As you may know, I've had a social media cull. Not of friends but of platforms. You can now only reach my daily motivational videos on vegan health and fitness on Instagram.
Below are a few of this week's posts.
Don't forget to follow me at https://www.instagram.com/daniel_welstead/
Daniel Welstead - Plant Based Vegan Personal Trainer in Sevenoaks
Lockdown weight loss: Eat MORE of these five foods and BLACKLIST these five other ones
Top nutritionist shares five foods to avoid and five more to have instead plus other weight loss tips.
Weight loss was always one of the most searched-for topics online, but ever since the lockdown, losing weight at home has become ever so popular, possibly because all of a sudden everyone started to gain weight due to their new, sedentary lifestyle. The good news is that losing weight at home needn't be difficult. You don't need to go full keto for weight loss… although, okay, that could help.
To find out which five foods to avoid if you don't want to gain weight at home – and five to eat instead for rapid weight loss – we spoke to performance nutritionist Simon Jurwik who also happens to be the commercial director at Bulk Powders. In his humble opinion, some simple changes to lifestyle and diet can lead to great results. You don't have to do bodyweight workouts at home or use a running workout… although that also might help.
Here are Simon's best tips on lockdown weight loss – keeping in shape effectively and safely, with no dramas.
TOP FIVE FOODS TO AVOID IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GAIN WEIGHT
Simon doesn't believe in the idea of inherently 'bad' foods although even he wouldn't recommend chowing down on takeaway every morning. His motto is "everything in moderation". However, he adds, "I would say to limit your consumption of the below whilst in lockdown as they are more calorie-dense." That Makes sense.
Processed foods: processed food has loads of additives and artificial ingredients to make them last longer and give them a more flavour. Examples of processed food include frankfurters, non-fresh bakery products, sweets and biscuits and more.
Alcohol: as we mentioned here on T3 already, cutting alcohol can help weight loss(opens in new tab) – sometimes significantly, and without changing anything else. Letting alcohol go can also improve cognitive performance and help you live longer. No news there.
Refined sugar: refined sugar is unhealthy for many reasons. It spikes insulin levels and doesn't have any nutritional value. It can cause addiction, damage your teeth and hurt your organs too. Most fizzy drinks and even fruit juices contain refined sugars so just avoid these altogether if possible.
Chocolate bars: not only these contain a very high amount of refined sugars but they also have quite few additives as well. Try snacking on protein bars(opens in new tab) or beef and vegan jerky(opens in new tab) instead when cravings strike.
Takeaways: just like processed food, takeaways are high in calories and often have a bad combination of bad fats, unhealthy carbs and high sugar content. You might feel they taste great but it's just your brain being high on carbs and sugar after you have your big bowl of chips and gravy topped with cheese.
TOP FIVE FOODS TO EAT MORE OF IN YOUR DIET TO HELP WEIGHT LOSS
When it comes to weight loss, Simon vouches for calorie deficit: "You should try and eat a well balanced diet so you get the right amount of nutrients and minerals." Ideally, you would like to eat your five a day, a mix of fruits and vegetables, to make sure your vitamin levels are topped up.
It's easier than you think to add more greens to your meals: have some tomatoes with your breakfast bacon and eggs, have an apple mid-morning, some asparagus and kale with your lunch, a banana in the afternoon and half an avocado with your tea.
That's already more than 'just' five-a-day and it shows just how easy it is to add some extra fibres to your diet. Eating more fibrous can also help you feel fuller for longer, meaning you won't get hungry almost instantly after you had some food.
Simon recommends the following food groups to be included in your diet for effective weight loss:
High protein foods such as chicken, nuts and eggs: protein is great for muscle recovery and weight loss too. Feel free to supplement your diet with protein powder or high-protein snacks if you wish. It takes longer for your body to break protein down too, making you feel more sated after your meals.
Low GI foods such as oatmeal, sweet potato and legumes: these will fill you up for longer and have a range of health benefits as well. GI is short Glycemic Index and it is a relative ranking of carbohydrate in foods according to how they affect blood glucose levels. Foods with high-GI ranks spike blood sugar and therefore to be avoided. Low-GI foods take longer to digest and release carbs slower.
Fruits: pick more fibrous ones like pears, raspberry and avocado. They are rich in vitamin and minerals and eating more fruit can help you stay more healthy, even in these turbulent times.
Vegetables: especially green veg tend to be high in protein and fibre, such as kale, and spinach but introducing more vegetables to your diet in general can have a positive effect on mood and well-being.
Water: "I know this isn’t a food item but I think water is something that people often forget about and it’s important to keep hydrated!" Simon explains.