Above is a TV show that is hosted by Peggy Kotsopoulos who is a nutritionist that hosts a TV show about how to prepare healthy food that will make you feel good. The food also is based around people who have allergies to gluten, dairy and offers an alternative to everyday foods that we commonly use. Peggy is a bit of an extravert and quite annoying to watch at times but her recipes are good and the food is top quality. <http://www.peggyk.com/>.
Most people understand what is bad for them in terms of food choices. Refined foods, excess sugars and saturated fats. All of the experts on nutrition come to a consensus on this fact. But what is good for us?
Eating healthy and making positive food choices is not always an easy thing to do. If you have had a bad day or are feeling a bit upset, nothing makes you feel better than a nice piece of chocolate and a good movie. But is it a choice that is easy to say no to?
Some reports have labelled sugar as addictive as heroin or cocaine. There are many hidden sugars in foods and this is some of the reasons why we keep going back to them.
There are six different types of sugars:
- Glucose: Simple sugar that can be carried in the blood.
- Fructose: Simple sugar that occurs naturally in fruit.
- Sucrose: table sugar occurs naturally in sugar cane or beets
- Lactose: Milk sugar, less than 5% of cow’s milk
- Maltose: Two joined-up glucose molecules
- High Fructose corn syrup: Corn syrup 50% glucose, 50% fructose.
Sugar is so addictive due to its mood boosting effects on the brain by increasing serotonin. According to a study from Yale University, glucose suppresses a part in the brain that makes us want to eat, while fructose doesn’t (BBC 2013).
After the last two posts, I feel like I should come up with an answer to the question of “What food is good for you?’. To be honest, there is a lot of silly information out there that is based on people wanting to make money from you and might not actually live up to it’s promises. Healthy eating is different for everyone because we are all individuals with our own deficiencies or guilty pleasures. Some people have intolerance and allergies to things that might be really healthy for another person. So what to do? Well there is a consensus on the really bad stuff, as I mentioned before. The biggest thing is to listen to your body. If you feel sick after eating a food, it’s probably not that good for you.
A super food is a food that contains extremely high levels of nutrients. Elvidge 2008, warns that we need to be careful of the big red flashing signs that say ‘Super Food – cures all diseases and yours for only $199.95’. The new age health food movement has jumped onto the fact that we are getting lazier and want that quick fix of some exotic apple that comes with its own red cape and can give us the nutrients of 200 normal apples. Although we need to be careful not to be fooled, there is still a massive benefit to eating these super foods.
Seliger 2013 recommends a few of the must eat super foods including:
- Beans
- Blueberries
- Broccoli
- Oats
- Oranges
- Pumpkin
- Salmon
- Soy
- Spinach
- Tea (green or black)
- Tomatoes
- Turkey
- Walnuts
- Yogurt
This list was surprising to me, as I though of these foods as normally very healthy, but not a super food.
To conclude my blogs, I would like to finish by recommending that you find out more information for yourselves. Eating is something that we all need to do for a lifetime. We can either look at food as our enemy or treat it as a friend that supports us and sustains our functioning. There are many cultures that have used food as a healing power for centuries,: the knowledge is already there.
Hopefully these blogs have helped you in beginning your quest for a healthier life through the magic of food glorious food…
References
BBC, 2013, ‘Why is sugar so addictive?’, retrieved 22 May 2013, <http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/0/21835302>.
Elvidge, S, 2008, ‘Debunking miracle foods:Are exotic superfoods better than ordinary produce?’, retrieved 22 May 2013, <http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/805505/debunking-miracle-foods-are-exotic-superfoods-better-than-ordinary-produce>.
Seliger, S, 2013, ‘Superfoods Everone Needs’, retrieved 23 May 2013, <http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/superfoods-everyone-needs>.
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