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StyleNest have teamed up with online calorie counter Nutracheck to help you keep your calories and waistlines in check for summer.
If you’ve been counting down the days until your summer holiday then you’ve also most probably been counting the calories too. Getting your beach body in check is almost important as packing your passport so that’s why this summer we’re using Nutracheck for a sure way to keep those calories at bay.
Janet Aylott, nutritionalist for online calorie counter and food diary service Nutracheck gives us some top tips on how to get bikini body ready for summer.
Tip 1. Fad Diets
“Despite the huge interest in intermittent fasting, we still don’t fully understand the long term effects of fasting on the body. Whilst some studies, and anecdotal reports, suggest fasting through a very low calorie intake (approx. 600 kcal) for up to 2 days per week can lead to weight loss, choosing a healthy and balanced diet on the remaining non-fasting days is also important.
Fans of this approach say it is easier to manage 2 extremely restricted eating days than more controlled eating across 7 days, however as stated above, the food eaten on the non-fasting days must still be healthy, balanced and not excessive. It is not carte blanche to eat absolutely anything, a common misconception with this diet.
But whilst fasting suits some, it can be very difficult to stick to and may result in extreme hunger, a lack of energy and can affect your ability to function. Limited evidence suggests intermittent fasting may reduce the risk of developing some chronic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes, however more long term research is needed. In addition, recent reports suggesting a link between intermittent fasting and an ‘immune boost’ have yet to be confirmed in human studies.”
Tip 2. Portion Control
Another important factor is portion control, you may think you are eating healthily but packing your plate full with food and finishing it off is not going to do you any good
Why is it so important?
Eating reasonable sized portions of a wide variety of foods helps us to not only achieve a balanced diet, but to keep calorie intake in check. It’s very easy to over do it on calories just by eating bigger portions of food than we really need. People are often amazed by how much they are over-eating when they start to weigh out their food
Stats on how our portions have increased over the years
Food portion sizes, particularly out of home, have increased over the past 30-40 years with some studies suggesting a rise of between 50-100kcal per portion for foods such as crisps, snacks, fast food and sugary drinks. Studies have also shown that when offered larger portions we tend to eat the extra food – a ‘waste not want not’ culture where we are looking for value for money
Tip 3. Summer Treats & Swaps
Instead of: Ice Cream Van Cone with a Flake = 240 Calories, 12g fat
Choose: Solero Exotic Ice Cream Lolly = 95 calories, 1.3 g fat
Instead of: Strawberry Daiquiri (8oz / 230ml) = 325 cals, 0g fat, 60g sugar
Choose: Grapefruit and vodka (Greyhound) (6oz / 170ml) = 160 cals, 0g fat, 10g sugar
Instead of: Mini sausage roll (1 roll) = 60 calories, 4g fat
Choose: Mini Chicken Satay skewer (1 skewer) = 20 cals, 0.5g fat
Instead of: Mini Quiche = 75 cals, 4.5g
Choose: Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese (each) = 26 cals, 2.2g fat