Just like everything in life, science changes. Well, it doesn’t really change, but our knowledge increases and what we ‘know for sure’ gets updated. This is what has happened with our knowledge of sugar and fat in the human body. In a nutshell, our bodies have a good system in place to stop us from eating too much fat. Unfortunately, this system has not developed to control our huge appetite for sugar, a very recent human dietary change on the scale of evolution. Now, this is a topic that could be discussed for days… however the take home message today is that fat is a necessary nutrient, and could actually be the ingredient that ends the seemingly endless battle of the bulge. So how do we use this knowledge to improve our diets? In two ways…
1. Eat natural healthy fats and drastically reduce sugar intake. Fats from real foods like avocados, nuts and nut butter, seeds, olive oil, oily fish like salmon and sardines, coconut oil, meat, ghee, cheese, unflavoured milk, yoghurt and butter. Eliminate soft drinks other than plain mineral water and all processed foods including seemingly healthy alternatives like muesli bars and fruit juice that are packed with sugar. Then…
2. Start paying attention! Your amazing body will tell you when you are close to full and that is when it is time to stop eating. If your meal contains sugar, your body will keep soaking it up without sending you any helpful signals, so avoid it and don’t be afraid to use fats in your diet to keep you healthy, satisfied and fuller for longer.
By doing these two things alone you will experience a whole new way of eating and living. I guarantee it!
Haloumi salad: Fried haloumi cheese / baby spinach / cherry tomatoes / artichoke / pepitas / freshly squeezed lemon
Kelly Moriarty