Diet and healthy food Blog – 6th September 2019. So a very busy week back to work with lots of new things to learn and take on board. Kept to my plan of taking my gym kit with me and going there on the way home, it worked well because I was tired after a full on day and I knew if I went straight back to the hotel I wouldn’t go back out again! Also doing a class really energizes you too and clears the head. The nearest gym was Total Fitness and I have to say I was really impressed with it, I loved the indoor running track, the variety of the classes, the quality of the instructors was excellent and I managed to get there three nights out of four. My other plan was to try and eat healthy too, this had some challenges as lunch most days was sandwiches, quiches, sausage rolls etc., so it helped that I had had a decent breakfast and didn’t feel really hungry by the lunch time and tempted to eat what there was. On the subject of healthy eating, I read an interesting report on the benefits of increasing our intake of fruit and vegetables beyond the current recommendations of 5 a day to 10 a day (800 grams a day), its called the Rainbow Diet. The benefits in the trial led by the Imperial College of London, where impressive; 24% reduced risk of heart disease, 33% reduced risk of stroke, 28% reduced cardiovascular risk, 31% reduction in premature death and a 13% reduced risk of all cancer. I decided to give this a go myself a few months ago, what surprised me was that I really felt I was eating my 5 a day until I actually started to count them each day, some days I was and others I just wasn’t. So it did feel a bit of a challenge to begin with but now its part of my routine and towards the end of day I always have a quick mental tally of how many I have eaten so far and then its easier to make sure I reach my ten. Another benefit I found, from adapting this new regime, was eating a piece of fruit when I felt I was a bit hungry and wanting a snack instead of reaching for something else – usually less healthy. I have also replaced potatoes for sweet potato and now I always have a minimum of 2 green vegetables with my dinner but more usually 3. An example of what this might look like would be; 2 x kiwi fruit, 1 x apple, 1 x pear, 1/2 x grapefruit, 8 x cauliflower florets, 1 x glass of orange juice, 3 x tablespoons of peas, 2 x broccoli spears, 1 x tomato, 1 x banana. Apart from the reductions in serious illness, fruit and vegetables have been shown to reduce; cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and boost the health our blood vessels and immune system. On a personal note I also have noticed an improvement in my hair, skin and that it has been much easier to maintain my weight. Watch out for some tips and ideas on this over the next few weeks too.