Dietitian and Nutritionist Nicole Stride explains how this powerful combination can help you stay focused on your healthy eating goals, no matter what the Christmas Day buffet may contain.
My food philosophy is to enjoy the foods you love and get more sleep for your well-being and weight loss. As a strong supporter of encouraging healthy habits, WW (formerly Weight Watchers) aligns with my approach to a healthy lifestyle.
Even just tracking your food intake and paying more attention to meal times helps you reach your health goals.
Reduce the hang and increasing the zzz resonates strongly with our members.
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Eating smaller meals at regular intervals throughout the day is a great mindset to adopt.
Having a balanced approach that incorporates more sleep, paired with healthy foods and some discretionary foods is key – you’d be surprised what a slice of pavlova, a glass of bubbles, or a sleep does for motivation and success. long-term !
Just including one serving (one cup) of non-starchy vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, broccoli or spinach will have a ton of health benefits thanks to their fiber, vitamin and mineral content.
Plus, going to bed half an hour early, hitting a daily water goal, and moving more means you don’t have to miss out on some of the joys of the silly season. These little daily actions saw WW member Alex Bell turn his unhealthy locking habits into 30kg weight loss.
If you want to maintain your weight during the summer, here are my top tips:
Focus on better sleep (and more)
While there are many factors that link sleep to body weight, consistently poor sleep has been shown to increase cortisol – a stress hormone, and ghrelin – a hunger hormone. Increased cortisol levels can signal the body to conserve energy in the form of fat.
Ghrelin increases your appetite, which means you’re more likely to overeat and potentially crave foods high in fat and sugar in order to feel full. So getting a good night’s sleep every night can make the weight loss process a little easier.
Watch what you drink before bed
It’s a good idea to limit your caffeine intake at night as it acts as a stimulant and can make it harder to fall asleep. Alcohol also has an impact on sleep, and while you may think that alcohol helps you fall asleep, it actually disrupts your sleep cycle, which means you’re more likely to wake up during the night and to have poor quality sleep.
The best kind of snack before bed
While eating a balanced diet is the best way to get a good night’s sleep, that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all of your favorite snacks. Dark chocolate contains serotonin and tryptophan, both of which help regulate sleep.
Pair it with nuts like almonds, pistachios or walnuts for a powerful sleep-promoting combo. These nuts contain magnesium and calcium to promote muscle relaxation and sleep.
Try more tryptophans
While there isn’t a single food that improves your sleep on its own, there are plenty that can help when eaten as part of a balanced diet. For example, eating foods high in tryptophan, such as fish, chicken, turkey, eggs, tofu, and cheese, helps create serotonin and melatonin, which are involved in regulating sleep.
Foods containing omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D, such as fatty varieties of fish, like salmon, can also help improve the quality of sleep because they help regulate your sleep cycle.
Nicole Stride is a Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist with WW, (formerly Weight Watchers), Australia and New Zealand. She holds a BHealthSc (human movement) and an MSc (nutrition and food).
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