PT reveals why you should eat carrots and cucumber whole daily to stay healthy and lose weight

A PE teacher and mum-of-two has urged ‘every human on earth’ to eat a whole carrot and two cucumbers every day this year if they want to improve their health.

Belinda Norton, from the Gold Coast, said both adults and kids should eat the three veggies raw daily to supply the body with nutrients and minerals no other food can and detailed the benefits in a post. 

The health and fitness education professional and certified trainer said the crunchy vegetables should be eaten whole without being chopped up to exercise the jaw. 

The Gold Coast trainer said the crunchy vegetables should be eaten whole, without being chopped up to exercise the jaw and help kids open their mouth and articulate words 

‘Wash and eat. Don’t cut them up into small pieces. Open your mouth, stretch your jaw and eat whole,’ she said in the post’s caption. 

‘They are inexpensive, they also induce chewing meaning the jaw is exercised helping our children to open their mouth and articulate words.’

The fit mum said carrots and cucumbers are portable to snack on while on the go and are ‘perfectly positioned’ to provide the body with enough energy to get through the day. 

Belinda claims carrots have fibre to maintain healthy blood sugar levels and are loaded with vitamins while cucumbers keep you hydrated and support weight loss and digestive regularity

‘Eat real grown plant food from the Australian soil as they provide nutrients and minerals required by our body,’ she said. 

Belinda claims carrots have fibre to maintain healthy blood sugar levels and are packed with Vitamin A and beta-carotene which can reduce the risk of diabetes. 

‘They can strengthen your bones as carrots are calcium loaded with vitamin K, both important for bone health,’ she explained. 

Belinda recommends eating two small cucumbers as she says they hydrate and can lead to many healthy benefits including ‘weight loss, balanced hydration, digestive regularity and lower blood sugar levels’. 

‘Go on, grab a bag of carrots and some cucumbers. Munch munch. These are the perfect snacks,’ she said.   

This isn’t the first time Belinda has sung the praises of the benefits of eating whole vegetables. 

Previously, Belinda said ‘real, whole grown foods’ are the number one secret to a fit physique inside and out in the new year.

At the beginning of 2022, Belinda said her goal for the year was to ‘encourage others’ – and her first piece of advice is to boost intake of raw, wholesome foods.

‘It truly is the magic elixir to our bodies performance level. These earth-grown foods promote internal health from digestion to blood boosting components,’ she wrote. 

‘I encourage you to eat raw vegetables daily and increase your consumption by adding vegetables to every meal including breakfast.’

Previously, Belinda said ‘real, whole grown foods’ are the ‘magic elixir’ to good health in the new year

At the beginning of 2022, Belinda said her goal for the year was to ‘encourage others’ – and her first piece of advice is to boost intake of raw, wholesome foods 

Belinda recommends making simple tweaks like adding spinach to eggs, eating raw carrots as snacks, eating baby cucumbers, enjoying cauliflower raw with dips and adding vegetables to every dinner. 

‘The fact is food is more than just calories, its information that our cells need to function, it is the information that our metabolism can use to either run efficiently or sluggish,’ she said.

‘When we eat sugars, fruit juice or refined carbs, it goes right to the liver, where it starts manufacturing fat, triggering insulin resistance and causing chronically elevated blood insulin levels thus driving the body to store everything meaning it holds toxicity.’

She often eats meals like roasted garlic organic vegetables (left) and breakfast bagels made with a toasted seeded gluten free bagel, egg, spinach, purple cabbage and sweet chilli jam

‘The fact is food is more than just calories, its information that our cells need to function, it is the information that our metabolism can use to either run efficiently or sluggish,’ she said

She added that ‘real’ foods like vegetables and low glycaemic fruits, healthy fats (nut seeds avocado and olives), gluten free whole grains, legumes and responsibility sourced proteins and seafood) give your cells the information they need to function at their very best. 

‘They improve skin, hair, brain function, mind clarity and immunity,’ she said.

‘Eating well should not only be about quantity but more imperative with quality.’

Belinda regularly shares her health tricks and tips on social media, and recently spilled her secret ‘five step routine reboot’ to encourage Aussies to overhaul their lifestyles. 

So what are the five things you need to do for a 2023 ‘routine reboot’? 

Belinda regularly shares her health tricks and tips on social media, and recently spilled her secret ‘five step routine reboot’ to encourage Aussies to overhaul their lifestyles

1. Write a to-do list every single day 

‘Having a daily routine is proven to reduce stress,’ Belinda explained. 

‘We tend to fill our brains up with our ‘to-do list’, and this can be incredibly overwhelming when it repeats on a loop in our mind.’

When you write your list down, the PE teacher recommends sticking it in a visible place for your entire family to see, so everyone knows what needs to get done.

This should help to get the list out of your mind and mean everyone knows what needs to get done.

The second thing Belinda swears by is 30 minutes of morning cardio, which helps to get you ready to go every single day (pictured on a morning walk)

2. Start your day with some cardio 

The second thing Belinda swears by is 30 minutes of morning cardio, which helps to get you ready to go.

‘Start your morning every single day with some sunrise cardio (walk, run, skip or bike) 30 minutes before your breakfast,’ she said.

‘Research shows that disrupted body clocks are associated with many physical and mental health conditions, including depression, diabetes, obesity and cancers.

‘A routine will ensure you are still feeling productive and fulfilled in your daily routine, even when it’s unpredictable.’    

Make this morning movement a non-negotiable part of your routine, and reap the health goals in as little as one week.

3. Journal any thoughts before bed

The third thing Belinda said she does religiously is journal her thoughts a little every evening before bed. 

‘Creating your goals and to-do list for the next day really helps you to get motivated,’ she said.

‘Write down both the moments from that day that you’re grateful for and what you intend to do tomorrow.’

Then, make sure you get between seven and eight hours of sleep every night in order to maximise your rest.

Writing a weekly dinner menu is one of Belinda’s favourite habits (one of her dinners pictured), and she recommends placing it in a visible place so that all can see

4. Write a weekly dinner menu

Writing a weekly dinner menu is one of Belinda’s favourite habits.

‘Place it in a visible place for all to see, and try keeping the menu for two weeks on a rotation to really save mental space, time and money,’ she explained.

If you can, get into a good routine of pre-preparing a healthy snack, meal or muesli every Sunday.

This will mean you’re far less likely to reach for something unhealthy when you’re tired and time-poor during the week.

Finally, Belinda revealed that having an exercise or training regime locked in will keep you ‘motivated, mobile and aligned’; she does 30 minutes of strength three times a week

5. Do 30 minutes of strength three times a week

Finally, Belinda revealed that having an exercise or training regime locked in will keep you ‘motivated, mobile and aligned’.

‘Our mobility is our health,’ she said.

‘Time is our most states barrier in exercise, yet we all need to prioritise moving our bodies for our health.’ 

Make sure you do 30 minutes of strength work three times a week, as well as your daily cardio for the best results.

‘Add in stretching and some fun and passion-type fitness activities in the outdoors to create a really balanced body routine,’ Belinda said.