These are the top five so-called “UNHEALTHY” foods I consume regularly:
- Butter
I’m definitely a butter girl! Real butter that is. Click here to read why.
- Full fat Yoghurt
This is a staple in our house. Did you know that high-fat dairy consumption within typical dietary patterns is inversely associated with obesity risk? When choosing yoghurt, opt for the brand/s that is lowest in sugar (ideally less than 10-12g of sugar per 100g). Generally, these are full-fat natural or Greek varieties. Remember, yoghurt is supposed to be sour and tangy, not sickly sweet!
- Chocolate
My weakness! DARK and REAL chocolate… delicious!! Few natural products have been claimed to successfully treat such a wide range of disorders as cacao (the basis of real dark chocolate). Chocolate is now being recognised as a “medi-food” or “functional food”, meaning it exalts significant nutritional functions and has wide-ranging therapeutic abilities. It’s no wonder this amazing plant, Theobroma Cacao, is known as food of the gods! Click here to read a previous post all about chocolate!
- Coffee
The key here is moderation. My recent nutrigenomics test results also revealed I am a good caffeine metaboliser… phew! Click here to read a previous post about the pro’s and con’s of coffee.
- Bacon
I love bacon and eggs. I will add however, I don’t eat bacon everyday… AND the bacon we get is locally sourced, pasture-raised, and nitrate-free. This is VERY different to commercially sourced bacon which often contains lots of preservatives, is highly processed and may be un-ethically raised. Know your producers people!
NOW, here are some so-called “HEALTHY” foods I would very rarely (if ever!) consume:
- Skim milk
I don’t tolerate cow’s milk very well. However, even if I did, I wouldn’t drink it! Why? You absorb less of the nutrients without the fat, skim/low-fat milk contains powdered milk which is made with oxidised cholesterol (nasty stuff), it contains higher levels of sugar than full cream milk, it can increase the likelihood of weight gain, and it’s extremely processed. No thanks!
- Margarine
If you’ve read my butter vs margarine blog… you’ll know why you’ll never find this lurking in our fridge!
- Breakfast cereals
Many commercial breakfast cereals which are marketed as “health foods”, are loaded with added sugar (some over 40%!). They are often energy rich, and nutrient poor…not a good combination. Rather than starting your day with a meal that may leave you hungry, overweight and irritable; choose something to nourish, energize and satisfy! Click here for more info.
- Conventional juice
Commercially made juices are a bit like soft-drink without the fizz… way too much sugar and processing involved as far as I’m concerned.
- Frozen dinners (i.e. Lean Cuisine/Healthy Choice)
Although frozen dinners are convenient, calorie controlled and portion controlled; they often taste pretty artificial, they are usually very high in sodium, low in vitamins and minerals, low in fibre, and rely heavily on high glycaemic load processed grains (i.e. white flour/pasta). Not only this, the list of unrecognisable ingredients in many of these calorie-controlled frozen dinners is often way too high for my liking (see attached pic).
Some food for thought for you all! Until next time, Stacey.
