An organised life is a healthy one...

My house on the outside is clean, comfortable and organised - or so that is what it appears to be.  When you open a cupboard you have to duck for cover with the overflow of “stuff” oh and by the way avoid the garage and store room.
Sometimes that is how our brain feels, on the outside we look uncluttered but on the inside we are brimming with ideas, thoughts, memories and that endless what to do list ultimately making us feel disorganised and perhaps a little depressed due to the overwhelm.

The way that many of us approach our health is very similar.  Although we want to be healthy and we want to make great food choices everyday, sometimes it's just not possible. Our brains are so cluttered with “stuff” we have to make room for new ideas and concepts.  To make changes stick we need to deal with the clutter within.

This idea struck me while I was watching youtube sensation Marie Kondo in her Netfilx series Tidying Up.  She shook all my conventions and it took me a little time to come around to her system of organising as I hate to admit it, her ideas were far better than mine.  How can we relax and enjoy our space when we are surrounded by kaos? We can’t clear our thoughts or make good choices when our homes and our heads are filled with “stuff” that we either no longer need or think that we need.

It’s like eating healthy, we are full of lots of ideas about healthy eating but it's hard to change habits that took a lifetime to create.  We need to deal with all the clutter. We have to break our patterns of old unhealthy eating habits and create new healthy eating habits.

To make a start, I put together 10 golden rules for eating healthy. You are probably going to read this list and think, it's just not possible.  That’s ok. Just catalogue it in your brain until it does make sense and it is doable. When making changes there are two types of people in this world.  Those that change everything at once, and the rest of us who need to take things bit by bit. One change at a time, and when you are ready, then go to the next step.  Don’t think that you have to do it in this order, just pick the easiest change for you, start with that and when you have aced it try another.


Krys’ 10 golden rules for healthy eating:

1. Fresh food is best.  Crowd out the bad foods with good foods.  Aim to eat 6 (the more the better) serving of colourful, seasonal vegetables and 2 serves of fruit per day.
   
2. Choose pasture raised meats and poultry and local, wild caught or sustainably farmed fish
   
3. Drink plenty of filtered water.  Our bodies are 70% water and it is easy to forget to drink.  Try herbal teas, adding lemon, mint or ginger to a glass of water can make drinking water a little more interesting.   Drink up to 8 glasses per day or until your urine is a pale yellow.
   
4. Let go of sugar.  It doesn't belong in your new life.  Avoid soda’s, muesli bars, chocolate bars, icecreams, dried fruits and try to think of alternatives that you can have instead.  Always ask yourself before you have dessert, do you really need that? Try a cup of peppermint tea to sip on instead.
   
5. Always read ingredient labels.  If it has numbers or words that you cannot pronounce then don't buy it.  Another hint is if it has sugar, fat or salt in the first three ingredients then don't buy it either.
   
6. Moderate alcohol.  Try to aim for 3-5 alcohol free days per week, and avoid drinking more than 2 standard 100 ml glasses of wine on any one day.  
   
7. Eat plenty of fibre.  Choose whole grains instead of processed white grains, eat your serves of vegetables and fruit per day, enjoy a variety of nuts and seeds in small quantities.  Eating plenty of fibre helps you to feel fuller for longer.
   
8. Use the good oils.  Olive oil for salads and low to moderate heat cooking, butter, ghee, macadamia and coconut oil are great for high point cooking such as a roasts or stir frys, avocado oil makes an amazing mayonnaise.  Avoid hydrogenated oils such as margarine and vegetable oils or anything that has a long shelf life that can be reheated over and over again.
   
9. Enjoy fermented foods with your meals.  Kombucha, milk kefir and yoghurt are great sources of probiotics.  Serve sauerkraut or kimchi as a condiment to meals or add liberally to a salad, all of these can be purchased at your supermarket or health food store.  Just check that it is made locally to get the full benefit of a probiotic hit. Creating that balance of gut bacteria is important not only for your health but also your mental health.
   
10. When eating out, choose salads, lean proteins and dishes abundant in veggies..  Avoid fried foods, heavily marinated foods, or store bought dressings. Always be curious and don't be afraid to ask what is in the dressing, or ask for the sauce on the side.  Condiments are notorious for being the most unhealthiest part of your meal.
    

Marie Kondo asks this one question when letting go of possessions does it spark joy for you?  If an item sparks joy, then keep it. If it no longer does, or you have no use for it in your life ahead, then let go of it.  Thank the item and graciously give it away.
Just like food, embrace the healthy foods and be thankful that you are eating to heal rather than create disease.  Then, say no thank you graciously to the unhealthy ones. Let them go, as they do not belong in your healthier life now and in the future.  

Uncluttering your life and your home can be the first step to healthy living.  Because, once you have nailed that, then you can move onto other areas of your life such as your health and wellbeing to get even more rewards and importantly joy.  

Nutrition advice, finding foods that suit you and ways to improve your gut health is what I love to do.  I have a practice in Balgowlah, Sydney and see patients locally or by skype. Let me help you live your best life.  Check out my website www.kryslojeknutrition.com and sign up to my newsletter to receive a free healthy pantry list.