Do you fear food?

Do you fear food? If so, we’re here to help!

What nutritionist and trainer-to-the-stars Zana Morris, creator of Strong Nutrients , doesn’t know about food definitely isn’t worth eating. She told me I was combining nutrients fairly well in my veggie-bordering-on-vegan diet, but that there are a few fears I should drop.

1. Don’t fear calories
‘With many calorie-counting diets, muscle can account for up to 90% of the weight lost. Given that 1lb of muscle burns 50–100 calories per day, this isn’t an educated approach for long-term results.’ Zana explains that a diet deficient in ‘protein, fat and carbohydrate will cause the body to use its own muscle for fuel, meaning much of the weight lost using this approach is muscle.’
Makes sense. And in my experience, too few calories only lead to sugar cravings and Kitkat binges

2.Don’t fear fat
‘I don’t care what you’ve heard, fat isn’t evil,’ laughs Zana. ‘We need fat to convert into muscle. Otherwise we’re burning muscle when we exercise and that’s not what we’re after. If your body fat percentage is too low, that means you’re probably breaking down muscle and not getting the most out of your exercise. Try eating more fat!’
No need to tell me twice. Time to get involved with some peanut butter…

3. Don’t fear supplements
‘Taking nutritional supplements doesn’t have to be long-term. Many women are susceptible to iron deficiency, for instance, especially if they don’t eat meat or have heavy periods. Just a week-long intensive course of iron tablets can raise levels to a stage where you can keep them topped up with the food you eat. But if you’re deficient to start with, it’s very hard to get up to a healthy level just with food.’
Zana’s converted me to brewer’s yeast, which has done wonders for my hair, skin and nails. But be warned, it’s like drinking liquid Marmite!

More nutrition from Zana check out the Library Gym