Health Answers

First, if you plan on losing more than about a stone in weight then I would visit your doctor for more tips on how to do this without risk.

I can not tell you the best way to maintain a healthy weight, because each person is different. However, I can advise you to follow my steps because I know what works and what does not.

Before I really begin I must also say that I have been brought up by great parents who taught me to eat everything, and so I do! If there is something that you do not like, there are loads of other diabetic recipes and ideas that you will eat and appreciate.

I like to buy fresh and organic produce from where I live. I believe that this is important because it can be the most good for your body and contain more nutrients and vitamins than most supermarket produce.

The tips that I would encourage you to follow are as follows:

1. Cut back on snacks and then change the type of snacks you eat.

This is one of the hardest things to do for some people, but establishing a great routine is essential to great diabetes care. The types of snacks to be eating are unsalted nuts, dried unsweetened fruit, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables (I love fresh red pepper and cucumber), dark chocolate (richer and nicer and you only want 2 squares usually).

2. Cut back on white flour and embrace wholemeal carbs.

This is the most essential part of your diet, and the thing that can show the biggest increase in loss of weight. Some diets in fact jut focus on this point, and are very successful. Wholemeal (especially stoneground wholemeal) is so good for you and has so much more flavor in it that switching is much easier than you think.

Most people are really surprised at the ranges you can get in you supermarket, again remember that the bread that is best for you is the one that is freshest with least perservatives or added ingredients. Also, brown or basmati rice is great with a lovely nutty texture. Wholemeal pasta is great and for your potatoes I would totally recommend the smaller new potatoes.

3. Stop drinking cocktails, start drinking wine.

Cocktails are full of sugar, colourants and preservatives. If you are out at a restaurant, red wine is much better than anything else you can order, (except water of course!) and it has been proven that the anti-oxidants in red wine are great for keeping a healthy heart. The recommended amount is one glass a day with your evening meal.

4. Start cooking more fruit and vegetables.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are a great way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need. And there are so many different ways in which to cook vegetables, but I find that raw is the best followed closely by steamed. Both of these ways preserve all their natural goodness as well. I will follow this post with another diabetes recipes post.

5. Drink more water.

I know you have heard people say this many times before, but the benefits of drinking more water are endless. A few tips on how to get more water into your day are firstly to put bottles of water at all the places you go in the house or work.

Keep one in your desk, on your desk, a glass in the kitchen, the bedroom, the sitting room, etc. Try and drink all these glasses up and you will be well on your way to 8 glasses a day.

The trick is to add a glass every few days or so, if you try to drink all that water in one go you will not be so inclined to drink 8 glasses again, trust me!

Have a go. It is amazing how great you will feel.

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