Kevin Witham Blog » Nutrition

Sugar and all that Fizzy

admin — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:06:46 +0000

Many of you will have heard me say that sugar is the main culprit which causes us to get fat, not fat in itself. This is why I steer away from low fat products, sold as healthy but often having sugar- a carbohydrate added. In the Journal Nature scientists have declared sugar as toxic and although a little is not a problem ‘a lot kills slowly’ and causes around 35 million deaths a year worldwide according to the research. They say sugar contributes to obesity, heart disease, cancer and liver damage. The latter mirrors the damage caused by excess alcohol consumption itself made from sugar. The authors also state that sugar affects metabolism and raises blood pressure. Sugar releases insulin in to the boby which in itself is a potent fat storing hormone essentially converting the excess sugar in to fat. This can lead to a build up of fat especially around the abdominal area depressing metabolism and increasing the risk of cardiovascular problems including diabetes. Sugar consumption has tripled in the last 50 years and is often high in so called healthy low fat foods such as fizzy drinks, cereals, chocolate bars and muffins- essentially junk food!

This is also on the back of recent research released from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine suggesting that regular consumption of soft drinks even one a day can increase heart attacks and strokes by 43% and can lead to serious liver damage. There is now ten years of research that drinking soft drinks even diet drinks causes people to eat more and therefore gain more weight.

Reduce the sugar and processed junk food and increase healthy fats in your diet which boost metabolism and help control your blood sugar levels. Avoid low fat diets and concentrate on the quality of what you eat.

Kevin, 13 February 2012

Eggs are great food

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:37:58 +0000

Not only do eggs contain important fats for brain function but a recent Cambridge University study suggest that eggs also help you to stay awake and feel alert for longer. It is known that having protein every time we eat helps to stabilise our blood sugar levels which does improve our alertness and focus. Slumps in blood sugar and therefore energy and mood are associated with sugary foods such as cakes, biscuits and soft drinks. A chemical known as orexin has been discovered in eggs which seems to further enhance alertness- sugar blocks this chemical according to the research. Including more protein in the diet also helps us to use up more calories and we now know that the cholesterol found in eggs has little effect on blood cholesterol levels.

A great food but ensure you only use good quality ‘natural’ eggs.

Kevin, 5 December 2011.

Mind that sweet stuff

admin — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:00:58 +0000

More research out this month on the dangers of consuming too much sugar which may contribute to chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. A recent Yale University study suggests that the fall in blood sugar levels often seen after eating ‘bad carbohydrates’ such as cakes and biscuits affects the part of the brain controlling impulse. This loss of self-control worsens the cycle as you then tend to crave sugary, processed foods. In this way flucuating sugar levels creates a sugar addiction. More concern too that many low fat, processed products contain very high levels of the fruit sugar fructose and may increase the risk of rectal cancer according to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Of special concern is high fructose corn syrup added to many processed products as a sweetener. The problem is processing removes the healthy fibre, vitamin C and other antioxidants which are important to health. Furthermore, fructose can place a greater load on the liver which increases the amount of liver and abdominal fat increasing the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer.

As always, limit your processed foods and move away from low fat options and increase the good fats in your diet. Control your blood sugar levels.

Kevin, 9 November 2011