Week 3: REBOOT Challenge - Happy Food

HAPPY FOOD

Flexibility in our mindset impacts everything that matters, our body’s ability to repair, how happy and resilient we are, and how connected we feel. When we are flexible, we can choose our thoughts, we can ask more questions and react more consciously. I created The Reboot Challenge to boost us with tools that will help us to understand the power of our mind and how to leverage our brain’s capability to adapt and rewire.

Each week we will add new tools to our daily routine that are super simple but effective. We will awaken and strengthen our mindset, body, nutrition intake, and connection within ourselves. Every week will be filled with variety with easily digestible tools to add to your daily routine. By the end of week 5, we will integrate all the new tools we have mastered, where we can enjoy the benefits of a full reboot and reset!

NUTRITION

This week we are focused on the power of food. In this blog, we will explore

·      How you can maximise your intake of nutrient-dense food to encourage growth and repair

·      How to identify and eliminate inflammatory food and bad food habits to support healing

·      How food is information and our foundation to maximising growth and repair

EAT BETTER AND FEEL BETTER

I believe that every meal can be an opportunity to renew ourselves. Nutrition is the foundation for the health of our brain, hormones, gut health, emotional and physical wellbeing. Our body depends on water and nutrients to survive.

Hydration is so important. Every cell, tissue, and organ needs water to function optimally. Water makes up: 90% of our lungs, 76% of our brain, 25% our bones, 75% our muscles that move our body, 82% of our blood that transport nutrients.

Our body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste, and to lubricate our joints. Our brain, muscles, skin, and organs are all made up of water.

Just to perform our daily tasks, we require water and nutrients to think, walk, run and problem solve.

I recommend drinking x 8 glasses or 2 litres of water a day and make it fun. Add lemon to your water for flavour, which also promotes digestion. I love to stock my home and office with beautiful teas, so I am sipping on them all day.

WHEN SHOULD I RAMP UP MY NUTRIENTS?

If you are going through a difficult time emotionally, if stress levels are high, if your body is in need of repair, or is going through change, I highly recommend ramping up your nutrient intake. When I started to increase my nutrient intake, my results became most profound.

To maximise repair in my brain, my journey led me to research and discover doctors that had their own personal stories of success and recovery. Their resources can be found on my website and I have included delicious recipes for you to enjoy in this eBook.

A happy mind is connected to a happy body when we are nourishing it with happy foods.  

It was an absolute game-changer when I optimised my nutrition. Within a few months, my health and overall feeling in my mind and body had vastly improved.

I no longer had to lay down for half of the day, which was life-changing.

I did extensive research into nutrition that would promote repair which led me to the work of Dr Terry Wahls, Prof. George Jelinek, Swank, McDougal to name a few.

I’d love to share the common denominators that all these experts recommend and my approach to keeping it simple and achievable each day.

The Australian Health report in 2018 found more than 99 percent of children and 96 percent of adults don’t eat the recommended daily intake of five servings of vegetables a day. When we are in need of repair, we need more than the recommended daily intake of nutrients.

Here are some tips to help get you started

FOCUS ON WHAT TO INCREASE

-       Green leafy vegetables all rich in Vitamin A, B, C, K, Calcium, Folate, Magnesium, and Potassium

-       Deeply coloured fruits and vegetables: all the way through E.g.: berries, beetroot, orange, plums rich in antioxidants, that have antibacterial benefits, and are great for our immune system, reproductive and vascular health.?

-       Sulfur rich foods: E.g. cabbage, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli promote Detoxification, gut health, and has antimicrobial benefits, helps with hormone balance, and promotes liver health.

-       Fermented foods are great for the health of our gut E.g. kimchi, sauerkraut, and pickled foods.

-       Fiber-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables, nuts, grains, beans, plants are also great for our gut.

-       Resistant starches are prebiotic foods also high in fibre, they are food for our microbes, promoting species diversity e.g. green banana, pea, lentils, uncooked oats, white cannellini beans.

-       Omega-3 fats have anti-inflammatory effects in the body, excellent for our brain health, they support our sex hormones whilst promoting a healthy mood.

-       Good fats include avocado, nuts, nut and seed butter, olive oil, and flaxseeds.

-       Inulin rich foods are loaded with fermentable fibre with prebiotic properties that increase the growth of beneficial bacteria in our guts E.g. dandelion greens, artichoke, garlic, onions, leek, asparagus, bananas.

Protein are amino acids. Amino acids are responsible for the heavy lifting, growth, and repair in our body. The body makes some amino acids naturally and the others we must get from foods. The ones we must get from foods are called essential. Fish are high in protein and also rich in omega 3’s and are a source of good fat. Source wild and deep-sea water fish to avoid mercury.

Plant protein is great for you.

When you eat plants not only do you get protein, but you also get antioxidants, fibre, vitamins, and minerals to assist with overall health, weight management, and inflammation such as joint pain. In fact, every fruit and vegetable contains protein and an array of nutrients and minerals.

-       The key here is variety. As you want to make sure you get the recommended daily intake of all the 9 essential amino acids, which makes a complete source of protein. Focusing on these nutrient-dense foods will also help you to heal your gut so that you can assimilate your nutrients. There are some plant sources that are already a complete protein source such as hemp seeds, soy, flaxseeds, chia, edamame, quinoa, spirulina.

Other sources will need to be paired to ensure you get all the 9 essential amino acids. Some other great sources of amino acids from plants include lentils, chickpeas, peanuts, almonds

-       Here’s a tip: When you pair brown rice and lentils you will be getting a complete source of protein!

ELIMINATE INFLAMMATORY FOODS

-       Eliminate food allergies, for some of us that might include wheat, gluten, dairy. Other foods you might consider reducing are processed foods, sugar, fruit juice, soft drinks, and diet drinks, white foods, corn products, which are high in fructose.

- Omega-6 sources such as sunflower and vegetable oils artificial flavours and sweeteners can lead to inflammation. You may also consider limiting your alcohol intake, trans fats, vegetable, or refined oils like canola, as they can contribute to inflammation in the body.

-       Coffee, when we drink coffee, it sends a signal to our adrenal glands to release adrenaline, which can exacerbate stress, and feeling more ‘ON’ in our nervous system. Particularity on the days when you feel more stressed, try and limit yourself to one coffee a day or remove it from your routine altogether until you feel more balanced within.

-       If you have a sensitive digestive system you may want to try reducing lectin rich foods: legumes, beans, peas, nightshades, and grains.

THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE

FOOD

I’d love to now share with you my favourite tip that helps me to make cooking at home more fun and efficient. If you can Master X 5 salads x 5 sides x 5 sauces x 5 proteins I want you to put all your favourite recipes in a folder. Now when you mix and match them, you now have 625 recipes!

Prepare your meals on a Sunday for the week! Make a day of it, involve the family or let it be a fun YOU day x

Add deeply coloured foods, green leafy vegetables and good fat into your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

Reduce alcohol intake to just 2 days a week, or eliminate it completely for now.

TIPS

Make it fun, focus on what to increase, and organise yourself to make cooking work for you. Remember when you eat better you will feel better. When you feel better you are more inclined to make better choices, leading to a happier and healthier you.

Need Inspiration? You can find recipes that will nourish your body on a cellular level in my Happy Food eBook.

Time-poor but still want to eat healthy food? I have been loving Be fit Food and their ready-made meals. I know Kate who co-founded Be Fit Food and she has made sure her meals are super healthy and delicious. Be Fit Food empowers you to eat better, achieve results with the support of a dietician and a doctor along with science-backed programs to help you meet your weight loss goals or simply to improve your overall wellbeing.

Be Fit Food has given our community $35 off their entire order with a minimum spend of $100.00 using code BEND LIKE BAMBOO. Check out Amanda’s podcast with Founder Kate Save here:

MINDSET

 Keep up your mediation and journaling morning and night. This is a great way to empty and wash the mind so you can create new ideas, habits, and thoughts daily. 

MOVEMENT

Keep up your exercise and stretch routine 3-5 days a week.

CONNECTION

Be with yourself an hour a day, schedule the time in as a meeting your diary. Remembering to slow down, there is no rush, you have all the time in the world to get everything done. You are exactly where you are at, can you love yourself there?

WORK WITH AMANDA

I see clients at my private practice in Melbourne, I video coach my interstate and international clients or you can do my online course. I also can be booked for speaking engagements and wellness workshops.

Online coaching

Consultations with Amanda in person

If interstate or international :

Call us on 1300 188 882 or email [email protected] to find out how to book in for online coaching if you are outside of Melbourne / International.

Speaking:

To book Amanda to speak at your event or workplace please contact:

www.amandacampbell.com.au

[email protected]

1300 188 882

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