Yearly Archives: 2019

February 18, 2019

WHY ARE WE THROWING AWAY SO MUCH FOOD?

Food wastage is a global problem of epic proportions – but there are things we can do collectively, and as individuals, to reverse this terrible trend.

What can we do to reduce food waste?

  • Buy less, use what you buy, and get creative with your leftovers.
  • Fresh is not always best; frozen food products often retain more nutrients than fresh items, especially “fresh” food that has been shipped from the other side of the world.
  • Avoid deals that encourage you to buy more than you need.
  • Remember what tends to go off before you eat it; a whole lettuce on its stem, for instance, is likely to last longer than a bag of leafy greens.
  • Learn to love and seek out imperfect fruit and vegetables – cut and quartered, you won’t know the difference.
  • Brush up on your storage know-how; why you should keep your bananas out of the fruit bowl, why you shouldn’t store your spuds with the onions, etc. 
February 1, 2019

LOW CARB DIETS & WHY THEY WORK.

Are all carbs bad?
Not all carbs are created equal; just as there are good fats and bad fats, there are good carbs and bad carbs. The trick is not to cut carbs completely, but rather to be choosy about the ones you regularly eat. If you want to try going lower-carb then white bread, white pasta, potatoes and sugars, including maple syrup and agave nectar, are best eaten sparingly, if at all. They are easily digestible carbohydrates, meaning they are rapidly absorbed by the body, creating a big spike in your blood-sugar levels.

Instead, eat carbohydrates that contain lots of fibre. Fibre reduces the blood sugar spike, provides protection against bowel cancer and feeds the ‘good’ bacteria that live in your guts. Examples include vegetables, legumes – chickpeas and lentils – and wholegrains such as barley, oats, buckwheat, and wholegrain and rye.

A sensible approach to a low-carb diet is to cut out sugar and cut down on white (easily digestible) carbs such as bread, pasta and rice. Eat plenty of blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, which are relatively low in fruit sugar, and green vegetables, protein, butter, full-fat yogurt and olive oil to retain fullness.

Second-day pasta can keep off the pounds
One way to reduce blood-sugar spikes after you eat carbs such as pasta, potatoes or rice is to cook, cool and then reheat them. 

Under an experiment it was discovered that cooking, cooling and reheating the pasta had a dramatic effect, cutting the average rise in their blood sugar levels by 50 per cent. That’s because it changes the structure of the starch in the pasta, making it more resistant to digestive enzymes, so you get smaller blood-sugar spikes. Less of this ‘resistant’ starch is digested, leaving more to travel down and feed the ‘good’ bacteria in the large intestine.

January 14, 2019

ARE NON-DAIRY MILKS GOOD FOR US?

Sales of milk alternatives are booming worldwide. Here’s what you need to know about their nutritional value and supposed health benefits.

Alternative milks are popular with those who can’t tolerate the lactose in cow’s milk, as well as those who don’t eat animal products. They’re also gaining popularity with mainstream consumers, perhaps due to a perception that plant-based milk is healthier than dairy. But how much truth is there to this?

In the case of almond milk, we know that almonds are very good for us. They’re packed with vitamin E and calcium, as well as having the same benefits of all other nuts – healthy fats, fibre and protein. However most almond milks are mainly water, with an average almond content of just 2-4%!

The same goes for other milks, such as oat or other nut-based milks; the original ingredient is wholesome, but by the time it’s processed into milk there may be little of that benefit left. Often the benefits, calcium or vitamins for example, are added back in after. Some plant-based milk can also contain added sugar, which we may not immediately know from the packaging.

Although little research has been carried out into the nutritional benefits of plant-based milks, soy milk has proved to be the best alternative to dairy. This is because soy has the highest content of protein among the alterative milks.

For those who can’t tolerate dairy, protein is easily obtainable from other sources, but calcium can be an issue. People who are lactose intolerant should look for non-dairy milks that have added calcium. So, while they are useful, plant-based milks shouldn’t be thought of as an equivalent to dairy, nutritionally they are different foods.

It should also be noted that there is evidence to suggest some real benefits of eating dairy, if we can. Intake of milk and dairy products has been associated with reduced risk of childhood obesity, and in adults, was shown to improve body composition and facilitate weight loss during energy restriction. Other benefits include a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, a beneficial effect on bone mineral density and a reduced risk of some cancers.

As in many areas of nutrition, the take-out message seems to be ‘everything in moderation’. If we like the taste of plank milk, it can be nice to enjoy from time to time. But we should probably try to mix it up with dairy to achieve a healthy balance.

Source: Measuring the Benefits of Non-Dairy Milks by Niki Bezzant

January 1, 2019

FITNESS TRENDS FOR 2019.

1. Wearable Technology:
Wearable technology, such as smart watches, fitness trackers and heart monitors, has ranked in the top three trends every year since 2016. This looks set to stay for 2019 too!

2. Group Training:
Choosing to work out in groups (where ‘group’ is defined by more than five participants) is highly likely to stay at top of the trend list for this year. With the introduction of online group workouts, what could be easier!

3. HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training):
A HIIT workout involves short bursts of high-intensity bouts of exercise followed by a short period of rest. Despite taking a dip in previous years, experts predict this type of training will rank high in the list for 2019.

4. Fitness Programmes for Older Adults:
As the population ages, it’s only natural that fitness offerings would age along with us. These programmes emphasise and cater to the fitness needs of older generations. Which makes sense, considering exercising is a great way for people to maintain bone density and muscle mass as they age, plus reap the numerous other health benefits that come with being active.