Preservatives, colours, gelling agents, sweeteners, flavourings, emulsifiers, anti-caking agents.
A pretty impressive list, eh?
How about KitKats, Bisto gravy, Birds’ Eye curry, Heinz Ketchup?
Are they more familiar?
But what are they and why am I mentioning them?
Well, you’re probably eating most (if not all) of them in your diet!
Do you even know what their purpose is and what effects they can have on your body?
I thought not!
Of course, they all have their purpose in the food industry. Emulsifiers for example, can help to make a food appealing. They have a big effect on the structure and texture of many foods. They help to prevent the spread of moulds too – that HAS to be a good thing, right?!
The thing is…
We don’t really know what these things are, do we?
What’s more is that we’re consuming them on a daily basis – and lots of them!
Buy any packaged foods and you’re sure to find some of these in the list of ingredients. The food manufacturers want their foods to look and taste great, so they add these things.
They also add sugar and fat – even more bad news!
I label all of these ‘Obesity Additives’.
Your brain becomes addicted to them so increasing your body fat, especially fat around your waist and hips. Obesity additives create blood sugar swings leading to a spike in energy followed by a crash, making you crave further junk food.
They contain pesticides and xenoestrogens, which tend to increase fat storage.
Do you see now why your weight gain could be linked to your diet?
Main foods to avoid:
- Usually corn, unfermented soy and wheat products
- Most breakfast cereals, crisps and crackers
- Condiments such as ketchup, jam, syrup, gravy, sauces and jelly
- Fast food and soft drinks
- Sweets, biscuits and cakes
- Takeaways
My advice?
Avoid eating obesity additives!!
You should concentrate on:
- Eating one-ingredient foods that are natural (no additives or pesticides), free-range, wild or organic
- Avoiding processed foods most of the time – only have as a treat, if at all
- Getting most of your carbohydrates from fruit, vegetables, quinoa, buckwheat and brown rice
- Reducing your cereal, bread and pasta intake
- Drinking water, green or oolong tea instead of soft drinks
We should all enjoy our treats and not beat ourselves up when we have a pizza or a chocolate bar but when they become the norm, that’s when the problems start.
Talking of one-ingredient, natural foods, I’m introducing the Clean 15 Scheme at the studio, which involves buying fruit and vegetable boxes from local growers. We’re also going to stock real Jersey milk and organic meat and fish.
As an example, a veg box is £10 per week but it’s guaranteed to be free from pesticides plus you’ll be supporting your local farmers.
If you’re interested in this scheme, just let me know and I’ll get some information across to you. My number is 07990 583034.
Thanks
Paul