Optimum Nutrition

I have been presenting seminars in London this year as a means of extending my network and gaining enhanced experience within private training and development. I mainly deliver on wellness related topics, be it physical activity in the workplace, Positive Psychology, or sport, exercise, and nutrition. This time the topic was 'Optimum Nutrition', and how to eat for health and well-being. 

The seminar was around 2 hours in length and covered topics such as the nutrition basics, lifestyle diseases,  alkalising, eating raw, and superfoods. Nutrition is a passion of mine and so it was great to be able to speak on such an interesting and valuable subject and hopefully inspire the audience to not only use the information but also to continue to educate themselves with regard to reaching optimum health through positive nutrition. 

Of particular interest to both the audience and myself was the information surrounding the subject of alkalising. Most people will probably remember pH testing within chemistry labs at school.....well the concept of pH is now very much in the public domain and is being extended to relate to food choices and diet. 

The idea is to reduce acidity in the body by choosing alkaline foods for the most part of your diet. Alkaline foods include green vegetables, nuts, grasses, and super foods, herbs, spices, and citrus fruits such as lemons and limes. Acid forming foods which can be linked to inflammation and disease within the body include dairy products, meats, sugar, sweeteners, chemical additives and preservatives, and much fruit, and should be limited within the diet. 

Eating alkaline and plant based foods offers benefits including increased energy, antioxidants, fibre, good fats, and lots of vitamins and minerals which are bioavailable and easily absorbed by the body. Alkalising can help maintain healthy immune function and prevent illness and disease, and can assist in reaching your weight loss goals.

Juicing is an easy way to get concentrated nutrients into your diet, and within the seminar this week we made up complementary green juice for delegates to sample - for which the response was very positive!  We included spinach, kale, cucumber, celery, pear, and lime, but if you don't have the time to blend and juice you might consider using a green juice powder such as Green Vibrance and just adding a scoop to water, or indeed to the juice itself to boost your nutrient intake. 

When craving sweets, chocolate, or caffiene, grabbing a green juice is a really effective way to boost your energy naturally and avoid the sugar high and low. Try it :)

Niyc xx

Green Juice info at www.optimalyou.co.uk

Twitter @optimalyou1