New Year, New You?

Every January, when a new year rolls around, most of us make the same resolutions - eat healthily, lose weight, go on a diet - and with that comes the endless array of programmes dedicating to fat-fighting, and diets that claim to do the same. This year, I thought I'd take a look a look at some of these diets, and cheekily give my own personal opinion on them! Here we go...

The Alkaline Diet

This is based on the theory that in our Western diets we eat too many acidic or acid-producing foods, which cause a whole array of health problems, such as low energy and poor digestion. The idea is that a slightly alkaline diet keeps us healthy, and so we should include more green veg and fruits such as bananas in our diets, instead of acid-producing dairy and wheat products. Full-blown participants of this diet use test strips daily to test the pH of their bodies in order to stay on track.

The Paleolithic Diet

Also known as the caveman diet, this is based on the theory that our bodies cannot handle or digest processed foods that we eat nowadays very well, and that we should eat like our ancient ancestors. The basis of the diet is game meat, fish, veg, fruits, nuts and eggs.

The Dukan Diet

A very famous diet already, based also on the principal of eating like cavemen, and reducing our diet to protein and veg. This diet involves 4 phases :

1- An attack phase, where you only eat protein

2 - A cruise phase, where you eat protein and veg

3 - A consolidation phase, where other foods are slowly re-introduced

4 - A stabilization phase

My opinion: Despite all having a different spin on being a 'diet', and the Dukan being quite specific, in their entirety (and behind the weird names and spiel) what each of them advocates is eating lean protein, fruit and veg - which is basically common sense when it comes to a healthy diet!

Whilst I'm in no way saying that diets aren't helpful and useful tools for weight loss when continued healthy eating and exercise haven't worked, I do want make the point that if you simply what to fulfill your New Year's resolution of being healthier and perhaps losing a few pounds, then consider making a few simple changes to your daily diet instead of following the latest 'diet' craze. Balance is key, so take a look at what you normally eat and see if you could make it a little healthier - perhaps by switching to brown bread, fitting your 5-a-day in, or eating less dairy. Some people think that eating healthily is all about restricting what you eat, but don't think of it like that! Think of it as eating good foods, in good quantities, and feeling good about yourself!

Let this be the year that you make the most important resolution: to look after yourself!

Nati xXx