Nutrition Masters

THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET

Many scientific studies have attempted to establish the 'healthiest' diet for optimal body function and reduced risk of chronic diseases (CVD, cancer etc). The evidence so far points to the Mediterranean diet - aka - olive oil, oily fish, nuts, legumes, fruit, veg, pulses, starchy carbs, the occasional cheeky glass of RED wine, white meat (but primarily plant-based), avoidance of red meat, limit foods with added sugars and soft drinks. Here is a link to just one of the studies - https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa025039

CARBS ARE DEFINITELY NOT THE ENEMY

One of my Master's projects involved creating a questionnaire that assessed the public's knowledge of carbohydrates and the proportion of people that believe 'carbs make you fat' - a myth that newspapers such as 'The Sun' have falsely claimed for many years. My team found that of around 180 responses the average score from the 'carb myth questionnaire' was 58% - suggesting that the UK public need some serious educating on carbohydrates. In simple terms, it is not carbohydrates that lead to weight gain, it is the calorie surplus - i.e more calories eaten than expended by exercise. Carbohydrates are an essential source of fuel for our body to function - especially starchy carbs such as rice, lentils and of course all the veggies.

READ YOUR NUTRITIONAL LABELS

It's easy to pick up a packet of e.g yoghurt that celebrates it's low-fat content - however, if you check the nutritional label it's highly likely this 'low-fat' yoghurt has instead got a high sugar content. Recommendations suggest that we should limit our added sugar to only 5% of our overall energy intake so we need to chose our food wisely, go for more natural wholefoods and READ THE LABEL -so we know exactly what we are putting in our bodies. If you can eat as minimally processed as possible you'll definitely be consuming less added sugar.