Food

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Food

Food is central to modern ill-health. Not only is it plentiful but it has changed. People eat processed and refined foods. Food fresh from the ground or from the trees contains more fibre and complex nutrients. A BBC Horizon programme in January 2014 had some interesting data. A 50:50 mix of sugar and fat seems to be particularly dangerous. Such a mix isn't found in nature, except in human breast milk. The gut fails to tell the brain to feel full so we don't know when to stop. This is almost, but not quite, an addiction.

The message is that if you are eating cheesecake, ice-cream, milk 'chocolate', doughnuts, biscuits and cakes your body won't tell you when to stop. Otherwise sugar is not the ogre it has been made out to be. In fact it is essential for providing the body with energy especially for intensive body or brain workouts.

So what should we eat and drink to stay healthy? Remember that individuals will vary in how they react to food. Remember also that eating rubbish but delicious food is OK once in a while. This is what the latest science says for the average person:

Variety	Eat as big a range of foods as possible.
Colourful	Highly coloured fruit and vegetables are rich in good nutrients.
Full of fibre	Essential for a healthy gut.
Fresh	Crisp, not tired in the shop. Frozen. Home grown.
Coffee	Now very much back in favour. Fresh not instant.
Avoid fashionable habits	Not 'health bars', smoothies, single food diets.
Not processed or fast foods	Except occasionally. Take care over 'vegan' processed foods.
Not a lot of sugar	Best got from normal diet.

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Last edit 26 November 2022