4 Weeks into a Nutrition Overhaul. Here’s how I’m feeling.
I’ve recently signed up to work with a nutritionist (https://jessicamaywellness.com/) and she has changed the game for me in terms of how I can fuel busy days and busy weeks. At this point, we are 4 weeks into a 12 week programme.
I was feeling energy level approx zero in the Spring and initially thanked the post baby periods for that but after a blood test showing normal iron levels, I thought it would be worth looking in the direction of nutrition instead.
I’m a hungry gal and always match my 6ft5in husband when it comes to what we eat and as a household, we definitely favour delicious over nutritious. I wanted to learn how I could find a balance between both and keep us all well fuelled.
I predicted my biggest blocker when it came to changing the way we eat would be the time and planning that would go into it but actually with a few quick wins, it’s been an easy process. I’ve included some of the tips and tricks I’ve been following in this blog post in case you’re looking for some nutrition overhaul inspo!
Planning is the key to success 🙏🏼
At the very start of the programme, I went through a few cookbooks and added post-it notes to recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner plus notes on the ones that would work well for the whole family or just for me or just for me and my husband.
On Friday evenings I sit down with the recipe books and plan out meals for the week, based on who’s in the house and when. With the plan in place I’ll do an online food shop on Ocado, get it delivered on Sunday morning and use the afternoon to cook for the week ahead. I order a pre-marinated chicken every week to cook and shred ready to add to salads, sandwiches, pasta dishes, etc. I’lll also pre-make pasta sauces and a banana bread breakfast loaf. This means come Monday everything in place to kick off the week feeling as prepped and ready as I can!
Making hydration a priority
Jessica’s advice is to try and drink a glass of water when you wake up rather than reaching for coffee straight away. This is also a great way of starting the habit nice and early in the day. I find I drink so much more with a water bottle that has a straw. It’s probably the height of laziness because it means I don’t have to lift a bottle but it genuinely makes a huge difference.
Limiting caffeine for better sleep
I was having around 3-5 cups of tea and coffee a day with my last tea around 9pm at night. Although I didn’t feel like it was impacting my sleep, I’ve definitely had better sleep since I’ve reduced it to 2 caffeinated drinks a day with the last one being no later than 12pm.
Reducing sugar
I’ve always been a sugar in tea and coffee gal and when you’re having 3-5 cups a day, it’s probably not the best for me or my teeth! We’ve worked down from one sugar, to half a sugar, to a quarter of a sugar and now to a sprinkle. The next goal is no sugar at all!
Staying on track
I’ve found I can stay on track in the week easily but weekends are harder to navigate. If I’m at home I can still cook recipes that are both delicious and nutritious but if we’re out and about, either the options aren’t as good or my self control is the problem 😂. The idea is to constantly try and add nutritious elements rather than be focused on restricting less nutritious food so if I’m having a pizza then I’ll try and add a side of salad or veggies.
Good for the mind, body and soul
I’m using this nutrition reset to get back into some good mindful habits as well. My aim is to complete a 10 minute meditation and write in my gratitude journal every day but so far I haven’t been able to get into a great routine with this. This is one of my main goals for the next 4 weeks so I’ll report back!
This is a delicious banana breakfast loaf from the cookbook ‘So Good’ by Emily English (@emthenutritionist on Instagram). I add nut butter, greek yog and a handful of blueberries. It’s delicious and nutritious and a brekkie winner for the whole family, including Charlie.
One of the best tips I’ve been given is not to focus on taking away but rather focus on adding in. So egg-based brekkies now look like this with 2-3 different types of veggies included.
One of my biggest winners in terms of time is to buy and a cook a roast chicken (I get one of the pre marinated ones that you cook in a bag) and cook it on a Sunday evening so you have a tonne of chicken ready for salads, sandwiches or pasta dishes. It’s a great one for the whole family and an easy way for everyone to eat more protein.