Health tips from our in-house Nutritional Therapist
Looking after your body is key for a performer. Emily Rose, who is our in house Nutritional Therapist, has given us some tips to help you keep active and energised going:
Hot lemon water
This is best to have first thing in the morning with ginger and/or splash of apple cider vinegar – helps to stimulate hunger and supports digestion. Lemons are cleansing and also high in vitamin C to fight those winter coughs and colds and ginger can aid stomach upsets.
Eat a good breakfast
Some say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Adding protein to your breakfast will help you to stay fuller for longer and curb cravings. If you’re in a rush, boiled eggs or soaked oats with protein-packed chia seeds.
Eat the rainbow
Make your meals are as colourful as possible, the more colour on your place, the more likely you are to be getting a wide range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Probiotic foods
Gut friendly foods like sauerkraut or drinks like kombucha or kefir are great for balancing your good bacteria and supporting regular digestion.
Keep hydrated
Simply drinking more water can give you much more energy. Every cell in your body needs to be hydrated to function properly. This doesn’t mean downing bottles of water, from the moment you wake up and throughout the day, drink sips little and often. 2 litres a day is ideal.
Omega 3
Integral for a busy lifestyle and to reduce stress. Eat oily small fish or flax and hemp seeds a couple of times a week.
Swap sweetener for cinnamon
It’s a natural sweetener which can help to reduce sugar cravings and balance blood sugar levels. Also avoid caffeine on an empty stomach as this can cause havoc with your blood sugar balance.
Sleep
A time to reboot and repair, be aware of your sleep environment. Try not to look at screens just before bed, use a blue light filter for your phone or laptop and make sure your room is dark. A chamomile tea before bed is great for relaxation.
Beat stress with magnesium
Also known as ‘nature’s tranquilliser’ magnesium is essential for every cell in the body. You can get magnesium from steamed leafy green vegetables such as kale, a small handful of nuts such as almonds, or a tablespoon of pumpkin seeds (which are also a great source of zinc, essential for a healthy immune system as well as skin and nails!)
Relax
Make time for yourself, this is especially important when you’re busy. Turn off your phone, take yourself to the cinema, listen to your favourite music, or cook yourself an awesome nutritious meal! For extra relaxation try an epsom salt bath which is high in magnesium too.
Emily Rose is available to our ICTheatre students for free 15-minute consultations. You can contact her via the details below:
