Farming and agriculture are a huge business. But agriculture is no longer about bringing the best quality foods to our tables. It’s now about the dollar, and adding ‘shelf-life’ to our foods. This means chemical additives and preservatives, fillers, sugar, salts, etc. But if you change from buying these products and purchase only ‘clean’ whole foods, you can stop counting those calories and be eating a diet that is conducive to losing weight.

This change in our eating habits isn’t really what I’d call a ‘diet’. It’s more like a lifestyle change. And it will lead you to a longer life with better health. Some of the benefits you’ll experience are more energy, lower stress, weight loss, higher self-esteem, better looking skin, and an overall better quality of life.

With this type of eating you’ll be partaking of meats from free roaming animals who eat grass and whole grains, and not steroids and antibiotics or other toxins. Whole animals and whole fruits and vegetables in their natural forms is what we need to get the proper nutrients and low calorie intake that we need.

Eating this way increases your vitality along with your longevity. With more energy you will feel like doing more of your favorite activities. You’ll stop taking in all those harmful chemicals that plug your system up and can lead to cancer. Less chemicals in your body means that more fat will get released.

You should try this way of eating for about two weeks, and see if it’s not everything I say it is. You should still watch how much you eat, and never neglect the proteins from lean meats like fish and chicken. Clean eating can really put you back into the swing of life and give you that edge that keeps you feeling better, performing better, and loving life every day. So starting tomorrow, make your meals revolve around clean eating of whole foods.

If you have decided to go back to swimming to lose weight you may well ask the question: “Why do I need fat? Isn’t it something I should avoid in order to keep slim?’ It is not quite this simple. The key is to ensure that you consume the correct amount and type of fat to ensure a healthy body and one that is better able to perform at its best.

Dietary fat
Many carbohydrate-based foods will also offer sufficient fat for the average diet, although the Department of Health (DoH) recommends that a maximum of 33-35 per cent of your daily calorie intake comes from fat. There are three types.

Saturated fats are not considered good for you and have been linked to heart disease because they contribute to increased cholesterol levels. The DoH recommends a saturated fatty acid intake of no more than 10 per cent of total calorie intake.

Foods that contain saturated fats include:
- butter
- lard cheese
- meat fat
- all foods processed using these fats, including biscuits, cakes and pastries.

Monounsaturated fats, on the other hand, have been shown to have the greatest health benefits, helping to reduce total cholesterol without affecting other cholesterol benefits. The DoH recommends a monounsaturated fatty acid intake of up to 12 per cent of total calorie intake.

Foods that contain monounsaturated fats include:
- oils including olive, rapeseed, groundnut, hazelnut, almond
- avocado
- olives
- nuts and seeds.

Polyunsaturated fats can be found in vegetable oils and oily fish, and can help lower cholesterol levels. They are also important because they include the so-called ‘essential’ fatty acids, which cannot be made by the body so have to come from food (or supplements). Aim to eat about 10 per cent of your total calorie intake as polyunsaturated fats.

In general, you should monitor your fat intake and eat the correct amounts of each type to ensure that you get the most out of your body. Try to use olive oil for cooking, remove the skin from meats such as chicken and turkey and, as a general rule, grill or boil rather then fry.

Body fat
There are two types of body fat: essential fat and storage fat. Essential fat is what your body actually requires to function properly, providing insulation, protection and cushioning against physical damage. In a healthy person it accounts for roughly 3 per cent of body weight and can be found at specific sites such as around the heart, kidneys and liver. Women also have sex-specific fat that is essential to hormone (oestrogen and progesterone) production, and this is found in the breasts and around the hips. It accounts for a further 5-9 per cent of body weight.

Storage fat is an important energy reserve and can be found in the cells under the skin (subcutaneous) and around the organs. This fat is used almost all the time during any aerobic activity (including sleeping and walking around) and is relied on more heavily during exercise.

As a general rule, men should have between 13 and 18 per cent body fat, and women between 18 and 25 per cent body fat.