“One trap we fall into when we get busy, and if you are getting married you are busy, is feeling that we don’t have time to eat properly, to shop for food, or to prepare food,” says Jackie Storm, a certified nutrition specialist for the New York Health and Racquet Club. “When we are busy and stressed we tend to grab things on the run and skip meals. People are unaware of how much trouble they cause themselves just by not eating at regular intervals.
“People skip breakfast because they don’t have time, they’ll eat poorly for lunch or skip it altogether, and then sit down and have a huge meal at night time,” Jackie explains. “It makes no sense.”
When you skip a meal, you may think you are burning body fat, but if a meal is missed, the body has to break down its own muscle tissue. “When you don’t eat regularly, you will probably gain weight,” Jackie says, “because when you actually get around to eating your body says, ‘Hallelujah. The famine is over.’ It sucks up calories like a sponge — and stockpiles.”
A Typical Day
Your body needs a variety of foods on a daily basis. Pick your favorite fruits in season and have three to five servings a day. Have two to five servings of vegetables, more raw leafy greens in the spring and summer and more cooked vegetables in the fall and winter. Also, choose three high protein foods per day. These include eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, fish, nuts, lean meat, or tofu. Choose whole grains, such as oatmeal, and avoid processed starches made with white flour.
Jackie suggests eating an egg, some cheese, and a slice of whole grain bread for breakfast. This provides the body with fewer total calories and a better balance nutritionally.
“If you want to keep your energy up during the day,” says Jackie, “eat a lunch filled with proteins and vegetables. Find a place that does a good salad and add some grilled chicken or tuna to it. Don’t have a lot of starch at lunch, because the more starch you have, the more likely you are to fade as the day goes on.”
A good snack during the day is a handful of almonds and an apple. It’s low in calories, high in fiber and protein. For dinner, have vegetables, a little bit of lean meat or fish, and maybe a small sweet potato or a small amount of brown rice.
Make sure your daily diet includes antioxidants, which are thought to be effective in helping prevent cancer, heart disease, and stroke. These substances deactivate particles known as free radicals, which cause damage to cell walls and structures. Great sources of antioxidents include cantaloupes, carrots, spinach, and mangoes.
“Our whole process of living, everything we do, is made possible by the basic structural components found in our food,” stresses Jackie.
“Our meals are the bricks and mortar that replace body parts, the fuel that keeps us warm and helps us think. While a multi-vitamin can give you the vitamins and minerals you need for certain chemical reactions, it is still very important to eat protein, fat, and carbohydrates. You have to consume real food or no chemical reaction can occur. The vitamin is basically going in one end and out the other.”
Personalize Your Diet
“Your body has the ability to burn two types of fuel,” Jackie explains. “We burn both carbohydrates and fat for energy purposes. Cutting back your carbohydrate intake makes sense, but so does cutting back on your calorie intake. Look at what you are eating and identify the excess.
“A person eating sausage, eggs, and home fries for breakfast every day is eating too much fat, with too many calories. Another person having two plain bagels for breakfast and half a pound of spaghetti for dinner is consuming very little fat but way too many carbohydrates and not nearly enough protein. In both cases, there is an imbalance. Each person really needs to look at what they are eating and make appropriate corrections.”
When switching to a healthier diet, examine your personal habits as well. Eating wholesome foods alone cannot guarantee good health. Make sure you get adequate rest and physical activity.
Avoid consuming nicotine and caffeine, which act as stimulants by increasing neuron firing in the brain and producing of adrenaline. When these chemicals are abused, your body begins to think this chemically stimulated state is normal, and produces less of its own stimulants. If you simply cut back on these stimulants, your body will invigorate itself naturally, and, paradoxically, you’ll have more energy.
“Most people who tell me they lack energy, also say it takes them three cups of coffee every morning just to get started. The irony is that having three cups of coffee every morning is contributing to their fatigue! If you have one cup of coffee a day, the best time would be in the afternoon, because we go through a natural energy slump around three or four. You also might want to consider switching to tea, a different kind of caffeine that is not nearly as potent.
Look Great
Every nutrient plays an important part in building cells and tissues, as well as regulating body processes from breathing to digestion.
So if you are concerned about losing weight before your wedding, instead of skipping meals or cutting groups of food out of your diet completely, choose a more balanced diet that won’t decrease your energy levels or cause you to lose focus on the wedding planning process.
Having healthy skin, hair, and nails depends upon how much protein you eat. Because they are not essential for survival, your hair and nails are going to be the first to show a protein or calorie deficiency. Your hair will look dull and won’t grow as quickly, and your nails may split and break.
“For healthy skin you need protein, vitamin C, zinc, and vitamin A,” Jackie explains. “You can get zinc from red meat and nuts, and Vitamin A primarily from fruits and vegetables with dark green or yellow color, such as broccoli or sweet potatoes.”
Also necessary for healthy skin are essential fatty acids, which are found in things like olive oil, nuts, or avocado. “These are particular structures of fat that we have to get via food because the body can’t make them. You can get them by having a handful of raw unsalted nuts and seeds as a snack a couple of times a week.
“Also, use olive oil, cold-pressed canola oil, or flaxseed oil for salads and cooking. Eating small amounts of olives and avocados is okay too, but don’t go overboard.”
Switching to a healthier lifestyle before your wedding can help you look and feel great while you focus on your planning. “My advice to every newly engaged woman would be to eat at least three times a day, and to make your diet as unprocessed as possible. Eat fruits, vegetables, fish, cottage cheese, and chicken.
“In other words,” says Jackie, “walk around the outer perimeter of the supermarket and forget going down the aisles.”
You will begin to see a change in the way you look and feel, and no one will be able to keep up with the beautiful bride tearing up the dance floor!
