Nutrition Tips from Victoria Adams
Victoria Adams is a Yoga Teacher, PT, Facial Exercise Coach, + Certified Health Coach. She has worked with elite sportsmen and women including highly-decorated British Olympians and works with clients to manage their energy levels, improve posture and general sense of wellbeing, lose fat, and find easy ways of living healthfully. She is author of “Recipes for Life”, contributing published author of “Mastering the Commodities Markets” by the Financial Times, and you can join her on retreat or online for 1:1 coaching. You can also find her at Soho Farmhouse.
Find her here www.instagram.com/victoriaadams
What advice can you give people in quarantine?
This is a time where many of us are lacking structure. We are going to bed and waking up later, possibly unable to fall asleep at all if experiencing stress. And yet never before have we had such an opportunity to create structure – you are at home, this is a certain constant that will be part of your life for at least the next few weeks. Use this as an opportunity to shape your life. Focusing on the limitations of quarantine will, of course, limit you. Can this be your opportunity to bring structure and contentment to life within these four walls that you call home? On a personal level, professional level, nutritional level. Be clear about your goals – complete work tasks, create a magical home space, care for the family, feel well physically and mentally, write that book you’ve been thinking about. When you set yourself goals be sure to follow three clear steps that will get you closer to reaching them. For nutrition-related goals, if you feel limited by food supply or time/space to exercise, then identify how can you get around these obstacles? If you have a plan, you are more likely to succeed. And you will stay sane in the process (as well as get out of your Pjs, most likely). You will likely be caring for others. Put yourself on that list too and be sure to do whatever it is you need to feel looked after. Self-care doesn’t have to be a bi-weekly facial.. it is wearing your favourite hoody, brushing your hair, presenting your food well… If you create these systems during quarantine, you will be able to better cope with stress of the current situation, and this will serve you moving forward for the rest of your beautiful life.
This is a time where we have choice over how we present ourselves in the world. How we show up; even if we don’t get farther than our living rooms. What story do you want to tell when this is over? Go as far as you can imagine. Even if it’s only as far as your sofa.
Nowadays there are a lot of different information online, how not to make mistakes and find the right approach to your body?
Is now the time to start a new diet with obscure ingredients? Surrounded by people whilst you experience detox symptoms? Choose natural foods and fill your plate with as many green vegetables as possible before adding anything else. Drink plenty of water (add lemon for extra hydration). Honour meal times, rather than “grazing” or mindlessly snacking throughout your day. If you are snacking, then you are probably not eating enough at meal times! If you know that indulging in the”wrong” foods does not serve you, start planning “off-piste” meals (more about this on my website) so that you can enjoy all types of food.
I truly believe that we know what foods work for us, and what hinders us. If we do not know, we google it! There is something else that prevents us from choosing the right foods and activities for our bodies: excuses, work commitments, family commitments, etc. Firstly, keep it simple. There is no point in being super healthy if it makes you super unhappy. If there is an underlying factor causing you to make poor food choices or binge eat, can this issue be addressed with something other than indulgent food? Emotional eating makes sense – it makes you feel better. But we cannot eat 24/7 to fix a problem!
Struggling with sleep? Eat before 7pm and then watch the sunset – the colours of the sun can help you and your body prepare (and realise!) that it’s time for bed and trigger an increase in melatonin production.
What people should include in their diet during the quarantine?
From a nutritional perspective, especially if you are moving less and indoors, more nutrient-dense vegetables and fruit are crucial. The vitamins and minerals in fresh fruit and veg will help your brain cells function and keep your skin bright, as well as reducing your chances of increasing body fat percentage and higher visceral fat. If you do not have access to fresh, remember that frozen fruit + veg are usually frozen straight after being picked. Very useful to stock these in your freezer. Be sure to get enough Omega 3s into your diet: oily fish, pumpkin seeds, chia, flax or hemp. You might choose to take supplements (Vitamin C, D, K, B12) but do your best to feed your body these nutrients using food first.
How often do you call on your gut instinct? If your gut is compromised by poor diet or stress, it’s a wonder why it can be difficult to listen to your gut. Probiotics will support a healthy gut – you can buy them or make things like Kefir, Kimchi or Sauerkraut at home very easily and affordably. Prebiotics such as banana, cabbage, artichoke, dandelion greens and garlic are essential to act as fertilisers to help healthy bacteria grow.
When it comes to “naughty” food, it doesn’t help to simply say “cut out chocolate” because then all we do is go crazy thinking about chocolate! Instead, focus on crowding in as much of the good stuff (vegetables!) that you can. Naturally, you have the chocolate, but by crowding in more healthy food, there is naturally less space for the “bad foods” that we try to cut out. Remember that there is a difference between processed foods and the superfood that raw cacao is in its natural raw form.
This is balance. Because there’s no point in being super super healthy if it makes you super unhappy.
Stress is one of the most poisonous things we can feed the body!