January was many moons ago and our New Year’s resolutions have become a distant memory, except our intention to eat healthily all week long. That one seems to keep resurfacing. Eating healthily all week long with the good parenting food guide!
According to recent research by a British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK and Tesco partnership, we still attempt to resolve the ‘healthy eating’ one on a regular basis … every Monday, in fact!
On the healthiest shopping day of the week, Monday, ‘we are more likely to buy healthier products like fruit and vegetables, prepared fruit, bananas and dried fruit’, claims the research. When it gets to ‘later in the week, we are [instead] much more likely to load up on unhealthy treats like crisps, cakes, desserts and sweets’. Wednesdays and Thursdays ‘are on average the least healthy shopping days of the week’.
Even ‘healthy’ Google searches (things like ‘healthy diet,’ the term ‘healthy’ or anything health-related) have a lower occurrence later in the week – lowest on a Saturday. Probably no surprise, seeing as weekends are classic cheat days! But why do we tend to get unhealthier as the week goes on?
Why do we find it so hard?
Jane Ogden, health psychologist and author of The Good Parenting Food Guide explains why our good intentions start off well, but can then get undermined ‘by a range of both psychological and practical issues’.
‘At the start of the week, the weekly shop has been done, the fridge is full of food and we are re-energised by the weekend break,’ she says. ‘We start off well, cooking meals from scratch and spending time on our food, but as the week progresses the daily grind of work saps our energy. Our attention is turned from healthy eating to deadlines, family crises and work pressures and we slip into old habits.’
This is backed by Jenna Hall, programme director of the Tesco National Charity Partnership, who explains that ‘every week people have the best of intentions when it comes to making healthier shopping choices, but find it hard to sustain as the week goes on due to the pressures of modern living’.
‘Healthy good habits require effort, the right frame of mind, a belief that food and health are important and food in the house,’ adds Jane.
When we have a lack of energy, ‘we give up and rely on food and drink pick-me-ups’, explains life coach Carole Ann Rice.
The main culprits are sugar (chocolate and biscuits) and caffeine, says Helen Ford, senior nutritionist at Glenville Nutrition Clinic. ‘Unfortunately these are short-lived boosts because although we get a quick stimulation from the sugar and caffeine, after a little while we feel tired again and then need another fix,’ she says. ‘The problem is that sugar and caffeine are highly addictive so we tend to crave them especially when we are tired and stressed.
Make better choices
‘Better foods are fresh fruit and nuts and seeds, houmous and oat cakes, protein bars, smoothies with added seeds to give a protein boost, falafel, goat’s cheese and rye crackers,’ she continues. Fruit is a fab choice because it has a particularly high water content – seeing as dehydration can cause low energy levels, it’s important to increase your daily intake of fluids and foods with a high water content – try watermelon!
‘The other important thing to remember is to eat regularly and consume enough protein throughout the day to keep blood-sugar levels balanced and therefore keep energy high.’
You could also try drinking green tea – not only is it great for keeping your fluids up, the drink can similarly help regulate blood-sugar levels, thereby preventing energy spikes and crashes.
There are also practical steps we can take to prevent us from straying later in the week, such as ‘having groceries delivered so you don’t rely on takeaways and junk food’, advises Carole. ‘Try juicers and NutriBullets – these are great too!’
Eating healthily all week long with the good parenting food guide
Jane’s top tips for staying healthy Monday to Sunday
- Buy ingredients, not meals, so that meals can always be made from whatever you have.
- Buy enough for the whole week. Plan what you are going to have during the day so that it isn’t a rushed decision when you are hungry.
- Try to eat at the same time each evening so you get into a rhythm.
- Cook quick, simple meals that contain lots of fruit and veg.
- Stop buying food that you don’t want to eat – instead, bulk-cook meals and freeze them for another day.
Buy the Good Parenting Food Guide by Jane Ogden for £14.99 by clicking here.
You can also check out our Ultimate Guide to Nutrition
