Welcome to 2019  how was your Christmas and New Year? Did you enjoy your Mince Pies and Sausage rolls I certainly did…

I was pleasantly surprised when I plucked up the courage to check out the damage of all that lovely festive fare it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.

How did you do?

As you know I don’t believe in diets or fads or fashion foods…What is that about?  Most diets fail because they are so far removed from our normal eating patterns and often we are eating something not as nice as we have cooked for the rest of the family and we feel deprived…

We need a balanced diet, A healthy diet and yes there are some foods that are better for us that contain antioxidants or more fibre, more of certain vitamins but it needs to be balanced it will do no good to empty the shelves of tomatoes for example and fill ourselves up with tomatoes any which way we can for a few weeks…Will that do us any good??? I think not…It is moderation, common sense whatever way you want to put it…

I am not going to bash any other eating plans or fad diets and sometimes we need to follow a diet because we have an allergy or a proven, medically diagnosed condition where we cannot eat a certain food or food group…

But if we don’t then we need a balanced, sensible diet coupled with regular exercise…Normal everyday foods…

I also think we need to take more notice of food packaging instead of just picking it off the shelves because something catches our eyes…

 Fat-Free…Generally means it contains High Fructose Corn Syrup… We need a certain amount of good fats …Our body will not run efficiently if we don’t…Just like our cars need oil…

Cholesterol Free…The first time I saw this on a label I went home and double checked with Mr Google…I thought maybe I had missed something…Of course, I hadn’t… Cholesterol is only found in animal products i.e Meat, dairy, eggs, butter etc…Vegetables and fruit do not contain cholesterol …It is a very clever marketing ploy based on the fact many people read the headline and buy a product without thinking.

Multi-grain…Could mean 2 or 20 grains of which some are processed grains just like white bread… Buy Whole Grain…

Skinny Teas… Seems to be a new fad to me… I get behind the times and am not au-fait with many of the latest fads…They contain laxatives pure and simple  …drink too many and you may have a case of the back door trots…

Energy Drinks… Contain high levels of caffeine and are now banned in the UK for purchase by under 18’s, there have also been a few recorded deaths obviously my favourite word of moderation was not applied and they haven’t been around long enough for any long-term studies to be conducted but early signs are not good… So please if you do drink them heed the warnings.

Super Foods… Unless you have been living on a desert island with no contact with the outside world then we have all heard of those Super Foods and yes some foods are extra healthy as part of your healthy balanced diet…No one food alone on its own will help.

Sugar-Free… replaced by what? Mannitol, sorbitol…. look for natural sweeteners.

Natural Foods… There are some sketchy regulations about putting that on a packet…What does natural mean…I want to know ..Regulations in the UK appear to be tighter than some other countries…

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-ingredients-packaging

https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/packaging-and-labelling

I think we all need to be more label-conscious… Believe nothing is my motto …If a packet or jar has more than 3 ingredients then I put it back…My prime example is Coconut milk…sold here and 100% and that’s it!

Sold in the UK and probably the US and other countries NOT SO …MANY ARE BELOW 50% and contain fillers and guar gum. Why? My carton keeps the milk fresh until opened the answer? I will tell you to cut costs…Pure and simple…

How am I doing since Christmas well I have lost my Christmas lb’s just by going back to my intermittent fasting, 2 meals and only 1 snack or maybe 2 at the max…

I have started drinking more Green Tea… my new favourite drink as the weather turned a little colder my coconut oil turned white and solid for a week…My dear grandson also bought me a lovely Green tea set so I can brew my tea and sit and enjoy in the peace and quiet.

Isn’t it pretty and I have a choice of 4 different cups all pretty ladies…Now I can brew it properly no bitter taste it is lovely…so twice a day I sit and sip my green tea…

What is your favourite beverage?

When I was working I ate 3 meals a day but I am older and retired although I still work( write ) I don’t eat as much as I did when I was working and running about after my children so it boils down to what your needs are…If you are eating sensibly and healthily with regular exercise you will lose weight…Promise…

I have also gone back to mainly eating Thai food which I enjoy and it is quick to prepare and cook…

My advice to you…

Ditch the empty carbs and processed foods find other foods that you enjoy… I do not advocate eating any food I do not like or enjoy…Eating should be a pleasure and if that means a slice of cake …So be it… that is my pleasure …The whole cake is being a piglet and is not moderation…

That premise does not apply when it comes to wine... I know how to live to enjoy my food, stay healthy and lose weight.xxx

Until next time…Thank you for reading and if you have enjoyed it, please share, if you have any tips which work for you, please share we would all like to know your secrets for a healthy diet…

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great week xx