Advocare 24 Day Challenge Meal Plan Pdf
The perfect 24-hour meal plan
Most of us have days when we eat healthily – and others when the
concept of good nutrition evaporates along with a tub of chocolate ice cream
and a plate of greasy chips. What should you be eating, and when, to make sure every day doesn’t
degenerate into nutritional catastrophe? We present the guide to a perfect eating day..
7.30am
DO: Drink a glass of water upon waking. It will help to flush out impurities
and rehydrate your body and skin after a night’s sleep.
DON’T: Eat until you are up and fully alert. ‘Very little digestion occurs when you are sleeping, and the system is
still very sluggish when you first wake up,’ says nutritionist and author
Patrick Holford. Waiting at least half an hour before food will mean you are
less likely o experience digestive problems
8am
DO: Eat breakfast! A mountain of research shows that breakfast eaters are
slimmer, have fewer nutrient deficiencies, are less accident-prone and have
better memories than people who go without.
For an energy lift that lasts well into the morning, select foods with a
low glycaemic index (the measure of how quickly they raise blood sugar).
Good choices include muesli with semi-skimmed milk, raisin toast with
fat-reduced cream cheese and sliced apple, porridge sprinkled with raisins
and brown sugar, a lo- fat milkshake or baked beans on a mixed grain loaf
with a little avocado. An accompanying glass of freshly squeezed orange juice
will count towards your five-a-day fruit and vegetable target.
DON’T: Attempt to get by with just a cup of strong black coffee. ‘The
effect of brutally kick-starting the body with a stimulant such as caffeine is adrenaline overload,’ says Patrick Holford. ‘In
the long term, this can lead to a drop in energy, feelings of stress and
fluctuating highs and lows in mood.’
11am
DO: Eat a pot of yoghurt – even sweetened varieties provide a sustained and
steady boost to blood sugar levels to keep you going until lunch. Each pot
also contains 225mg calcium (28 pc of the recommended daily allowance)
essential for strong bones. It can be helpful to eat calcium-rich foods away
from meals, as the mineral can interfere with the absorption of dietary iron
and vice versa.
DON’T: Eat a sandwich too early, thinking you’ll skip lunch, even if you
do feel famished – by 2 or 3pm you’ll feel just as hungry and will need even more food to get you
through the day.
1pm
DO: Eat a high-protein lunch which increases afternoon alertness and is
better for satisfying hunger. According to psychologist David Benton from the University of Wales,
consuming too much carbohydrate can emphasise the naturally occurring
post-lunch dip, leaving you feeling lethargic and mentally slow.
So go for choices with a higher protein to carbohydrate ratio such as a
tuna jacket potato, poached egg on toast or a lean ham and tomato sandwich.
Finish with fruit, cheese or a handful of nuts rather than a dessert or
chocolate bar.
DO: Eat a bowl of deep green or brightly coloured salad which has more vitamins and cancer-preventive
carotenoids than the anaemic variety. But don’t add salad dressings – these
are the No 1 source of fat in the diets of American women aged 19-50,
according to the American National Cancer Institute.
DON’T: Overeat if you need to concentrate during the afternoon.
If you can’t avoid a heavy lunch, this is the best time to drink a coffee,
as it will help offset the lapses in attention caused by too much food.
4pm
DO: Eat a handful of dried fruit. Raisins and sultanas boost flagging
energy levels and provide the stress-busting mineral magnesium, along with
iron and calcium. Dried apricots are a great source of fibre as well. All varieties count towards your five-a-day fruit and
vegetable target.
DON’T: Be tempted to a mid-afternoon treat such as chocolate or biscuits.
Regular consumption can seriously increase your cholesterol levels.
6.30pm
DO: Drink a cup of tea. Professor David Booth, a nutritionist and
psychologist from the University of Birmingham, says a cuppa is one of the
best ways to unwind and relax after a stressful day. Tea is also a great
source of flavonoid antioxidants, credited with reducing the risk of heart
disease.
DON’T: Pour yourself an alcoholic drink as soon as you walk through the
door – it will affect your chances of a good night’s sleep and weaken the
immune system.
7.30pm
DO: Eat a sugary food such as sorbet prior to your evening meal if you are
watching your weight.
Researchers at St George’s Medical School in London found that volunteers
who consumed glucose before dining ate less than those who did not, and lost
weight with ease.Or opt for tomato soup instead.
A study at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, in the
U.S., found that this starter was highly successful at cutting down
subsequent food intake.
Cooked or processed tomatoes also contain lycopene, which may cut the
incidence of prostate cancer in men.
DON’T: Sip sherry and nibble nuts. This high-fat, high-alcohol appetiser significantly
increased the amount of calories consumed at dinner.
8pm
DO: Eat a serving of broccoli or other cruciferous vegetable (cabbage or
Brussels sprouts) with your meal. These vegetables are very rich in
anticancer components, with the potential to slash the risk of colon cancer.
DO: Drink a glass or two of red wine, which provides important
phytochemicals known to reduce heart disease risk.
DO: eat marinated rather than plain meat or poultry. Simply dipping meat
in any combination of oil, vinegar or mustard significantly decreases the
amount of cancer-promoting substances called heterocyclic amines formed
during high temperature heating, and particularly flame grilling, according
to scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
DON’T: worry about eating late in the evening – it’s a myth that this
causes you to lay down fat.
‘In carefully controlled experiments, people who ate a big meal at 8pm
burned up exactly the same number of calories as others who ate the same meal
at lunchtime,’ says Dr Andrew Prentice of the MRC Dunn Clinical Nutrition
Centre in Cambridge.
11pm
DO: Eat a light carbohydrate snack, such as a bowl of cereal, before bed
if you feel hungry. This can promote serotonin formation in the brain,
helping you fall to sleep, and can prevent morning migraines linked with low
blood sugar.
DON’T: Have a nightcap – a drop of alcohol before you go
to your bed can stimulate the brain cells and mean that you are more
susceptible to insomnia.
TIPS FOR A HEALTHY DAY
* BEFORE exercise: Do eat a high glycaemic index (fast-releasing)
carbohydrate 15 to 30 minutes before you work out. ‘It will help give you
energy and sustain your blood sugar at a higher level during exercise,’ says
sports nutritionist and author Anita Bean. Ideal snacks which provide around
50g carbohydrate include two or three bananas, a chocolate bar, a jam
sandwich, or half a pint of isotonic sports drink and one banana.
* THROUGHOUT the day: Do keep drinking water or other fluids amounting to
at least six to eight glasses (1.5l) per day. Water aids the digestion of
food and elimination of waste products, acts as a lubricant for joints and
eyes, and is essential for the regulation of body temperature.
Dehydration can be mistaken for hunger if you don’t satisfy your thirst.
* WITH meals: Do take your regular vitamin supplements. Most need to be taken with food, especially those which are timed release
or include fat soluble nutrients such as vitamin A, E or D.
Do drink fresh orange juice. It provides vitamin C, which enhances the
absorption of iron from poorly-absorbed vegetarian sources such as beans,
pulses, green vegetables and nuts. But avoid drinking tea or coffee with
meals, as caffeine and tannins reduce the absorption of iron and other
minerals.
* AFTER meals or sweet drinks: Do chew a piece sugar-free gum sweetened
with xylitol. Extensive studies have shown that xylitol which comes from
birch trees decreases tooth decay by destroying the bacteria that causes it.
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