Wellness, Rachel Grunwell: Ditch the diet cycle

Snacks can be mouthwatering as well as healthy, says Rachel Grunwell

Ditch the diet cycle that's deprivation-based and ends up making you hangry — you know, "hungry" and "angry".

I help clients lose weight, embrace self-confidence and achieve health goals. I do so in a real and sustainable way.

In the first meeting, I don't hold back and tell clients to ditch the diets and deprivation mentality. None of that stuff serves your body — or mind — well.

You know, that mentality where you might aspire to do crazy things like the following:

■Chase the summer bikini-body hard. So what about the other nine months of the year, which is three-quarters of the actual year?

■Cut all sugar, coffee and treats fullstop. And where exactly is the joy in life in that idea?

■Cut calories back too hard so you are restricting calories so much you are starving. Well, that's a fast track to feeling "cray cray" — or rather, crazy. If you are in that state, then you are not a lot of fun to be around either.

■Sign up for an expensive meal plan that's confusing. You know, the ones that give you heart palpitations every time you look at all the weighing of foreign foods!

I hate diets. I ditched them years ago. This was when I started to learn about the science around weight-loss and healthy living.

Diets can get you excited — for about the first day. Then it's a rollercoaster of highs and lows that ends in eating even more food because you are so starving. Diets make you feel like a failure: Fast.

Instead, I'd love to inspire you to eat real food that will nourish your body, mind and soul. Have treats occasionally — not for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Back away from the packaged foods with weird sounding ingredients. Ignore the quick-fix Instagram models who tell you can look like them in five minutes! Here are some snack ideas to get you through that 3pm slump time. Snacking is often the time when people end up over-eating and eating more fast-food with zero nutrients. For example, when you sit in front of the TV and eat endless foods while watching a movie — then lose track of when you started or finished the snacking.

5 Healthy Snack Ideas:

1Small handful of raw nuts (unsalted).

21 cup high protein yoghurt with some blueberries + maybe a little granola.

3Health-food inspired bliss balls. There's a recipe for Double Choc Protein Bliss Balls on my website inspiredhealth.co.nz

These are a healthy version of Ferrero Rocher chocolates. But they are full of healthy ingredients. I want to show you healthy snacks can be mouth-watering yum and healthy!

4A small can

of tuna.

5A small piece

of cheese.

Rachel Grunwell is a wellness coach, speaker and author of Balance: Food, Health and Happiness. Find her via at inspiredhealth.co.nz Instagram @rachelgrunwell