A recent study from Harvard University looked at the intake of specific fruit and vegetables over a 24 year period. Looking into the diet of over a 100,000 men and women in the USA and taking in lifestyle factors such as smoking, hours watching TV, exercise and sleep determined which fruit and vegetables were the most beneficial.
The most common fruit chosen was orange juice and the most common vegetable potato, but a better choice for prevention of weight gain, are apples, pears, berries and non-starchy vegetables.
New research has also found that fruit juices contain high levels of sugar, which can contribute towards weight gain. So if you going to get your five a day, then whole fruit is a lot better. My nutritionist once told me that French women do not have weight problems because for there breakfast they eat fruit with natural yoghurt. You may not think bowl of fruit salad could keep you going until lunchtime, but it does. I also add ground linseed with ground red berry and cocoa to give me fibre and omega-3 as well.
The fruit and vegetables with lower glycaemic scale, such as blueberries, strawberries and avocado were deemed to be good, but some high glycaemic index vegetables with a much higher fibre content such as sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and sweet potatoes were also found to help reduce calories overall as they filled people up so they ate less.
It’s also a myth, that being a vegetarian means being smaller and healthier. But it can be dangerous for children and young adults still growing, and all women as they hit their menopause. The reasons being that our bodies are inefficient in turning iron rich vegetables such as spinach into iron for our bodies. The problem with anaemia is that it’s not obvious – you may feel tired and exhausted, but that can happen through a hectic lifestyle so you may miss it altogether. This will reduce your immune system and you probably find yourself being ill a lot more often.
If there are any foods you just can’t give up, then you may have an addiction problem, especially if it’s sweet things such as chocolate.
So if binge eating, weight loss or sugar addiction is a problem in your life and you need some help with some of those changes then call or text “food” to 07508 658934, contact me or read up more on my weight loss page.