Your 28-Day Total Health Plan - Day 27

Day 27: Stay Balanced
In an ideal world, we’d be preparing every meal from scratch, from growing our own vegetables in our backyard straight to our plates. In the real world, and especially in a country like Singapore where there is space and time constraint, we have no choice but to rely on packaged food most of the time. So in pursuit of good health, the next best thing to do is: learn to read and understand food labels.

Here are some quick reminders:
Serving Size – Always check to see how many servings the product contains and what constitutes a single serving.
Calories – Bear in mind that not all calories are nutritionally equal.. A can of soda, for instance, may have the same calories as two slices of wholegrain bread but certainly will not have the same nutrients!
Total Fat – Same goes for fat. Not all fats are equal; we do need good fats so don’t just look at the total fat content. Instead look out for saturated and trans fat figures and avoid them if possiblw. However since food manufacturers can legally round down a half gram of trans fat to zero, look in the ingredients list for partially hydrogenated oils – if there is, the product has trans fat.
Total Carbohydrate – The total carb figure doesn’t say much as it would include fibre and sugar values. Fibre is important for health. And since labels do not distinguish between naturally occuring sugars, like those from fruits, and added sugars, it’s better for you to check the ingredient list instead to look out for high-fructose corn syrup, maltose or sucrose to make sure you’re not loading up on too much sugar.
Sodium – Watch your sodium numbers. Limit sodium intake to between 1,500 and 2,400 mg a day. If you have high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease, aim for less than 1,500mg a day.
Protein – Recommended daily intake is between 10 to 35 grams per day, but again, the quality is important too. Go for a variety of lean, nutrient-rich sources like fish, tempeh and beans. For animal protein, remember one serving is roighly the size of your fist.

Today’s Recipe
Today, you can try a simple Detox Salad for lunch. It’s light and energizing.

INGREDIENTS (10 Cups)
1 bunch broccoli, stems removed
1 head cauliflower, stems removed
2 ½ cups shredded carrots
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup raisins
½ cup finely chopped parsley
4-6 tbsp fresh lemon juice, to taste
Himalayan rock salt and pepper to taste
Kelp granules (optional), to taste
Pure maple syrup or honey, to drizzle on before serving
Any herbs, to sprinkle on top
Cinnamon powder (optional), to sprinkle on top

DIRECTIONS
1. Chop the broccoli, cauliflower and carrot until fine. Add into a large bowl.
2. Stir in the sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, raisins and parsley. Add lemon juice and seasoning to taste.
Note: the stems can be saved for a stir-fry later.

Today’s Exercise
Continue with your exercise regime that you started this week. Push yourself to do a little more than yesterday if you can.