1. June 2011
Wieden + Kennedy
RIDING THE ROLLER
COASTER AND STAYING AT
THE TOP OF YOUR GAME
When life is fast and
you have to make
decisions from
morning to night you
need energy - and
lots of it! The secret
lies in staying on the
roller coaster and
not spinning out of
control! And that’s
where diet plays a
major role. What,
when and how to
eat to stay focused,
reach your targets
and keep all the
balls in the air at the
same time is all-
important. With a
few tips and tricks
up your sleeve you
can ensure that your
diet provides you
with ‘top of the
range’ fuel all day,
every day.
FEED THE BRAIN
The brain may be only around the essential nutrients but if a cup d e l i v e r. B u t t h e y d o h a v e
2-3% of our body weight but it of coffee and a pastry is all that is preferences and the better the
consumes around 25% of our on offer, it will make do - well, at feed, the more efficient.
energy – that’s a quarter of the least in the short term! One of the biggest stumbling
energy we get from food daily just Every cell in the body works blocks many encounter when
to keep it satisfied. That’s one around the clock. There are no every day is full on and we need to
hungry monster! And when the weekends off, holidays or duvet not only think fast, but act fast is
brain is hungry, it’s not too days. They just keep going day what, when and how to eat to
keep energy levels optimal and
bothered about where the energy after day from the moment we are
brain cells satisfied.
comes from as long as it comes born till the moment we breathe
With just a few tweaks to our diet
fast. It is certainly happier, our last doing the very best they and eating habits we can ensure
healthier and works a whole lot can to keep us functioning on all that both the brain and the body
better if it gets a variety of levels. As long as our diet provides cells are full to bursting with the
fabulous foods which provide all them with the right nutrients, they right stuff.
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2. Carbohydrates Carbohydrates
EAT SHARP, STAY SHARP
bin the white eat the chewy
stuff stuff
White bread and rolls, white rice, Fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils,
white pasta, potatoes and most legumes (broad beans, peas, chickpeas)
everything made with refined white and whole grains take more chewing
flour (biscuits, cakes, pastries etc.) because they are rich in fibres, are
play havoc with our energy levels and more slowly absorbed into the
invariably prompt the need for more bloodstream and keep us fuller for
of the same to keep us focused. longer and focused for longer.
Fats Fats
watch the solid eat the oily stuff
stuff
The stuff that is solid at room Foods rich in essential fatty acids
temperature (lard, butter, fat on meat (Omega 3s in particular) are big news
and poultry) isn’t quite the devil it is for health and weight maintenance.
portrayed to be but has to be kept to Energy-giving, fat burning, hormone
a minimum as it has a nasty habit of balancing and great for skin, hair and
b u i l d i n g u p w i t h i n t h e b o d y, nails - what’s not to love? Oily fish,
narrowing arteries and slowing us nuts and seeds and their oils and
down. butters and avocado are tops.
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3. EAT SHARP, STAY SHARP Protein Protein
bin the eat the natural
processed stuff stuff
Processed foods (particularly protein Eggs from hens fed on Omega 3-rich
foods) are subjected to a dizzying seeds, fish that swim in unpolluted
array of chemicals to give them shelf waters, meat from animals that run
life but whilst the odd slice of meat or around and only occasionally stop to
cheese won’t do too much damage, graze and dairy products from beasts
regular consumption taxes the liver that are not ‘beefed up‘ with
as it has to work overtime to detoxify hormones provide the building blocks
those chemicals and an over-worked that allow our bodies to grow and
liver does us no favours health-wise. repair - and the taste alone says it all.
Other Vital Stuff
Graze don’t Gorge body swerving the not-so-greats is the
Eating small and often is the way to go to secret.
keep a steady flow of nutrients being
absorbed into the bloodstream to feed The Magic of Vitamins, Minerals
the energy-hungry body cells and avoid and Antioxidants
blood sugar lows which see us reaching They are classified as micronutrients
for sugary, salty and fatty snacks. because we only need micro amounts to
facilitate the metabolism of food and
Add a little Protein to every Meal initiate and assist in the myriad of
and Snack biochemical processes which sustain life.
Proteins are the building blocks of our But, they must be obtained from our diet
uniqueness, are present in every cell and so it’s up to us to get them on board
are the chief components of skin, bones, through the food choices we make. A
hair, fingernails, muscles and hormones. diet that involves every colour of the
rainbow on a daily basis and pays scant
Fat is your Friend attention to white foods works.
Around 60% of the brain is fat and
without it communication of thoughts, Water is the River of Life
feelings and reactions as well as our Around 70% of the body is water. It
interpretation and sense of everything transports nutrients in and waste out of
around us is impaired. Fat also ensures the body cells, carries waste from the
hormones stay in prime condition, body, helps maintain body temperature
particularly sex hormones. Fat is truly our and allows reactions to take place to
friend and ally for energy, fitness, fat loss, ensure that nutrients from food are
heart health, immunity, procreation and digested, absorbed and metabolised -
longevity. Gorging on the greats and and keeps hunger at bay!
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4. The Quick Fix Rescue Plan
EAT SHARP, STAY SHARP!
Top food choices when time is the enemy
Things can go horribly wrong when you haven’t offer you can limit the damage by opting for a
eaten for a few hours, hunger strikes and you small bag and scoffing a few slices of pre-packed
haven’t planned ahead. Rather too many studies ham, chicken, beef, corned beef or tongue.
indicate that we tend to panic in mini supermarkets, • Cheese can pile on the pounds if consumed
service stations, airports, railway stations, corner regularly and in copious amounts but it can be a
shops or take-aways and either make poor choices great hunger-buster if you make the right choices.
or eat nothing. Neither route is good for health or Portioned and small packs are available
weight loss/maintenance. everywhere. Go for hard cheeses, Swiss cheese,
goats’ cheese and ewes’ milk cheeses to reduce
Sandwiches, Wraps and Baguettes the saturated fat content. Better still have a pot of
• Go for brown bread, rolls or baguettes, the denser cottage cheese (go for the ones with added extras
the better and take the top off to form an open or throw in a small pack of nuts and raisins if you
sandwich. are not a big cottage cheese fan).
• If a single sandwich is on offer, grab it (half the • Tinned fish can be a bit messy and smelly, but
damage of a 2 pack). salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel, crab or
• Pick the ones that are jam-packed with salad or pilchards squashed onto a couple of Ryvitas will
vegetables. fill you up quickly.
• Opt for fresh or tinned salmon, crab, tuna, beef, • Oats are great when you are hungry. It’s not hard
lamb, chicken or beans/chickpeas so you get a to find a tub of ready made porridge or a cereal
decent amount of protein to fill you up quickly. bar rich in oats and whilst many are overly-laced
• If it looks creamy there’s likely too much with sugar they are still a better choice than a
mayonnaise, avoid them if you can. burger and chips or a BLT. If you can get your
• If you prefer a wrap, unwrap it, grab a fork, eat the hands on a packet of oatcakes, some hummus
contents and bin most of the wrap. and a few baby tomatoes so much the better.
• In a pick your own fillings establishment, get them • Fruit is best eaten on its own at least 20 minutes
to box your selection and ignore the roll. before or after other foods to ensure you get
maximum nourishment with minimum digestive
Soups confusion. Fresh, dried, in a smoothie or juiced
• Thick soups are best when you are ravenous fruit provides fibre, flavour and takes the edge of
because they fill the void quickly. your appetite fast. And, a mere 20 minutes later
• Soups with beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, broad you can have a protein-rich snack that will ensure
beans, sweet potato or butternut squash involved you don’t dive into a starchy snack.
won’t do anything like the damage of those • Sweet treats do little to nourish the body; they
packed with the white stuff (potato, pasta or rice). merely feed our desires. So, how do we feed the
• Asian-style soups are generally fine because they desire without straying too far from the ‘healthy’
include fat burning, anti-inflammatory spices. path? Small is beautiful - a kids’ sized bar of
Coconut milk is often involved but is a better chocolate will deliver the sugar hit with less than
choice than cows milk or cream because it is half the sugar of a standard bar. And, stay away
richer in healthy fats. Many are bulked up with from low fat treats, they often have more sugar
noodles or rice but if you sup the soup and leave than the original versions. Look out for the
the starchy carbohydrates at the bottom of the following when it’s got to be sugar:-
pot you won’t go far wrong.
• If you opt for a vegetable soup, grab a small pack • mini bar of dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
of fresh nuts or nuts and seeds to have on the • slice of carrot cake (bin the icing)
side so you get some protein to ensure hunger • slice of banana loaf
doesn’t return all too quickly. • slice of fruit cake (bin the icing)
• small frozen yoghurt
Snacks • fruit, nut and seed bars
• Nuts and seeds are packed with protein, fat • a fruit scone
burning and filling good fats and can’t be beaten • a bran muffin
when hunger strikes. But, to ensure you don’t • a kids’ pack of chocolate buttons
hoover a huge bag in one go, buy small packs, • a few dates filled with pecans or almonds
add a piece of fresh fruit and a chunk of cheese. • a small fruit yoghurt
• Salty snacks deliver little other than quick but • a pack of 2 shortbread fingers
short-lived satisfaction but if there is little else on • a small packet of wine gums
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5. The Quick Fix Rescue Plan cont.
EAT SHARP, STAY SHARP!
Main Dishes (when you are out and about)
• Italian: Selection of cold meats/cheeses, chicken or meatballs in tomato/pepper sauce, mixed fresh
salads. Body swerve pasta and potatoes and if it has to be pizza go for the thinnest base, go easy on
the cheese and make sure it is stacked to the gunnels with vegetables and fish or chicken.
• Indian: Poppadoms with spicy onions, dhal, kebabs with yoghurt/cucumber sauce, tandoori chicken,
lamb or beef with a little sweet/sour sauce on the side. Say no to the rice and naan bread.
• Chinese: Egg drop soup, hot and sour soup, prawns with ginger and spring onion, satay chicken, pork
or beef, bean casseroles, stir fried vegetables. Avoid anything with noodles or rice or leave them on the
side.
• French: Onion Soup (bin the cheesy crouton), soup provençal (lots of vegetables in there), tuna niçoise
salad, coq au vin, mussels marinière, beef bourguignon. Ask for extra vegetables/salad and don’t have
mash, potatoes dauphinoise or frites.
• Burger Places: Go for a plain burger, ketchup and mustard on the side won’t hurt, no need for the bun
or the fries and get them to sling as much salad into the box as they can.
• The Kebab Shop: not a great choice but if it’s your only option refuse the pitta, ask them to put lots of
salad in a box with grilled chicken and top it with the yoghurt dressing.
• Pie and Pasty Shops: don’t go there - find an alternative!
Other Dangerous Situations
In a bar
Ask for a bowl of olives and/or fresh nuts if they are available or go next door to the corner shop if there is
one and grab a leg of chicken or a packet of cold cooked meat and wolf some down quickly. Salty
snacks on the bar are way too moreish when you are having a drink and you haven’t eaten for a while.
Even a bit of plastic cheese will stem the need for these diet disrupters.
Room service
When you arrive at a hotel and you are tired and hungry it’s hard to stick with the programme if you
haven’t planned ahead and room service is your only option. Go for a steak, grilled chicken or fish with
lots of vegetables or salad if you are there early enough but if it’s late the menu is often limited to a
Caesar Salad, bit too much mayo but not a bad choice, a burger and chips (ask for no bun, no fries and
lots of salad), some sort of chicken and rice dish (ask for more chicken, sauce etc and lose the rice), a
club sandwich (see if they might be willing to give you all the filling on top of just one slice of toast) or if
you are lucky, a plain or filled omelette. No matter how poor the selection they always have salad to hand
so ask nicely and you can get lucky! There are also things the staff can be coerced into adding to the tray
like olives and nuts which can help to satisfy your appetite. Always worth a try!
On a plane
If you haven’t planned ahead and you are on a long-haul flight it can be tricky. Your best bet is to drink
loads of water, get fresh and dried fruit and nut snacks whenever the trolley passes by and when the
meals arrive, eat the protein and stay away from the bread, potatoes, crackers, biscuits and cakes. If it’s
a short flight have a tomato juice and a packet of fresh nuts and if you are still hungry at the other end,
grab a healthy snack at the airport so you are not hungry and tempted to gorge when you get to your
final destination.
On the road
If you spend a lot of your day on motorways you are sorted as many of them now have mini
supermarkets where you can pick up some great and healthy snacks to keep you going. But, if you are
restricted to service stations and roadside eateries it gets a whole lot more difficult when you don’t have
any snacks or lunch with you. However, you can usually get a breakfast anywhere at any time of the day.
Ask for eggs (scrambled, boiled or poached but not fried), a couple of rashers of bacon (cut the fat off),
grilled tomatoes and mushrooms and baked beans. Don’t be coerced into the sausages, fried bread,
black pudding and toast on the side. A healthier version of the Great British Breakfast will keep you
nourished for hours and you need only top up with some fresh fruit and a packet of nuts later in the day
and not too much damage will have been done.
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6. EAT SHARP, STAY SHARP
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