Avoid bread, and similar foods you would find in a bakery for a week.

Why?

Whilst I’m not opposed to the odd bit of wheat here and there, it shouldn’t be a staple part of your diet, even if you are not intolerant to gluten. Bread, and similar products do not contain any nutrients, and only are only a cheap and convenient way of filling you up. It has no health benefit other than a quick source of energy (and that doesn’t really count as a benefit as it reduces insulin sensitivity). Breads and pastries are also pro-inflammatory foods, and regular consumption of these foods can lead to persistent inflammation which increases the risk of so many diseases.

Just think about some typical meals – toast/ cereal for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. Where is the nutrition? Some jam derived from a fruit, or a bit of lettuce in a bread roll really doesn’t come close to meeting your basic nutritional requirements, let alone your ideal nutritional requirements. Bread is is a nutrient devoid, lazy meal filler. If you want to be healthy, you need to get into the habit of not having it.

Some inspiration for how

If you can’t have cereal or bread, I can imagine that you will be stumped for ideas on what to eat. They are such a staple of a modern diet it’s shocking! So here are some ideas:

Breakfast – Fruit will be your friend here because it is quick and convenient to eat, and I can imagine you don’t exactly have a lot of time for breakfast in the morning. Having some fruit isn’t enough to satisfy everyone though, especially the more sporty of you, so try have a fruit milkshake. All you need is a blender, and a little bit of creativity.

A favourite of mine is a banana and berry milkshake – quick, simple, and nutritious. You need to use about 200ml of milk (I use whole milk), a banana and a handful of berries (any berry works) and blend it all together. You can also add a scoop of whey powder to the milkshake to make it thicker and increase the protein content. Its quick, nutritious and if you have the right sort of bottle, you can even drink it on your commute to work.

Lunch – I imagine that by now you might have already had a snack around half 10 (hopefully something healthy like beef jerky or nutritious nuts), and most of you will have been sat at a desk all day, so don’t need much in the way of immediate energy (another reason to avoid simple carbs). To avoid having a boring and rushed lunch, its a good idea to prepare something the night before. Cook up some chicken, boil some eggs, or mix up some tuna mayo, and make a salad. I’m not talking about a boring salad with just some lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes – add some exciting stuff!

An avocado for example, complements tuna/ mayo perfectly and is full of nutrients (maybe add a bit of paprika too – yum!). You can also add some bell peppers, grate up a carrot or beetroot, cook the chicken with some herbs/ spices, drizzle some salsa, sprinkle some pine nuts or pumpkin seeds, slice up some apple or add some cheese. Before you know it, what you used to call rabbit food is a delicious and nutritious meal. There is a seemingly limitless number of things you can do to make a boring salad exciting, it just takes a bit of imagination and some preparation.

Before you know it, you will have also completed Healthy Habit #4 by mid-day without even trying!

Image courtesy of sk8geek