My 3 top tips for improving your health

If you're looking to see some quick improvements in your health, keeping it simple is the key. Here are three straightforward tips that can have a big impact:

1. Look at your overall food intake

An effective way for some people to kickstart their health journey is by reducing overall food intake. You can do this by reducing your meal portion size or opting for three full meals instead of snacking throughout the day. Many people are on autopilot and this can result in constantly consuming food all day long. Snacking between meals can exhaust your metabolism, it cannot use all of the energy you are inputting and this is hindering its ability to repair and regenerate.

Consider implementing intermittent fasting, where you restrict your eating to a specific window of time each day. Start with a 10-hour eating window, gradually working towards an eight-hour window. For example, you could stop eating at 6pm, and resume eating at 8am. When you feel ready you could extend the fast to 8pm, skip breakfast and start your food window again at midday. Allowing a significant pause in eating provides a window for your body to repair and regenerate.

2. Reduce your abdominal fat

Excess weight around the middle poses significant health risks and is linked to various non-communicable diseases. Visceral fat, the type that accumulates around abdominal organs, is particularly concerning as it can lead to insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes), elevated cortisol levels, and increased risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases.

Genetically some people are more predisposed to the risk of such diseases, however, this risk is modifiable and combatting abdominal fat requires more than just hitting the gym. At certain stages of life, midlife and menopause for example taking exercise will not get rid of abdominal fat, you need to also focus on:

• reducing/eliminating sugar
• replacing excess starchy carbs in your diet with complex carbs
• adding more vegetables to your diet, especially green leafy types like broccoli, kale, spinach, sprouts
• trying intermittent fasting
• increasing physical activity, starting with two 20-30 minute walks per day, generally move more
• consuming more healthy fats from sources like avocados, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish

3. Look after your gut and liver

Proper digestion and absorption of nutrients are crucial for overall health. Supporting your gut and liver health involves eliminating toxins and nourishing these vital organs. Here's how:

• Increase your intake of plant fibre, found in foods like onions, garlic, lentils, and leafy greens.
• Incorporate fermented foods rich in beneficial bacteria, such as kefir, kombucha, kimchi, and sauerkraut – these foods are available in all supermarkets now.
• Reduce your exposure to chemicals in your home, next time you replace your cleaning products, use a free app like Yuka to suggest the least toxic products on the shelves of the supermarket.
• Reduce the chemicals you put on your skin like perfumes, hairsprays, lotions etc, again use something like Yuka to find the least toxic alternative to your usual favourites.
• Opt for liver-friendly foods like cruciferous vegetables, beetroot, and asparagus.
• Try taking a break from caffeine and alcohol to ease the burden on your liver.
• Enjoy three litres of water daily, infuse it with juices that are liver-friendly fruits and vegetables like beetroot, dark cherry, carrot, apple, ginger, and lemon.

By implementing these simple yet effective strategies, you can make meaningful improvements to your health and well-being. Remember, small changes can lead to significant results when approached with consistency and commitment.

Learn more about how digestion works and find support if you have concerns about what constitutes excess weight on Nutritionist Resource.