WEIGHT loss of between 0.5-2 pounds per week is a safe and realistic target and can have massive health benefits.
Reducing weight or obesity can lower risk of oesophageal cancer. DON’T be fixated with scales as they don’t paint the full picture. Waist measurements are more accurate with women advised to stay below 80cm and men below 94cm to reduce obesity risk.
People who eat breakfast usually find it easier to control their weight than those who don’t.
Porridge, wholemeal, wholegrain bread or breakfast cereals are good choices.
REMEMBER cereals can have added sugars-a small bowl per day is fine.
For lunch or dinner, half fill your plate with vegetables or salad, divide the other half between meat, meat alternative (quorn), egg or beans and starches (pasta, bread, potatoes etc). Keep skin on potato for more fibre. Choose foods and drinks low in sugar and salt.
If you want a sugary treat (chocolate, biscuit etc) have one but make sure you aren’t going above 30g of free sugars per day as a whole. Same for a packet of crisps and salt; make sure you aren’t going above 6g per day combined with other salty foods.
Tyrells and Kettle lightly salted crisps are good options for lower salt. Go for low fat yoghurt, reduced fat cheese and skimmed milk but remember to take your carrots or sweet potato to make up for less vitamin A in skimmed milk.
DON’T DIET as this is often extreme, strict, nutritionally unbalanced whilst dictating what you should and shouldn’t eat resulting in you not sticking to it for very long.
• Lee McCusker (BA; MSc; MSc; MSc; ANutr; SENr) is a registered nutritionist from Belfast and can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Email: attentive nutrition@gmail.com
