With the sunkissed days in our horizon, what better time for us to Spring Clean our diet to help to feel like our best self. Kate Save, the CEO and co-founder of Be Fit Food believes in the importance of setting yourself up for success in life and this perfectly aligns with the values of Essential Solutions and the work we do with our clients so that they can ‘live their best life’ by having our team as their support crew.
Join us as Kate shares with you her best approach to Spring Cleaning your Diet.
How Spring Clean your diet to reset your metabolism!
Kate Save is the CEO and co-founder of Be Fit Food. She is also an accredited practising dietitian, diabetes educator and exercise physiologist.
Let me start by saying, you are not the only one if you’re feeling sluggish, craving a sugar hit, and your clothes are inexplicably a little tighter these days…..actually, it’s likely that you’re due for a metabolism reset. Sugar cravings, lethargy and unexpected weight gain are all signs that your metabolism may be operating in slow-mo. And while genetics do play a part in just how fast it will go, you can also get your metabolism to pick up the speed by adjusting what you eat.
Your metabolism is what converts your food into energy, but when we eat too many carbs or sugar, our body throws the excess glucose into our fat cells. When our fat cells are full, they are forced to enlarge, which causes inflammation in the body. The more this happens, the higher your insulin levels go, and your metabolism slows down as a result because insulin is what drives fat-storage.
But before it can turn into fatty liver disease or Type 2 Diabetes, what you can do is reset your metabolism by adjusting your diet to encourage fat-burning.
A metabolism reset means shifting to a restricted meal plan for a short time – typically two weeks – so your body can start to metabolise stored fat and reduce inflammation in the body. (If you don’t like cooking, see our 2 Week Challenge at www.befitfood.com.au and have this fully prepared meals program delivered to your door!).
Everyone has different tastes and preferences, but a metabolism reset is easily achieved by following these general guidelines and cleaning out the pantry:
- Get rid of processed white carbs
Not all carbs are equal, and it is true, the white, processed kind are evil when it comes to your health.
When deciding what to eat at each meal it is important to understand that 80% of the volume of every meal should come from non-starchy vegetables and salads. And lets not forget 1-2 pieces of fruit per day too.
By including loads of these foods, you will naturally reduce the calorie-dense carbs with restriction leading to effective weight loss, reduced blood sugar levels and insulin levels which is a key inhibitor to weight loss.
Reducing your intake of calorie-dense carbs automatically forces your body to burn fat stored around your midsection for energy, rather than the sugars it takes from carbohydrates. Additionally, cutting back on carbs should see your blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels drop too.
- Its time to clear out the pre-packaged snack foods
In Australia it is true that we have a snacking culture and the temptation to scour the isles in search of a quick and healthy snack is too real for most of us…..but if it doesn’t ‘’rot’’ its probably not good for us. So try to choose foods that have a short shelf life as it means they don’t contain all the added preservatives or added sugar/salt. Our guts will thank us for this because if bacteria like it then so does our gut microbiome (good gut bugs). Try to make your own healthy snacks such as protein balls and then freeze them for the week, or make some egg bites or even some rice paper roll. Lastly, ditch the artificial supplements and cleanses. Wholefoods is what our body needs to work with, and overloading the liver with artificial food can impede waste removal from the body and slow down fat metabolism.
- Introduce more Pre-biotics and Pro-biotics for gut health
By now, you’ll have heard of the importance of a healthy gut microbiome. To build good gut health, you should seek to eat a range of probiotics (good gut bacteria found in fermented foods such as yoghurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha) and prebiotics (fertiliser for the bacteria found in fibrous plant foods such a veg, fruit, nuts, seeds and grains) to help support the new healthy weight your body will achieve.
Choosing a predominantly plant based diet with some lean protein and health fats will restore the health of the gut. A great example of a microbe-friendly diet is the Mediterranean diet. Legumes, fruits, wholegrains, olive oil, yoghurt, dairy, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fish are all very beneficial for your gut microbes.
- Bring in more Anti-inflammatory foods
A slow metabolism can lead to chronic inflammation of the body, which is linked to major chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. To reduce inflammation, eat foods rich in antioxidants such as blueberries, green tea, dark chocolate, avocado, or dark leafy greens like kale.
The general rule of thumb is to ‘eat the rainbow’ and so make sure you stock up on loads of colourful fruit and veggies. Herbs and spices such as turmeric, cumin, pepper, or chilli can also have an excellent anti-inflammatory effect on the body.
- And yes, its true, you DO need to Drink more water
I’m not the first dietitian to stress the importance of water intake, and I certainly won’t be the last. Not only does water help with digestion, satiety, and liver function, many studies show that there’s a link between increased water consumption and weight loss. If you’re looking for a magic elixir to improve your overall health and speed up your weight loss, this is it!
After three months of varied eating, your metabolism may begin to slow again so an easy reminder that you may be in for another reboot is when the seasons change. When you reset your metabolism, you’re also resetting your energy levels, your immunity, your sleep, and gut health. It can increase insulin sensitivity, stabilise blood sugar levels, improve blood fat profile, and encourage sustained weight loss. Even for those with a body weight within the healthy weight range, two weeks of a restricted diet can reduce blood pressure, improve blood cholesterol levels and even sleep.
Lastly, don’t forget to take up our offer exclusive to Essential Solutions for $35 off your first order to Reset your Metabolism with our 14 Day Challenge this Spring! Visit us on Essential Solutions Marketplace or visit www.befitfood.com.au and enter the Discount code ‘’essentialsolutions’’.
*offer 1 per customer, minimum spend $100, offer expires 31st December 2020 and not valid with any other offer.
Enjoy Kate’s Spring Recipe – Broad Bean, Asparagus, Pea and Feta Salad
This salad is a great accompaniment to any meat or fish based dish. It can also be bulked out quite easily by adding chickpeas or a grain such as quinoa, freekeh or cous cous
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups of shelled broad beans
1 ½ cups baby peas
1 bunch of asparagus spears, cut into 3rds
½ cup mint leaves
2 tbs soft feta – Danish feta or goats feta
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice
Salt and pepper
- Place broad beans, peas and asparagus into a medium sized bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave to sit for 3-4 minutes to blanch.
- Drain boiling water and refresh in cold water. Place into serving bowl
- Tear mint and scatter over the top
- Crumble feta over the greens
- To make the dressing, mix the olive oil, lemon juice and zest together and pour over salad. Toss well and serve
