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Fats and Sugars
I've had a suspicion for a long time that sugar and highly-refined foods are probably the biggest factor behind obesity (more so than fat). This research seems to confirm that.
I stay at a comfortable weight by the simple tactic of choosing wholefood options (brown bread/rice/pasta instead of white), beans, plenty of veg, etc. I eat far less meat than most people, but still include it in several meals a week.
I try and avoid anything that contains sugar. That means eating on of the very small number of breakfast cereals that don't contain sugar (watch out for crystallised fruit that several brands now slip in in order to try and make you think there's no sugar when there is). Dorset Cereals muesli, and Grape Nuts are the usual ones at present. (they started adding sugar to my previous brand).
I don't buy or make cakes (but the occasional slice when out for an afternoon is okay - this is a lifestyle, not a prison). I eat small amounts of chocolate (a couple of squares of Green and Black each day), and that's pretty much it on the sugar front.
I've stopped eating things like baked beans and other similar tinned foods. The sugar content has risen so much that I now find them unpalatable.
Cheese is wonderful, and we eat all kinds of varieties.
If I had to offer just one tip for a healthy diet, I'd say to eat nothing with sugar in it. (and no artificial sweeteners either)
I stay at a comfortable weight by the simple tactic of choosing wholefood options (brown bread/rice/pasta instead of white), beans, plenty of veg, etc. I eat far less meat than most people, but still include it in several meals a week.
I try and avoid anything that contains sugar. That means eating on of the very small number of breakfast cereals that don't contain sugar (watch out for crystallised fruit that several brands now slip in in order to try and make you think there's no sugar when there is). Dorset Cereals muesli, and Grape Nuts are the usual ones at present. (they started adding sugar to my previous brand).
I don't buy or make cakes (but the occasional slice when out for an afternoon is okay - this is a lifestyle, not a prison). I eat small amounts of chocolate (a couple of squares of Green and Black each day), and that's pretty much it on the sugar front.
I've stopped eating things like baked beans and other similar tinned foods. The sugar content has risen so much that I now find them unpalatable.
Cheese is wonderful, and we eat all kinds of varieties.
If I had to offer just one tip for a healthy diet, I'd say to eat nothing with sugar in it. (and no artificial sweeteners either)
no subject
It's a bit more complicated than that.
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As so much sugar is 'hidden', it's very hard for people to be certain of what they're actually eating. There's some extremely misleading advertising out there. I recall a friend commenting a few years ago that Frosties were now low sugar and okay to eat. So I went and looked at a packet and was horrified by the amount of sugar.
Likewise, another friend said that Maltezers were fine as they were only 11 calories each. The psychology of that is carefully calculated by the manufacturers. When things come in small portions (like mini cheeses and small bags of crisps), people actually end up eating more than they would if the product came in a larger package.