Loc journey encourages new healthy diet
Chopping off the remnants of my ‘old’, straightened hair to make way for new, natural growth into locs has inspired me to revamp my diet.
When I began my ‘lifestyle challenge’ four years ago, going natural back then motivated me to change my poor eating habits and ditch junk food for healthy, nutritious foods.
Now, my hectic professional life has again allowed bad habits to creep back in and I am once again suffering the consequences: weight gain, tired-looking skin and not getting the energy I desperately need from food.
So, following my ‘out with the old in with the new’ approach to my hair, I have now applied this same philosophy to my kitchen. Out has gone meat, starchy foods and frozen vegetables in favour of fresh vegetables, fish and meat alternatives.
I am once again trying to maintain a balanced diet with three good meals a day. Breakfast is now a bowl of porridge with decaffeinated coffee; lunch is soup -I have gone from canned soup, to fresh and finally to frozen (Iceland’s new frozen range, pictured left, are delicious, hearty soups that you might find in a restaurant and very tasty too). For my evening meals, meat has been banished in favour of meat alternatives, like the Quorn chicken, which is great with stir-fry cabbage, onions, carrots and sweet pepper (main picture), or spicy bean burgers which are great in a wholemeal bap with salad.
After just a few days I am already feeling more energized and my skin is slowing improving. I am also making a conscious effort to maintain my daily intake of 2 litres of water a day, which is both good for the hair as well as helping to maintain suppleness and elasticity in my facial skin.
I can’t wait to see what impact this will have after six months. I have also started walking to work, which takes 25 minutes, instead of a 15-minute drive, to get back in the habit of regular exercise.
