Sugar and refined carbohydrates are very common and can be quite addictive. But work hard and take on board some of these tips to help you, and it’ll definitely pay off. You’ll be rewarded with so much more health and wellbeing…
• Always read the label on packaged foods. Avoid if the ingredients list contains any of the following:
o Sugar
o Cane Sugar
o Beet Sugar
o White Sugar
o Brown Sugar
o Raw Sugar
o Glucose
o Fructose
o Dextrose
o Actually, pretty much anything ending in “ose”!
o High fructose corn syrup
• Use sweet foods that are made with natural unrefined sugars instead of refined sugar. Also, you can use these sweeteners to make your own sweet treats! They include:
o Raw honey
o Rapadura, non-refined cane sugar, evaporated sugar cane juice
o Molasses
o Maple syrup or maple sugar
o Date Sugar
o Coconut palm sugar
o Barley malt and rice malt syrup
o Sorghum syrup
o Stevia
• To satisfy your sweet cravings, eat fruit!
• Use properly prepared whole grains instead of refined grains (I will write plenty more on this in a new blog entry coming soon!)
• Change your mindset. Read up on the dangers of refined sugar and you’ll get to the point where you see sugary treats as poison rather than tempting food. Why would you want to eat it? I’ve included some good books for this purpose below.
• Fill up on healthy, tasty and satisfying foods. That way, you’ll be much more satisfied and won’t have such a strong need and craving for sugary harmful foods. Eat plenty of healthy fats (read my blog entry “The truth about fats”), protein from animal foods and some healthy sweet treats (fruit, unrefined sweeteners in moderation).
• Don’t beat yourself up over slip-ups. Just keep working at it steadily and with persistence, and you’ll get there. Anything lasting and worthwhile takes some work and some time.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Another danger: Refined Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates and the form they take in our food, is a really important topic for you to understand if you want to have a truly nutritious diet.
Starting with the basics: Simply put, carbohydrates are a form of energy. They are found in many foods, mostly fruits, vegetables and grains. The two main forms of carbohydrate are sugar and starch. Many foods have a mix of sugar and starch. Some have mostly one or the other. Sugar is the main form of carbohydrate found in fruits, and starch is the main form of carbohydrate found in grains and some vegetables (such as potato). Sugar is the most simple form of carbohydrate, and starch has to be broken down into sugar (in your digestive system or in processing).
Carbohydrates are naturally found in whole foods alongside other components, including vitamins, minerals, fibre, fats and protein. These things all have important roles to play. We really need to consume these with our carbohydrates, otherwise the carbohydrates can start to cause problems.
The problem is, in our modern diet we get so much of our carbohydrates in a refined form. This means the vitamins, minerals, fibre, fats and protein have been removed. Healthy non-modernised people did not eat refined carbohydrates as we do. They only really started being such a main part of our diet in the twentieth century, and our health has paid for it.
Certain vitamins and minerals are needed by your body to properly process carbohydrates and sugar. When we eat refined carbohydrates the vitamins and minerals have been removed. Because of this, vitamins and minerals are taken from your own body! So when we eat refined carbohydrates, not only does it provide no nutrients, it actually takes nutrients from our body. Eating refined carbs can easily lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Your body needs these vitamins and minerals for so much, and when your levels become low, you can’t function at your best and healthiest! Vitamin and minerals protect against cancer and heart disease, so if you are lacking in these nutrients, you’re much more likely to get these and other health problems. Refined carbs can also bring on tooth decay and bone loss, because minerals are drawn out of your teeth and bones.
Proteins, fats and fibre, when eaten with carbohydrates, help slow down the release of sugar into your bloodstream. When you eat refined carbohydrates with these components missing, you get too much sugar going into your bloodstream too quickly. This puts an enormous strain on your body, which works hard to try and bring the blood sugar down to a normal level. You get a rush of energy, a “sugar high”. You might feel a bit hyperactive and over-excited. But this won’t last. This high is later followed by a low. You have low blood sugar, you feel tired, depressed, weak. You need more sugar to bring your energy up again. And then this repeats itself. It’s like a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Over time, this puts a lot of strain on your body and weakens you. Your immune system and other systems cannot function at their best, so it leaves you very vulnerable to diseases, cancer or bad health of any kind. All the strain placed on your heart can lead to heart disease. You can get diabetes, either chronically high or low blood sugar.
If you don’t eat enough protein, fibre and fat with carbohydrates, then it will likely raise your blood sugar too much and too quick. Obviously, if you eat carbohydrates as part of a meal containing protein, fibre and fat, the effect on blood sugar will be less. But by adding more carbohydrate without these vital nutrients, you easily mess up the natural balance, and get too much sugar.
There is a natural balance present in all real food as provided by nature. If you eat refined carbohydrates, you get too much carbohydrate from your food and not enough nutrients. You can easily get more carbohydrate then your body needs for energy, and when this happens, it is stored as body fat. It is no surprise that people on our modern diet high in refined carbohydrates are often overweight and lacking in health.
Learn this point and remember it well:
Refined carbohydrates can make you fat and sick!
In fact, a diet high in refined carbohydrates is probably THE main reason people are overweight and under-nourished.
The two main types of refined carbohydrate in our diet are refined sugar and refined grains. Refined sugar is made from plants, usually the sugar cane. All of the vitamins, minerals, fibre, protein and fat are removed from the plant. What we have left is pure carbohydrate; sugar. We know this by many names:
Sugar
Cane Sugar
White Sugar
Sucrose
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Fructose
Etc.
The other source of refined carbohydrates is refined grains. The outer layers of the grain (that contain fibre and nutrients) are removed. We mostly know these as white flour or white rice. Refined grains are not as bad as refined sugar, because they at least contain some protein, and very small amounts of fibre, vitamins and minerals. They are still harmful enough and nutritionally lacking that they should not be a major part of our diet.
One more point I have to note. Artificial sweeteners are no better than refined sugar. In fact, they may even be worse. I'll do a blog entry on the dangers of artificial sweeteners later.
My advice to you is to avoid refined sugar as much as possible, and only use refined grains in very small amounts, if at all.
Look out for more of my blog entries coming soon, where I’ll give some practical tips on how to avoid refined carbohydrates, and some really good alternatives to use instead!
Stay tuned…
Starting with the basics: Simply put, carbohydrates are a form of energy. They are found in many foods, mostly fruits, vegetables and grains. The two main forms of carbohydrate are sugar and starch. Many foods have a mix of sugar and starch. Some have mostly one or the other. Sugar is the main form of carbohydrate found in fruits, and starch is the main form of carbohydrate found in grains and some vegetables (such as potato). Sugar is the most simple form of carbohydrate, and starch has to be broken down into sugar (in your digestive system or in processing).
Carbohydrates are naturally found in whole foods alongside other components, including vitamins, minerals, fibre, fats and protein. These things all have important roles to play. We really need to consume these with our carbohydrates, otherwise the carbohydrates can start to cause problems.
The problem is, in our modern diet we get so much of our carbohydrates in a refined form. This means the vitamins, minerals, fibre, fats and protein have been removed. Healthy non-modernised people did not eat refined carbohydrates as we do. They only really started being such a main part of our diet in the twentieth century, and our health has paid for it.
Certain vitamins and minerals are needed by your body to properly process carbohydrates and sugar. When we eat refined carbohydrates the vitamins and minerals have been removed. Because of this, vitamins and minerals are taken from your own body! So when we eat refined carbohydrates, not only does it provide no nutrients, it actually takes nutrients from our body. Eating refined carbs can easily lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Your body needs these vitamins and minerals for so much, and when your levels become low, you can’t function at your best and healthiest! Vitamin and minerals protect against cancer and heart disease, so if you are lacking in these nutrients, you’re much more likely to get these and other health problems. Refined carbs can also bring on tooth decay and bone loss, because minerals are drawn out of your teeth and bones.
Proteins, fats and fibre, when eaten with carbohydrates, help slow down the release of sugar into your bloodstream. When you eat refined carbohydrates with these components missing, you get too much sugar going into your bloodstream too quickly. This puts an enormous strain on your body, which works hard to try and bring the blood sugar down to a normal level. You get a rush of energy, a “sugar high”. You might feel a bit hyperactive and over-excited. But this won’t last. This high is later followed by a low. You have low blood sugar, you feel tired, depressed, weak. You need more sugar to bring your energy up again. And then this repeats itself. It’s like a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Over time, this puts a lot of strain on your body and weakens you. Your immune system and other systems cannot function at their best, so it leaves you very vulnerable to diseases, cancer or bad health of any kind. All the strain placed on your heart can lead to heart disease. You can get diabetes, either chronically high or low blood sugar.
If you don’t eat enough protein, fibre and fat with carbohydrates, then it will likely raise your blood sugar too much and too quick. Obviously, if you eat carbohydrates as part of a meal containing protein, fibre and fat, the effect on blood sugar will be less. But by adding more carbohydrate without these vital nutrients, you easily mess up the natural balance, and get too much sugar.
There is a natural balance present in all real food as provided by nature. If you eat refined carbohydrates, you get too much carbohydrate from your food and not enough nutrients. You can easily get more carbohydrate then your body needs for energy, and when this happens, it is stored as body fat. It is no surprise that people on our modern diet high in refined carbohydrates are often overweight and lacking in health.
Learn this point and remember it well:
Refined carbohydrates can make you fat and sick!
In fact, a diet high in refined carbohydrates is probably THE main reason people are overweight and under-nourished.
The two main types of refined carbohydrate in our diet are refined sugar and refined grains. Refined sugar is made from plants, usually the sugar cane. All of the vitamins, minerals, fibre, protein and fat are removed from the plant. What we have left is pure carbohydrate; sugar. We know this by many names:
Sugar
Cane Sugar
White Sugar
Sucrose
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Fructose
Etc.
The other source of refined carbohydrates is refined grains. The outer layers of the grain (that contain fibre and nutrients) are removed. We mostly know these as white flour or white rice. Refined grains are not as bad as refined sugar, because they at least contain some protein, and very small amounts of fibre, vitamins and minerals. They are still harmful enough and nutritionally lacking that they should not be a major part of our diet.
One more point I have to note. Artificial sweeteners are no better than refined sugar. In fact, they may even be worse. I'll do a blog entry on the dangers of artificial sweeteners later.
My advice to you is to avoid refined sugar as much as possible, and only use refined grains in very small amounts, if at all.
Look out for more of my blog entries coming soon, where I’ll give some practical tips on how to avoid refined carbohydrates, and some really good alternatives to use instead!
Stay tuned…
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Practical tips for eating healthy fats
If you haven’t read my previous blog entry called “The Truth About Fats”, I suggest you read it. This will make a lot more sense if you do.
• Avoid using margarine
• Do not cook with unstable and polyunsaturated oils. They include:
o Corn oil
o Sunflower oil
o Safflower oil
o Soybean oil
o Cottonseed oil
o Canola oil
o Blended vegetable oil
• Do not use the oils listed above, unless they are cold-pressed, you don’t heat them, and only use them in very small amounts.
• Always read the ingredients list on packaged foods. Do not eat it if it has one or more of the following:
o Any of the oils listed above
o Vegetable oil
o Vegetable fat
o Margarine
o Shortening
o Hydrogenated oil/fat
• You can use stable fats unheated in salad dressings or sauces, or for your general cooking needs. They include:
o Butter
o Olive Oil
o Sesame Oil
o Peanut Oil
o Macadamia Nut Oil (click ad below if you want to get some of this!)
o Other Monounsaturated oils
• You can use very stable fats unheated, or for your general cooking needs, or for very high temperature cooking (e.g. deep frying). They include:
o Ghee (clarified butter fat)
o Lard
o Tallow
o Duck, goose or chicken fat
o Other animal fats
o Coconut oil
o Palm oil
• Feel free to use butter regularly (I’ll write more about butter later!)
• Use animal fats, butter and coconut oil more than other oils.
• Do not be afraid of eating fatty meats or fatty foods. They are good for you.
• It is fine to eat fat in its natural form in any foods.
• As much as possible, use cold-pressed or expeller-pressed oils, and extra virgin olive oil.
• Avoid using margarine
• Do not cook with unstable and polyunsaturated oils. They include:
o Corn oil
o Sunflower oil
o Safflower oil
o Soybean oil
o Cottonseed oil
o Canola oil
o Blended vegetable oil
• Do not use the oils listed above, unless they are cold-pressed, you don’t heat them, and only use them in very small amounts.
• Always read the ingredients list on packaged foods. Do not eat it if it has one or more of the following:
o Any of the oils listed above
o Vegetable oil
o Vegetable fat
o Margarine
o Shortening
o Hydrogenated oil/fat
• You can use stable fats unheated in salad dressings or sauces, or for your general cooking needs. They include:
o Butter
o Olive Oil
o Sesame Oil
o Peanut Oil
o Macadamia Nut Oil (click ad below if you want to get some of this!)
o Other Monounsaturated oils
• You can use very stable fats unheated, or for your general cooking needs, or for very high temperature cooking (e.g. deep frying). They include:
o Ghee (clarified butter fat)
o Lard
o Tallow
o Duck, goose or chicken fat
o Other animal fats
o Coconut oil
o Palm oil
• Feel free to use butter regularly (I’ll write more about butter later!)
• Use animal fats, butter and coconut oil more than other oils.
• Do not be afraid of eating fatty meats or fatty foods. They are good for you.
• It is fine to eat fat in its natural form in any foods.
• As much as possible, use cold-pressed or expeller-pressed oils, and extra virgin olive oil.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
The Truth about Fats
The truth about good fats and bad fats is not exactly the same as what you would commonly hear. First we’ll look at the “Ancient Wisdom” side of the issue, then we’ll go into the science.
Healthy primitive and non-modernised peoples, such as those studied by Weston Price, ate mainly animal fats. Much of their fat was consumed in its natural form in whole foods. They did not eat modern vegetable fats and oils. They were virtually free of cancer and heart disease.
The fats that have traditionally nourished people since the earliest times were mainly animal fats, supplemented by some oils. These oils include those that were easily extracted by a natural, low-temperature process, including olive oil, peanut (and other nut) oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, palm oil. These are fats as provided by nature.
The modern fats include refined and modern vegetable oils (extracted at damaging high temperatures), hydrogenated and trans fats. These are new and dangerous fats that our body is not adapted to, and cause us great harm.
It was during the twentieth century that consumption of modern vegetable fats began and greatly increased, and consumption of animal fats decreased. It was also during this time that there was a huge increase in the rate of cancer and heart disease. Saturated and animal fats do not cause cancer and heart disease, as we are commonly told. Modern vegetable fats do.
Now let’s look at the science.
Let’s start with the basics. All fats are made up of a combination of saturated, monounsatured and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Fats are found in most types of foods, especially animal based food (meat etc.) and nuts and seeds. Land animals generally have more saturated and monounsaturated fat. Seafood, nuts and seeds usually have more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. Any kind of fat, eaten as found in its natural state in whole foods, is fine and healthy to eat. It is when the fats and oils themselves are extracted that problems may come about.
Now let’s look at the different types of fats and their suitability for our consumption.
Trans Fats, Hydrogenated Fats:
Trans fats are mostly created from the high-temperature, high-pressure process of hydrogenation. This process changes fats that are generally liquid at room temperature into solid at room temperature fats. The most common hydrogenated fats are margarine and shortening. These fats are usually rancid to begin with. The hydrogenation process changes the chemical structure and formation of these fats, from one commonly found in nature, to quite an unnatural formation. When your body takes these fats into your cells, it causes trouble. For normal cell processes to occur, the cell components need to be in certain arrangements. The trans fats that have been incorporated into your cell destroy its natural arrangement, so normal processes cannot occur. In short, trans fats are taken into your cells like any other fat, but they cannot be used by the cells because they are in an unnatural form. Trans fats interfere with your body’s normal functioning. They have been strongly linked with cancer, heart diseases and general bad health. Trans fats are the absolute worse fat you can eat. They should be avoided as much as possible.
Unstable Fats:
Exposed to a certain amount of heat, any fat or oil will go rancid. Some fats go rancid easier than others. When a fat or oil oxidises and goes rancid, it becomes full of free radicals. Free radicals attack cells in your body and cause damage through oxidative stress. Over time, this leads to increased aging, cancer, heart disease and an overall wearing down of your body’s healthy functioning.
The most unstable fats and oils are usually those with a large amount of polyunsaturated fat. These include safflower, corn, sunflower, soybean and cottonseed oils. Canola oil is also very unstable. They go rancid very easily and cannot tolerate much heat at all. The heat used in cooking is enough to make them go rancid. They should not be used in cooking. Not only that, but the usual modern process of extracting the oil generates enough heat to make these oils rancid. That means they are already rancid by the time they are oils. They are often refined and deodorised to get rid of any bad smell or taste caused by rancidity. The only way to get these oils in their non-rancid form is if they are cold-pressed or expeller pressed. Usually though, these oils are very high in Omega 6 fatty acids, which causes other problems (more on this in a future post). So they are best avoided completely.
For healthy primitive and non-modernised people, polyunsaturated fat made up the smallest portion of their fat intake. When you eat a natural varied diet, the amount of polyunsaturated fat you get from whole foods (especially nuts, seeds and seafood) will easily be enough. It is easy to get too much polyunsaturated fat if you add polyunsaturated oils to your diet.
Stable fats:
This category of fats and oils do not go rancid easily. They do not go rancid from the extraction process. They can also be used unheated or for cooking at moderate temperatures, and will only go rancid at very high temperatures. They are usually those containing a large amount of monounsaturated fat. They include olive oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, macadamia oil and other monounsaturated oils.
Though these are unlikely to go rancid from extraction, cold-pressed or expeller-pressed oils are always better, because maximum nutrition is preserved.
Very Stable fats:
These are fats with a lot of saturated fat. This means they can take a lot of heat and are highly resistant to becoming rancid. These fats include animal fats (e.g. beef tallow, lard, chicken fat, dairy fat etc.) and tropical oils (e.g. coconut oil, palm oil, cocoa butter). These fats can be used for frying and high-temperature cooking without becoming rancid.
Low Fat Diet?
You do not need to eat a low fat diet. In fact, it can be quite harmful. The right fats are needed for many important processes and functions in the body, so it is very important to get enough healthy fats. Modern conventional nutrition tells you to eat no more than 30% of calories as fat. Healthy non-modernised people usually had anywhere from 40% to 80% of calories as fat. So don’t be afraid of eating a lot of healthy fat.
And don’t worry, this won’t make you fat or overweight. Because healthy fats are needed for many bodily processes and function, they are not easily stored as excess body fat. Rancid fats and trans fats can easily cause weight gain. Because they cannot be used by your body for much, they are easily stored as excess body fat.
Stay tuned for my next blog entry, which will give you practical tips on healthy fat consumption.
Healthy primitive and non-modernised peoples, such as those studied by Weston Price, ate mainly animal fats. Much of their fat was consumed in its natural form in whole foods. They did not eat modern vegetable fats and oils. They were virtually free of cancer and heart disease.
The fats that have traditionally nourished people since the earliest times were mainly animal fats, supplemented by some oils. These oils include those that were easily extracted by a natural, low-temperature process, including olive oil, peanut (and other nut) oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, palm oil. These are fats as provided by nature.
The modern fats include refined and modern vegetable oils (extracted at damaging high temperatures), hydrogenated and trans fats. These are new and dangerous fats that our body is not adapted to, and cause us great harm.
It was during the twentieth century that consumption of modern vegetable fats began and greatly increased, and consumption of animal fats decreased. It was also during this time that there was a huge increase in the rate of cancer and heart disease. Saturated and animal fats do not cause cancer and heart disease, as we are commonly told. Modern vegetable fats do.
Now let’s look at the science.
Let’s start with the basics. All fats are made up of a combination of saturated, monounsatured and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Fats are found in most types of foods, especially animal based food (meat etc.) and nuts and seeds. Land animals generally have more saturated and monounsaturated fat. Seafood, nuts and seeds usually have more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. Any kind of fat, eaten as found in its natural state in whole foods, is fine and healthy to eat. It is when the fats and oils themselves are extracted that problems may come about.
Now let’s look at the different types of fats and their suitability for our consumption.
Trans Fats, Hydrogenated Fats:
Trans fats are mostly created from the high-temperature, high-pressure process of hydrogenation. This process changes fats that are generally liquid at room temperature into solid at room temperature fats. The most common hydrogenated fats are margarine and shortening. These fats are usually rancid to begin with. The hydrogenation process changes the chemical structure and formation of these fats, from one commonly found in nature, to quite an unnatural formation. When your body takes these fats into your cells, it causes trouble. For normal cell processes to occur, the cell components need to be in certain arrangements. The trans fats that have been incorporated into your cell destroy its natural arrangement, so normal processes cannot occur. In short, trans fats are taken into your cells like any other fat, but they cannot be used by the cells because they are in an unnatural form. Trans fats interfere with your body’s normal functioning. They have been strongly linked with cancer, heart diseases and general bad health. Trans fats are the absolute worse fat you can eat. They should be avoided as much as possible.
Unstable Fats:
Exposed to a certain amount of heat, any fat or oil will go rancid. Some fats go rancid easier than others. When a fat or oil oxidises and goes rancid, it becomes full of free radicals. Free radicals attack cells in your body and cause damage through oxidative stress. Over time, this leads to increased aging, cancer, heart disease and an overall wearing down of your body’s healthy functioning.
The most unstable fats and oils are usually those with a large amount of polyunsaturated fat. These include safflower, corn, sunflower, soybean and cottonseed oils. Canola oil is also very unstable. They go rancid very easily and cannot tolerate much heat at all. The heat used in cooking is enough to make them go rancid. They should not be used in cooking. Not only that, but the usual modern process of extracting the oil generates enough heat to make these oils rancid. That means they are already rancid by the time they are oils. They are often refined and deodorised to get rid of any bad smell or taste caused by rancidity. The only way to get these oils in their non-rancid form is if they are cold-pressed or expeller pressed. Usually though, these oils are very high in Omega 6 fatty acids, which causes other problems (more on this in a future post). So they are best avoided completely.
For healthy primitive and non-modernised people, polyunsaturated fat made up the smallest portion of their fat intake. When you eat a natural varied diet, the amount of polyunsaturated fat you get from whole foods (especially nuts, seeds and seafood) will easily be enough. It is easy to get too much polyunsaturated fat if you add polyunsaturated oils to your diet.
Stable fats:
This category of fats and oils do not go rancid easily. They do not go rancid from the extraction process. They can also be used unheated or for cooking at moderate temperatures, and will only go rancid at very high temperatures. They are usually those containing a large amount of monounsaturated fat. They include olive oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, macadamia oil and other monounsaturated oils.
Though these are unlikely to go rancid from extraction, cold-pressed or expeller-pressed oils are always better, because maximum nutrition is preserved.
Very Stable fats:
These are fats with a lot of saturated fat. This means they can take a lot of heat and are highly resistant to becoming rancid. These fats include animal fats (e.g. beef tallow, lard, chicken fat, dairy fat etc.) and tropical oils (e.g. coconut oil, palm oil, cocoa butter). These fats can be used for frying and high-temperature cooking without becoming rancid.
Low Fat Diet?
You do not need to eat a low fat diet. In fact, it can be quite harmful. The right fats are needed for many important processes and functions in the body, so it is very important to get enough healthy fats. Modern conventional nutrition tells you to eat no more than 30% of calories as fat. Healthy non-modernised people usually had anywhere from 40% to 80% of calories as fat. So don’t be afraid of eating a lot of healthy fat.
And don’t worry, this won’t make you fat or overweight. Because healthy fats are needed for many bodily processes and function, they are not easily stored as excess body fat. Rancid fats and trans fats can easily cause weight gain. Because they cannot be used by your body for much, they are easily stored as excess body fat.
Stay tuned for my next blog entry, which will give you practical tips on healthy fat consumption.
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