Tag: sugar

Practical Nutrition

Avoid the white stuff – Part 2

'Avoid the white Stuff' continues this month because I want you to feel guilty - you might be harming yourself whenever you eat sugar.

According to an article in the British Medical Journal sugar should be classified as a drug as it is harmful and addictive.  We naturally gravitate to sweet tastes as in nature this indicates nutritious food to eat.  Nature has no refined sugars and here lies the problem for us.  Refined sugars, so common in most processed foods including savoury items, contain no food value and can draw essential minerals from our teeth and bones as well as making us fat and lethargic.

Biologically we should be eating sugars in their natural whole food state, for example a whole apple or carrot.  Refined sugars convert very rapidly into blood sugar which gives us a quick fix burst of energy, rapidly followed by a drop leaving us, at best, looking for more sugar.

For long, slow release of energy and a healthier body eat whole foods as close to natural as possible.  The more sugar you eat, the more you want.  Try without for a few days and notice the difference in your body, that is, once you get over the withdrawal symptoms.

Remember, sugar is like an addictive drug.

For workshops helping you to live in health and vitality nicola@plusnutrition.co.uk

Practical Nutrition

‘Avoid the White Stuff’

If you have read much about healthy eating you will no doubt have come across 'Avoid the White Stuff'.  It is excellent advice to avoid white flour, white (and brown) sugar, white rice, white salt (unrefined salt is pink or grey) and to go easy on the milk.  The refining process strips vitamins, minerals and trace elements from whole foods rendering them something that will fill you but not feed you.  Digesting them can cause a further drain on your body's resources and clog you up.

Let's look at the first of these:
Our bodies are not designed to function on white flour although it has been an important part of our typical diet since the 19th century. Processed white flour is deficient in vitamins B and E and minerals including chromium, zinc and manganese. Do you think you need these nutrients?

Wholemeal bread and flour products would be a better choice, leaving white flour products such as pastry, biscuits and cake for occasional 'treats' only.  Or maybe you could substitute other grains for wheat?  Many people feel much better when they avoid eating wheat altogether; if you feel less fit than you should, this could be worth a try.

For Practical Nutrition tips and support contact nicola@plusnutrition.co.uk