How to get results from your new year’s resolutions

By Laura Day

Six years ago, Australian Joe Cross made a radical change to his diet by giving his system a reboot. He started drinking green juice and eating a mostly plant-based diet. He not only lost weight but reversed a rare autoimmune disease, chronic uticaria. Joe documented the changes in the film Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. In his new film, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead 2, he explores how to maintain a healthy lifestyle – and how much of his sensible approach can work for us.

Step 1: Commit to now
Many of set new year’s resolutions – either to stop doing something ‘bad’ or to start doing something ‘good’. These often relate to health. We resolve to lose weight and get fit, or simply to eat healthier, drink less alcohol or to quit smoking for ever. All too often, though, we find ourselves making the same resolutions year after year, because we don’t keep our promises.

Step 2: Get a plan
If your goals are diet-based, not only will you need a meal plan, you’ll also need to create a schedule. Check your calendar; look for a time when you have a relatively quiet period with no major social events. Decide when you’ll start, then get a meal plan. Schedule when to do your grocery shopping, when to make your juices, when to do your daily exercise. Planning ahead means you’re more likely to do it, rather than finding yourself at the end of the day with that 20-minute walk or trip to the grocery store still awaiting you.

Step 3: Join a community
Understand that it won’t be smooth sailing. Lifestyle change like this isn’t easy. Having a supportive community to share progress with will help achieve your health goals. Recruit someone to follow your journey; share your aims and update them on your progress. They may be friends and family – or join the online community at Reboot with Joe.

Step 4: Track your progress
A daily diary is one of the best tools for helping you stay focused and recover from slip-ups. Record which foods you consumed, how much you ate, how you felt, and the amount of progress. Studies show that people who regularly monitor their progress while losing weight actually lose more, and those who continue to measure are more likely to keep that weight off. Progress doesn’t need to be measured by a number on the scale. Fitting into a smaller size of jeans, reducing your medication, or feeling more energetic are a few of the other ways to measure it. Set small milestones along the way that show your success, and reward yourself as you hit them.

How to get the best from a fitness tracker

By David Stalker, CEO ukactive

Did you get a shiny new activity tracker for Christmas? As well as measuring distance and pace, they’re vital for monitoring your heart rate. You need to understand what they can do for your health so they don’t end up in the back of your drawer with the loose batteries and old phone

The activity tracker market has expanded dramatically in the last two years. Measuring distance and pace are pretty standard, but the most important one is to be able to track and record data on your heart rate. This shows how intensely you’re exercising.

Why is this useful? To get the most out of exercise, whether running, cycling or anything else, to get fitter and healthier you need make progress. By knowing your heart rate you can understand how hard you’re working and not just how you're feeling. Armed with this knowledge, you can vary the intensity of your exercise to push yourself harder next time. All this information can also be displayed in readable charts – so even if you don’t fully understand the data, you’re able to see if you’re improving or not. Everyone gets encouraged when they see progress. You can be training hard but the improvements are not always obvious unless you know what your body is doing.

Share your progress
Your tracker should form a part of your wider exercise routine and use them as an additional tool to keeping motivated. They allow you to compare your progress and share successes, both big and small, with others so you’ll be accountable not only to yourself.

Trackers are often best used when part of the tech hub of a wider social community. Some exercise groups track your efforts in real time and integrate that with wider online communities, where you can log your miles or the points you get from meeting certain challenges.

Activity trackers won’t do the hard work for you, but they can become one of the important tools you use to motivate yourself.

Super bakes!

By Laura Day

Childhood friends – now time-short, food-loving parents – Philippa Askham and Tanya Mitchell, launched nutritious baking brand Sweetpea Pantry last year. They won Richard Branson’s Foodpreneurs Award in 2014, and are on a mission to make nutritious food for kids easy

“We’ve always been passionate about children’s nutrition but we found it hard to find time to feed our kids well. Then we decided to create baking mixes that would save people time and energy but not compromise on great-tasting, healthy ingredients.

Tanya and Philippa, founders of Sweetpea Pantry

 “When developing our recipes, we worked with paediatric nutritionist Belinda Blake. Along the way, we spoke to a lot of people who love baking but don’t know how to make it nutritious. They’d heard of things like quinoa but felt it’s a bit ‘out there'. And they knew they should cut back on sugar and add wholegrains, but didn’t know how. We thought about what kids like to make and eat and added the nutritious angle without making it too complicated." Result? A range of good-for-you baking kits – everything from pizza dough (flax and chia, anyone) to pancakes – and not forgetting choccie biscuits and flapjacks (with ‘yes, we can use’ quinoa).

“Our kits are perfect for time-pressed parents who can’t cook from scratch all the time but want to give their children nutritious food.

“We didn’t realise our gluten-free products would be so big. Our flapjacks were re-launched this year to be gluten free. So many products are sugar-loaded that people were excited to find a health-conscious brand. We want to make our products flexible so they can be made dairy-free, too.

“We’d like to develop the Free From (gluten-free) and savoury angle, which is where we’ve seen our strengths. Long-term, we want to launch on-the-go snacks, which are natural, contain wholegrains, and have less sugar.”

For more information, visit sweetpeapantry.co.uk

How to get your fitness on track

Physical activity is a huge part of a healthy lifestyle, says David Stalker, CEO of ukactive. And, whether you’re active by habit or not, it’s easy to go astray. Here are some tips to help you stay on the go

Just start...
That first step is always the hardest, so willpower is key. Focus on and remind yourself why you want (need!) to make being active an important part of your daily life. Even if you start small, getting started will make all the difference.

Make time
Decide on a time that works you and stick to it. If a walk at lunchtime fits your schedule, a light run after work is better or even a short fitness class before work – put it in your diary, then refuse to move it.

Find something you enjoy
It’s all about doing something that appeals. If running isn’t for you, try a new sport or an exercise class. There will be something out there that gives you a buzz.

Involve your folks
Tell friends and family about your fitness plans and they’ll give you the encouragement we all sometimes need. They might even join you in getting fitter and make it a part of your social life.

Don’t focus on losing weight
Even if it’s your weight that kickstarts you into exercise, getting fitter and healthier should be the priority. By being more active, the weight usually takes care of itself as long as you make good nutritional choices. Importantly, muscle weighs twice as much as fat, so weight isn’t always the best indicator of health or fitness levels.

You don’t have to be sporty
Being active doesn’t have to be all about sport, though. Recreational cycling, swimming, dance or anything that gets your heart rate up and your body moving will get you on the way to a healthier future.

Make sure you rest
Eating healthy food and having plenty of sleep after exercise is vital in recovering from exertion. I know as much as anyone that finding time to get enough sleep can be tough, but trying to do an hour of hard exercise after only 4 hours’ sleep isn’t fun for anyone.

Record your progress
Activity trackers can be great way to keep motivated. Apps that learn from your daily movements and give advice can act like a virtual coach, helping you improve and maintain your fitness. Remember effort leads to rewards so look for something that tracks heart rate so you can get an accurate picture of how hard you’re working. Listening to your body is vital, but knowledge is great and keeps you accountable.

Healthy eating advice for the year ahead

Healthy Food Guide’s experts share their tips for important diet tweaks that could make a difference to your health in 2015

Boost fibre – senior nutrition scientist Bridget Benelam
Fibre will be in the spotlight this year, as recommendations may be increasing from about 24g per day to as much as 30g per day. With average intakes around 18g per day, we're way below the current recommendation, let alone an increased level. Fibre can have a range of health effects - not just keeping you regular! It can help control blood sugar and blood cholesterol (mainly soluble fibre found in oats, barley, rye, pulses, root vegetables and fruit), can help support the healthy bacteria in your gut, may help reduce the risk of bowel cancer and can help with weight control.

To boost your fibre intake, make sure you get your 5-a-day, have wholegrains, or potatoes with skins, at each meal and go for high-fibre snacks, such as unsalted nuts and seeds, rye crispbreads or oat cakes.

Cut sugar - GP Dawn Harper
We all eat too much sugar and most of us don't even know we’re doing it! Start looking at a few labels and you’ll soon find hidden sugar in all sorts of places you would never have guessed.

Ditch beige - recipe consultant Phil Mundy
Cut back on all the pale carb heavy foods, such as pastry, biscuits, white bread and regular pasta, swapping them for wholegrains, sweet potatoes and other brightly coloured foods that will fill your plate for far fewer calories, while adding a lot more vitamins.

Reduce portions – nutritionist Amanda Ursell
If there’s one thing we can do to help reduce our calorie intake and, over time, our weight, it’s to reduce portion sizes. Shaving off 100 calories from breakfast, lunch and dinner, two snacks and one drink each day means we could drop 3,500 calories a week – which equals 1lb of fat. It may not sound much, but this adds up to 4lb a month, over half a stone in two months, almost a stone in three and over a stone in four. In other words, you could lose more than 3 stone a year just by making a little adjustment in portions each time you eat.

Get diagnosed – dietitian Norma McGough, Coeliac UK
If you think you have symptoms (of coeliac disease) that won’t go away, go to your GP and get your condition investigated – don’t try to second- guess what the problem is and treat yourself. For more information, visit coeliac.org.uk

Drink aware – dietitian Juliette Kellow
Drinks can contribute a huge amount of extra calories to our daily intake. A glass of orange juice with breakfast, a medium-sized coffee shop latte in the morning, a smoothie with lunch and a large glass of wine with your evening meal adds up to a massive 570 calories – that's more than a quarter of your daily calorie needs! Swap these for calorie-free options every day and in a year you could lose more than 4 stone!

And drinks can unwittingly push up our sugar intakes – the example above provides 49g sugar or the equivalent of around 12tsp of the white stuff (all sugars – regardless of whether they occur naturally in foods such as fruit or milk, or are added – count towards the maximum 90g a day that's recommended). Part of the problem with drinking calories is that our bodies don't recognise the calories from fluids as well as the calories from food. This means that although a drink can give us a calorie hit, it often doesn't leave us feeling satisfied or fill us up so we still continue to eat the same amount of food. The best drink, without doubt, is water – if you need a sweet hit, try sparkling water with a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice.

Choose mindfully - David Stalker, CEO, ukactive
All the time, we hear in the media that we should be cutting out fat, reducing sugar, exercising more, watching our weight. I’d like 2015 to be about simplicity and going back to basics. A little bit of everything is generally fine. Healthy living is about making mindful choices and consciously thinking about what we’re doing when we open the fridge, or avoiding that spin class to go down to the pub.

Ditch dieting - dietitian Helen Bond
The first thing should be to say no to the ‘D’ word! Weight-loss diets, gurus, celebrities and fads come up with anything and everything to help you see the number on the scales drop. But, if a diet is time-limited and has a start and a finish date, it’s bound to fail – that small break from bad eating habits means you’ll soon be back to lifestyle that made you put weight on in the first place. Evidence has shown that people who lose weight gradually are more successful at keeping the weight off long term. So get yourself on track, by making a plan and setting small, realistic and sustainable healthy eating and lifestyle goals!

Conscious eating – dietitian Tracy Kelly, Diabetes UK
My challenge to HFG readers is to develop a healthy relationship with food. Know what you are eating, the effects it has on your body and ask why you’re eating the foods you are. Many people eat when they aren’t truly hungry, ie, when they’re bored, stressed, feeling emotional, or to please other people. Be kind to yourself and enjoy eating, by choosing foods that nourish your body. And don’t ban anything. Instead, make informed choices. Recognise when you’re hungry and stop eating when you’re satisfied. Make yourself your number one priority! For more information about eating a healthy, balanced diet with diabetes go to diabetes.org.uk/enjoyfood

Move yourself! - Professor David Haslam, Chair of National Obesity Forum
Partly because I detest slow people who get in the way, for example stepping off an escalator and standing motionless at the top, and people who walk down Oxford Street at a snail's pace while texting their mother. But [I feel this way] mainly because moving one's carcass from A to B without the assistance of carbon-based fuel is a healthier way to go.

What have you resolved to change about your diet or fitness this year? Tell us in the comments below.

Should you have a dry January?

’Tis the season to cut back or stop drinking alcohol – and, if you’re in any doubt about whether you’re having one too many or are unaware of the risks excess alcohol poses, GP Dawn Harper presents the facts

Most of us overindulge during the festive period, and giving your liver a rest in January is a good idea. Recommended alcohol limits are 21 units a week for men and 14 for women and this is probably a lot less than you think.

Forget a glass of wine being a single unit. That was based on 8% wine and a small 125ml glass. Most wines today are over 12% proof and, if you are pouring a glass at home, it is likely to be a large glass and much nearer 3 units.

Work out your units

To calculate your units, simply look at the % alcohol of the drink you are drinking. That is the number of units in a litre of that fluid. So, let’s make the maths easy – say you are drinking 12% wine, then there is ¾ x 12, ie 9 units in a standard 75dcl bottle. If you are pouring yourself a large 250ml glass in the evening you are drinking 3 units in one go, so it is very easy to exceed recommended limits.

Liver disease

Consistently drinking above recommended limits causes liver damage. Firstly the liver develops fatty deposits. If you carry on drinking at this stage, you risk developing alcoholic hepatitis. Both of these are reversible if you give up drinking altogether. In fact, a fatty liver will start to recover after just two weeks of abstinence. Hepatitis takes several months of no alcohol to revert to normal but if you carry on drinking in the presence of hepatitis, you risk developing cirrhosis, which is irreversible and causes liver failure.

So now you know and can make a more informed decision on how much alcohol you should allow yourself.

Win one of five organic Hemsley + Hemsley Riverford recipe boxes

Enter now to win a limited edition organic recipe box from Hemsley + Hemsley and Riverford Organic, and try their specially created range of organic meals for two.

We're giving away five limited-edition organic recipe boxes worth £39.95 each, plus a bottle of organic prosecco, courtesy of Riverford Farm and food writer sisters Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley, aka Hemsley + Hemsley.

Launching mid-January for two weeks only, this special guest chef box contains everything you need to make three healthy and hearty meals for two, including the freshest seasonal organic ingredients from Riverford Farm. 

Quinoa Goat's Cheese Beetroot Risotto with Parsley Lemon Oil

The recipes are free of gluten, grains and refined sugar, and were specially created by the sisters, who launched their first cook book, The Art of Eating Well, in summer 2014.

To find out more about Jasmine and Melissa's approach to eating, read our Q&A.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and conditions
This competition is open to Healthy Food Guide readers, registered on the website (free) and who are UK residents, aged 18 and over, excluding employees (or families of employees) of Eye to Eye Media Ltd, Riverford Organic Farms Ltd, or anyone linked to the competition. Website entry closes midnight 31st January 2015 and entries received after the closing date of the promotion will not be considered. No responsibility is taken for entries lost or delayed. The winner will be drawn at random and the judges’ decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into. The winner will be notified in writing within 28 days of the closing date. There are five prizes to be won. The winner will receive one Hemsley + Hemsley limited edition Riverford recipe box and one bottle of prosecco. In the event of developments outside its control, the promoter reserves the right to offer an alternative prize of equal or greater value. The winners may be required to participate in future publicity. The promoter’s decision is final and binding in all matters and no correspondence will be entered into. Promoter: Riverford Organic Farms Ltd, Buckfastleigh, Devon, TQ11 0JU.

Winner must live within the Riverford delivery territories (most of England and South Wales; postcodes can be checked at www.riverford.co.uk).