Well, it’s finally here! It’s a little late, but better late than never. It took me a while to put my fall capsule together, I think because September was a busy month for me. Work picked up, I did two trips down to Vancouver, and I also had all of my appointments happen at once – dentist, hair, car service, etc. I’m not sure how that happened, moving forward I’m going to need to shift those around because it makes for a lot of hecticness (not a word, but we’re going with it) in my schedule.
I was also putting it off on some level because of my uncertainty about my wardrobe, which I wrote about in a recent post. I’m still trying to figure out exactly where I want to land, but when I took a look at my fall capsule and all of the pieces that I’ve had in my wardrobe for a while, made myself, or just really love wearing, it made me feel a lot better about things actually. I still do have several gifted items from brands, but they’re all from brands I want to support and they are items that I love. So I’m trying to keep those positives in mind instead of getting down on myself, while still trying to find ways to slow down my own consumption and live more sustainably.
These 8 practical tips cover the basics of healthy eating and can help you make healthier choices.
The key to a healthy diet is to eat the right amount of calories for how active you are so you balance the energy you consume with the energy you use.
If you eat or drink more than your body needs, you’ll put on weight because the energy you do not use is stored as fat. If you eat and drink too little, you’ll lose weight.
You should also eat a wide range of foods to make sure you’re getting a balanced diet and your body is receiving all the nutrients it needs.
It’s recommended that men have around 2,500 calories a day (10,500 kilojoules). Women should have around 2,000 calories a day (8,400 kilojoules).
Most adults in the UK are eating more calories than they need and should eat fewer calories.
1. Base your meals on higher fibre starchy carbohydrates
Starchy carbohydrates should make up just over a third of the food you eat. They include potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and cereals.
Choose higher fibre or wholegrain varieties, such as wholewheat pasta, brown rice or potatoes with their skins on.
They contain more fibre than white or refined starchy carbohydrates and can help you feel full for longer.
Try to include at least 1 starchy food with each main meal. Some people think starchy foods are fattening, but gram for gram the carbohydrate they contain provides fewer than half the calories of fat.
Keep an eye on the fats you add when you’re cooking or serving these types of foods because that’s what increases the calorie content – for example, oil on chips, butter on bread and creamy sauces on pasta.
2. Eat lots of fruit and veg
It’s recommended that you eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and veg every day. They can be fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced.
Getting your 5 A Day is easier than it sounds. Why not chop a banana over your breakfast cereal, or swap your usual mid-morning snack for a piece of fresh fruit?
A portion of fresh, canned or frozen fruit and vegetables is 80g. A portion of dried fruit (which should be kept to mealtimes) is 30g.
A 150ml glass of fruit juice, vegetable juice or smoothie also counts as 1 portion, but limit the amount you have to no more than 1 glass a day as these drinks are sugary and can damage your teeth.
3. Eat more fish, including a portion of oily fish
Fish is a good source of protein and contains many vitamins and minerals.
Aim to eat at least 2 portions of fish a week, including at least 1 portion of oily fish.
Oily fish are high in omega-3 fats, which may help prevent heart disease.
In any case, my fall capsule is finally ready. I hope you like it and the looks I’ve created. Personally, I can’t wait to start wearing all of these for the next three months. As always, I’ve linked as much as I can to the pieces themselves or provided similar options (some of which may be affiliate links). If you have a question about a specific item, let me know in the comments! Let’s get into the capsule.
