LA fitness news

You are what you eat.

One of the nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. Mindfulness is a Buddhist concept that when applied to eating (mindful eating) means slowing down and paying attention to the colours, textures and flavours that you are experiencing in your food. The idea is that if you pay attention to what you put into your mouth there is a much better chance that you will resist the urge to eat junk and to overeat.

Bad fats (saturated and trans-fats) increase your cholesterol and risk of heart disease. Good fats (Omega -3s and polyunsaturated fats) have the opposite effect. Bottom line: It’s the mix of fats that’s really important. Here are some things you might like to consider when it comes to your fat intake.

1. Ever wondered why fat chance and slim chance mean the same thing? Just because it says “low-fat” or “fat-free” on the label doesn’t mean it’s healthy. What you may not realise is that many fat-free foods are high in sugar, refined carbohydrates and calories. Be warned!

2. Use liquid vegetable oils such as olive or canola oil instead of margarine or butter for cooking. If you want to go one better, coconut oil is now considered by many to be the super-healthy option.

3. Switch from whole milk to skimmed or semi-skimmed milk.

4. Eat Omega-3 every day - either in the form of fish like salmon, herring and sardines, or nuts (walnuts are great) or in capsule format (Krill oil is now considered to be the best).

5. Eat less red meat (beef, pork or lamb) and more fish and chicken.

6. Bake, steam and grill instead of frying.

7. Trim as much fat off of meat as possible before cooking and remove the skin from chicken too (yes we know it’s the best bit!).

8. Avoid deep-fried foods, they’re a fat time-bomb with a short fuse and big bang.

9. If you’re partial to cheese, choose lower-fat cheeses like mozzarella whenever possible.

10. Cream is high in fat and so are most cheese sauces. Go with genuinely low fat yoghurt on your apple crumble if you have to.

11. Avocados are stuffed with heart and brain-healthy fats and they make a filling meal too.

12. We all know that crisps and biscuits are high in fat, so if you need to fill up, reach for the nuts instead.

13. Olives are high in healthy monounsaturated fats and they also make for a good low-calorie snack when eaten on their own.

14. Supermarket salad dressings are often high in saturated fat or they are made with trans fat oils - neither of which is good. Try making your own dressings with cold-pressed olive oil, flaxseed oil or sesame oil.

15. Trouble with low calorie alcohol is the taste - in that it doesn’t have much. Our advice is to drink non-alcoholic stuff like cranberry juice and diet tonic (really nice) during the week and have some alcohol in moderation at the weekend if that’s your thing.