A very simple way to improve your diet...

 

 

And, as quick aside, this is why we learned long ago never to ask a Client whether they have a healthy diet. Why? Well, to start with, no one has ever admitted that their diet may be a little – or a lot (!) – less than healthy. Whether that’s down to sheer optimism or lack of knowledge / commonsense, we’ll let you decide… 

 

Anyway, before we digress too much further (!), this week we’re going to give you a few simple things to look out for that indicate whatever “food” you’re looking at may not be the best thing for you – or your body. We’ll admit that some of them are rather tongue in cheek, but our aim is to encourage you to start taking a proper look at what’s on the shelves in your favourite store or supermarket. 

 

Finally, if you’re wondering, the reason we said “food” rather than food, it’s because much of what’s described as “food” these days really isn’t food at all. Low or completely lacking in nutrients and containing things we’d never use if we were preparing it from scratch at home. Preservatives. Food additives and colourings. Taste enhancers and the like. Foodlike would probably be a better description… 

 

Ready? 

 

Then here we go. 

 

Anything with more than five ingredients UNLESS you recognise what they are, such as basil, tomato, onions, garlic and the like. Yes, we know it sounds a bit extreme, but long lists of ingredients don’t tick the “more is better” box. 

 

Continuing in a similar vein, anything with ingredients you don’t recognise or can’t pronounce. They may give a good score at Scrabble (!) but that’s about all. A good rule of thumb is that, if you can’t pronounce it, then don’t eat it. 

 

Anything that didn’t exist in your Grandparents’ day. It wasn’t that long ago when we didn’t need a label to tell us what we were eating OR that it was local, organic and / or grass fed. At that time, EVERYTHING was local, organic and / or grass fed. 

 

Anything containing refined vegetable oils. Not only do they contain high amounts of Omega 6, which is toxic in larger amounts, but also undermine every aspect of good health. 

 

Anything containing high fructose corn syrup. HFCS has been linked to a huge number of health problems including Heart Disease, Obesity, Diabetes, Cancer, Dementia and, of course, tooth decay. Added sugar, in ALL its forms is NOT something our bodies need BUT can easily become addicted to, hence the problem. 

 

And, if you think that artificial sweeteners are the answer, think again. They’re not and also linked with a large number of health issues as well as disrupting our digestion and digestive health generally. 

 

Anything with “hydrogenated” in its name. The message that trans fats are a poor choice is, thankfully, starting to get through. However, wily producers are getting round this by using “hydrogenated” instead. Don’t fall for this trick! 

 

Anything containing monosodium glutamate. Not only does MSG increase hunger and induce cravings for carbohydrates, it’s also an excitotoxin which destroys brain cells. 

 

Now here’s one that may hit a soft spot. Anything advertised on mainstream media, particularly during popular shows or live events. If you stop and think about it, how often do you see anything healthy or unprocessed advertised in mainstream media?!? Perhaps it’s time to consider why… 

 

Anything with a catchy name or in eye catching packaging. The obvious and infamous examples are Froot Loops or Fruit Shoot, neither of which are a good substitute – or source – of fruit… 

 

 

 

Hopefully, no more needs to be said on the last two (!). 

 

We know, at first sight, this may seem like a long list but we’ve found that people often need specifics of what to avoid, even though it seems very obvious to us. Which takes us back to a healthy diet high in wholefoods, fruits and vegetables with small amounts of good quality protein, carbs and healthy fats. 

 

And, before we go, let’s quickly dispel the response we hear most often. How this will be much more expensive and complicated. Well, the good news is that the exact opposite is true. 

 

Why? 

 

Well, as soon as we start eating better quality food, our bodies require less of it. And the reason for this is very simple. One of the main reasons for overeating is poor quality food, with our bodies requiring larger quantities of it to obtain the required nutrients. This is why smaller amounts of better quality food are all that’s needed to keep us – and our bodies – happy and healthy. 

 

Having encouraged you to start reading labels – and generally notice the packaging your food or “food” comes in (!) – there’s another very simple way to improve your diet. It merits a post all of its own, so we’ll be doing just that in a couple of weeks’ time. Again, to us – and our Grandparents too – it seems very obvious but, with the plethora of foods available all year round in the supermarkets, may not to you. In the meantime, perhaps you’d like to guess what it is?!? 

 

As always, the choice is yours.