We launched our test month of The Empower Project in September. Your online gym for non-gym stuff!
We're bringing together strong women that want to be part of a community, to feel strong and supported together. They want to learn, have challenges and be held accountable.
Each month we have a specific focus on key things in our nutrition and lifestyle to help build on new and existing habits. Some of these will be so easy for many of us, others will be harder. They may get you thinking and challenging what you do already. Is that the best way I could do it? Or learning something totally new that you'd never thought of.
We'll review previous focuses again, much like you'd retest your back squat a couple of times a year, we'll retest your protein consistency. In between, we'll add in education around your menstrual cycle, or fuelling training.
It's not about losing weight, or making your body look a certain way. But helping you feel fuelled, energised and able to take on life better.
So in our test month, we kicked off with veggies. Something that most people are fairly good at, but could certainly do a little better at! And something we already know - we know quickly what a vegetable is (with an argument or two around a potato or an avocado), rather than starting by learning what protein is. This means, it's an easy win!
Here's some of the amazing Q&A that came up in our first test week!
What counts as veggie?
Portion: Fresh or frozen vegetables: 1⁄2 cup (125g) Leafy greens: Cooked: 1⁄2 cup (125g) / Raw: 1 cup (250g)
Veggies: We’re aiming for non-starchy veg -
RED: rocket, radishes, red pepper, red onions, tomatoes
ORANGE / YELLOW: carrots, orange pepper, pumpkin, ginger, yellow pepper
GREEN: artichokes, asparagus, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, celery, Chinese cabbage, courgette, cucumbers, green beans, green pepper, green cabbage, green onion, iceberg lettuce, kale, leeks, okra, rocket, Romaine lettuce, spinach, sugar snap peas, Swiss chard, tomatillos
BLUE / PURPLE: aubergine, purple cabbage, purple carrots
WHITE: bean sprouts, cauliflower, garlic, kohlrabi, mushrooms, onions, shallots
[starchy veg - potatoes, corn, peas, chickpeas, parsnips, lentils, etc. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/starchy-vs-non-starchy-vegetables#definition - all have MASSIVE health benefits, but for the purpose of your 50% we’re aiming for the non-starchy guys :) ]
Is avocado veggie or fat?
Avocado is a fat
Are the potatoes, the sweet potatoes, the lentils, the beans veggies or are they classed as something else?
These would be your starchy veg/carbs!
For the lentils and beans, these are a combination of protein and carbs - if you have a high protein food (chicken, beef, pork, fish, tofu) on the plate, then your bean/lentil is your carb source, if you don’t have those it will be a mix of the two with it counting as your protein for that meal - I’d recommended going for a combination of two veggie proteins, or a smaller portion of rice/pasta with these.
Even more importantly, when we are aiming to add more veggies to our diet this month, does it matter how the veggies are prepared eg. If I eat more carrot cake, technically, I have increased my veggie intake...or I had a veggie burger today, but does this count as meeting my goal?
My recommended cooking methods: Raw, steamed, stir-fried, baked, or in a salad, it’s up to you! You can choose to count carrot cake if you wish ;) I’d generally say carrot cake wouldn’t count, and the veggie burger would go toward your protein depending on the other ingredients (e.g. chickpeas/beans) but it very much depends on the ingredients and processed. The more processed foods I’d generally say not your veggie - but happy to take this on a case by case and your own judgement.
Is there such thing as healthy and unhealthy version of the veggie, and should we take that into account when we try to reach our goal for the month?
Where you can try not to have the veggie deep fried or drowned in oil/butter.
Tip: If nature made the food, and the food is unaltered, go for it. Don’t worry too much about avoiding foods like bananas or carrots because you heard they’re high in sugar. They’re not what’s causing Type 2 diabetes. When it comes to vegetables, give yourself the freedom to enjoy all the colours of the rainbow.
But also, breathe! You’re natural judgement will be good on this :) In any situation look what the best choice you can make is. Is it better than nothing? Is there a slightly better option in the situation. Don’t tie yourself in knots to achieve 100%!
80% is an awesome place to be. (And 20% is better than 0%, so once a week is still a great start!)
The big benefits of veg:
Colour and variation gives you loads of different vitamins and minerals - better health, immune system, and digestion
It keeps you feeling fuller for longer
It keeps your digestion regular
It helps with absorption and digestion of sugar (save insulin spikes)
It’s bonus water to help your digestion, skin, hair, energy
It’s way more interesting to look at a colourful plate than a beige one!
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