ‘five a day’ fruit and vegetables. You’ll see a difference; you will have more respect and understanding of food, you will look and more importantly ‘feel’ better, and when you do reach for that extra large chocolate croissant that you’ve been saving up all week, you won’t feel a single pang of guilt.