20 cookies a day

Would you willing hand over 20 chocolate chip cookies every day to your child and then just let him eat them all?

Well it turns out that that is exactly what most parents are doing unknowingly.  Children eat the equivalent of 20 chocolate chip cookies' worth of sugar every day and the vast majority is hidden sugar.

You know how many teaspoons of sugar you add to coffee or tea because you are the one administering it.  However, there is sugar in almost everything nowadays and to understand just how much sugar we ingest is almost impossible.  So that goes for children too.

Breakfast cereals are packed full of refined carbs and sugar... those are the first two ingredients on the pack.  Lots of parents know the evils of soft drinks, but still think that juice is a healthy option when all it really is is liquid sugar.

Public Health England has published figures that show that 11-18 year olds, on average, consume 73.2g of sugar every day - that's about 18 teaspoons a day.  The NHS guidelines recommend that children over the age of 11 should consume no more than 30g a day, as you can see this means they are doubling that limit every single day.  Four to ten year olds are consuming 53.5g/day (RDA for 4-6 year olds is 19g and RDA for 7-10 year olds is 24g) and 19 to 64 years olds are also well over the 30g maximum per day at 59.9g.

The Obesity Health Alliance also analyzed the figures and said that the food industry needs to take

urgent action and remove sugar from food.

Dr. Modi Mwatsama  of the Obesity Health Alliance said:

"Most parents would never hand over 20 chocolate biscuits a day to their children, but with so much hidden sugar in our food and drink it can often be hard to know just how much children are consuming.

"By reducing the amount of sugar found in everyday products, industry could help make a real difference in improving the health of our children.

"Industry has been successful in the past around reducing salt - let's see the same with sugar."

The British Government has called for the food industry to cut the sugar content in common products such as breakfast cereals, cakes and yogurts by 20% by the year 2020.

However, some have criticized this measure as purely voluntary and there is no obligation for the food companies to comply.

Professor Russel Viner of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, said:

"This vast amount of sugar consumption is storing up so much trouble for generations to come as we know obese children are five times more likely to become obese adults making them more likely to develop serious health conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes, cancer, heart and liver disease, dental issues and associated mental health problems."

The sugar in our children's food is a serious problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible, and we can't leave it to the food industry to do it.  They need the sugar in their products for longer shelf life, but also to get young customers hooked on their products.  They don't care about their customers, they just care about company profits.

So, what do you care about?  Your child's health and future, or putting money in big corporations pockets?

Start feeding your family fresh food.  There are plenty of fresh foods with naturally occurring sugars in them.  Fruit, but not juice, has sugar and fiber - healthy when the two go together.  It may take a while, but if you persist, they will get used to it in the end and you will make healthy adults of them with good habits.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Eating Healthily Doesn't have to be boring

We are what we eat... or so the saying goes, and I agree whole heartedly with this.  Unhealthy diets cause disease, be it type 2 diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome or even cancer.  Unhealthy foods cause disease; junk food, sugary soft drinks, processed "foods" all contribute to the weight gain, obesity and the onset of the aforementioned diseases.

However, quite often the people who come to see me because they need to lose weight not just from an esthetic point of view, but for health reasons all have the same look in their eyes... fear.

We humans are creatures of habit, we tend to be set in our ways and the mere thought - however fleeting -  of having to change one or more of their habits, or having to stop eating one of their favorite foods causes such fear they would prefer to not even contemplate it.

Also, the minute the word diet comes up in conversation and most people envisage broiled chicken with lettuce or grilled fish with not much else.  "Dieting" is associated with depriving oneself of everything deemed delicious and eating uninteresting, boring and unpalatable foods.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

Two very important pieces of information have come to light recently.

1.  FAT has been found to be good for you.
2.  The real killer is SUGAR.

Yip, everything you were told for decades was wrong.  Sugar and refined carbohydrates are the real killers and fat has been unjustly omitted from our diets for years and years.

So, if we take into account that there is a huge obesity epidemic which is stressing the national health services due to the serious diseases that are brought on by being overweight or obese; type 2 diabetes as I wrote recently is singlehandedly bankrupting the NHS in the UK.  We also need to take into account that type 2 diabetes can be improved beyond belief in the majority of cases and even cured in some cases, simply by removing refined carbohydrates from the diet.  Removing refined carbs mean people lose weight.  Losing weight reverses the effects of type 2 diabetes, among other diseases.

And here we are back to the broiled chicken and lettuce... or are we.

Eating healthy, home cooked food can be so delicious.  There is no reason to have a boring diet if you want to lose weight.  What you really need is to change the way you THINK about food.

Food should be tasty, delicious and filling.  You shouldn't feel like you are missing out.  You also need to adjust your mind set.  When you look at what you are about to eat ask yourself these questions;  What does this food do for me?  Does it nourish me?  Will I feel good about it afterwards?

One of the best examples of healthy but tasty food is Dr. Michael Mosley's Blood Sugar Diet.  Anyone, whether you have a problem with blood sugar or not should be eating this food.  It is healthy and delicious and a great way to start a seriously healthy change to your diet.  I don't usually do reviews, but Dr. Mosley's 5:2 Diet I have reviewed and it is another common sense diet that has done wonders for many many people.

However, the Blood Sugar Diet I am not going to review as such, and if you don't want to read the book I suggest that you do buy the recipe book, written by his wife Dr. Clare Bailey and Dr. Sarah Schenker.  Buy it!  Cook from it!  Give to everyone you know as a gift this Christmas!

The recipes are easy and very tasty, you have breakfast ideas, lunches, snacks, evening meals, main meals even curries!  My own 16 year old daughter who has always says she hates spicy food, LOVED the chicken biriani with cauli rice.

You will not even know you are on a healthy eating plan... which is why I was so distraught this morning to find that my dog had eaten the book... oh well, I'll have to get myself another one!

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Adolescence...

Adolescence is a tough time for anyone... struggling with hormones gone wild, acne, body image problems, general insecurity and constantly having to live up to society's unrealistic expectations...

Weight gain in adolescence is part of the current obesity epidemic.  There is a serious problem with childhood obesity that is very worrying with more than one in every 3 adolescents being overweight or obese.

Until recently, scientists have always believed that when children reach puberty they burn MORE calories because of growth spurts.  However, a 12 year study has unexpectedly found the opposite happens; boys and girls experience a rapid DROP in the number of calories they burn.

They study was comprised of 279 children from Plymouth, UK, and covered a twelve year period between 2000 and 2012.  Burning calories uses a fixed amount of oxygen, the children rested in a sealed canopy that measured their oxygen consumption over a period of time, thus enabling the researchers to calculate their calorie use from the amount of oxygen consumed.

Professor Terry Wilkin of Exeter University and lead on the study, found that 15-year-olds use between 400-500 LESS calories while at rest per day than when they were 10.

That's a whole Big Mac (508 calories) less per day.

The researchers found that adolescents exercise less during puberty therefore adding to the calorie

excess that supposedly underlies obesity.  The drop in exercise levels is particularly noticeable in girls, where activity levels drop by a third between the ages of 7-16.

What we can not overlook is that childhood obesity is a very real problem.

"Child obesity and associated diabetes are both among the greatest health challenges of out time," Professor Wilkin said.

However, the drop in calorie burn can only be a contributing factor to the child obesity crisis.

The real problem is: junk food, fizzy drinks, over consumption of sugar (teenagers consume more than three times the recommended daily amount of sugar) and refined carbohydrates, and too many processed foods.

It is "cool" to go out for a McDonald's with friends and wash a Big Mac down with a can of Monster, but this type of diet is putting out teenagers health in serious danger.

Also many children are having to "fend for themselves" as both parents work.  A take away is a parent's way of knowing their child will eat and won't run the risk of burning themselves or setting the house on fire if they have to cook.

May be it is time to bring back home economics and cooking classes in schools.  I believe we should be teaching our children about REAL food and how to cook from an early age.  A good understanding of a healthy diet from the beginning will mean your child's health will be better for life.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Heart Healthy

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) causes more than half of all deaths in Europe.  CVD causes 46 times the number of deaths and 11 times the disease burden (cost of treatment and care) caused by AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined in Europe.

80% of premature heart disease and stroke IS PREVENTABLE.

Who suffers from CVD?

Anyone can suffer from CVD if they don't look after themselves.  The World Health Organization states:

"Research has shown that males between 20 and 64 years of age in semi- and unskilled manual occupations run a three times higher risk of premature death from CVD compared to those in professional and managerial positions.  Moreover, when improvements to health do occur, the benefits are unevenly  distributed within society.  These conditions and their causes contribute to differences in healthy life expectancy between and within European countries."

Other contributing factors are; stress is associated with CVDs, and the prevalence of depression  is a predictor of poor life expectancy among those suffering from CVDs.

Diet: a high intake of salt leads to hypertension, junk food and other processed foods which are also high in sodium.

Being overweight or obese.  Obese adults are particularly prone to CVD and other health problems. Inactivity, smoking, and alcohol all contribute to CVDs.

Most patients living with a heart condition... angina, blocked arteries or even having suffered a heart
attack or stroke already are nearly always prescribed statins, which reduce the levels of cholesterol, and are proven to save lives.

This type of medication cuts the chance of early death among people with CVD by 18%, according to a report involving 200,000 patients in 2013.

However, at the European Society of Cardiology Conference being held this week in Rome, leading experts have stated that there is a new treatment that is NATURAL and should be prescribed by doctors BEFORE turning to pills to treat CVD.

This "new" and natural treatment is none other than the Mediterranean Diet.  A diet packed full of fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes, oily fish, sea food, healthy fats such as avocados and olive oil and some meat.  What it's lacking is refined carbohydrates and processed foods.

We already know that the mediterranean diet protects healthy people from developing serious diseases such as CVD, diabetes and cancer, but this new study is supported with the strongest evidence to date that a diet could also be a powerful treatment for people who already suffer from CVD.

The experts think that the diet has such good results on heart patients because it is high in heart healthy fats that protect the heart, such as omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids.

An Italian team examined the diet of almost 1,200 heart patients and tracked them for a period of seven years.  In that time 208 died.  After taking into account other contributing factors such as diabetes, smoking, cholesterol levels and age, they found that the patients who followed the mediterranean diet more closely, were 37% less likely to die during the study period than those whose eating habits were the farthest from the Mediterranean diet.

This does not mean that if you are on heart medication you should stop taking it without speaking to your doctor.

What it does mean, is that if you change your diet to a more Mediterranean style diet, then you could significantly improve your life expectancy.

Also, if you are healthy and aren't suffering from a serious illness, then your risk of developing one would be lower if you were to change your diet.

So, get Mediterranean!!!!

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Men Should NOT drink this... Neither should women

When it comes to Clinical Studies things can be difficult.  A GOOD study involves a large number of participants over a LONG period of time.  Two such studies are the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.

The Nurses' Health Study (NHS):
The original Nurses' Health Study started in 1976 and was set up to investigate risk factors for major chronic diseases in women.

Now in it's third generation, male nurses have been included along side the female participants and there are currently 275,000 participants.

The Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS):
The purpose of this study which began in 1986, is to evaluate a series of hypotheses about men's health relating nutritional factors to the incidence of serious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and other vascular diseases.  This study which only uses male participants was originally designed to compliment the NHS study.  In the beginning, 51,529 male health professionals were enlisted including dentists, pharmacists, optometrists, osteopaths, podiatrists, and veterinarians, of which 531 were African-Americans and 877 were Asian-Americans.

Both studies chose health professionals as it was believed they would be more motivated and committed to participating in a long-term project.  In both studies the participants received a survey every two years that asked about diseases and other health related topics such as physical activity, medications being taken and smoking.  Every 4 years the participants were asked detailed questions

about dietary habits.

Normally, clinical studies work backwards.  For example; a cancer trend is noticed and scientists try and work backwards in time from that point to find out why that trend has arisen.

These two long term, high participant studies have given us an insight into what happens to health over time, and is affected by different changes and fads in dietary habits.

For example; the addition of artificial sweeteners to our lives.  When something "new" is introduced it can be deemed "SAFE" for human consumption, but until a significant amount of time has passed, the truth is, scientists just don't know if it really is safe or not.

We know a lot more now about aspartame than we did 20 years ago.  Aspartame is the artificial sweetener that is every where... diet soda, chewing gum, lollipops and small packets that arrive with your coffee.  The number of people that are constantly ingesting aspartame in the hope of reducing their sugar intake is incalculable.  Diabetics, dieters or people with a sugar conscience...

Not to mention all the other times per day you add aspartame to your coffee, tea, etc...

A team of researchers analyzed data from these two studies from the last 22 years to see if aspartame had caused any changes to health.  This means a total of 2,278,369 person-year data, which found
a disturbing trend; just ONE dieta soda A DAY increases the risk of leukemia, non-hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

But this new information goes even further to segment this risk into male and female:

1 can of diet soda per day leads to:

42% higher risk of leukemia in men and women
31% higher risk of non-hodgkin lymphoma in MEN
102% higher risk of multiple myeloma in MEN

Why men?

They don't know.  The original study authors only have a theory: "We hypothesized that the sex differences we observed may have been due to the recognized higher enzymatic activity of alcohol dehydrogenase type 1 (ADH) in men, which possibly induced higher conversion rates from methanol to the carcinogenic substrate formaldehyde." (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2012 "Consumption of artificial sweetener and sugar -containing soda and risk of lymphoma and leukemia in men and women.")

So, what will you do now?  Will this help you quit your aspartame habit?

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

The fiber dilema...

First off, what is fiber?  Fiber is the parts of vegetables and fruits that cannot be digested.  It is essential for good digestion, helping the body to move food through the digestive tract, reducing serum cholesterol, and protecting against disease.  Fiber is also known as bulk or roughage.

Lots of people associate fiber with carbohydrates and to an extent they are.  However, fiber can be found in many different natural foods.

Lately news has arisen that carbohydrates not fat are causing the obesity epidemic.  And to some extent this is true.  Our diets have moved from natural whole foods, to refined foods lacking in fiber, and nutrients but high in fat (but not the good type), salt and sugar.

We have been taught to fear fat and love low fat products which are full of sugar and salt.

Some people have seen the light and removed sugar and refined carbs from their diets.  Low carb - high fat diets are highly criticized but they are actually a lot healthier than high carb - low fat diets.

Lots of people think that fat causes heart disease, but we KNOW that high carb diets cause metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, heart disease and some cancers... mostly due to being over weight from eating too many refined carbs.

How does that happen?  How do we get fat from something our governments are telling us to make the base of our food pyramid?

When you eat carbs, they produce a spike in blood sugar which causes the pancreas to release insulin to lower the blood sugar levels.  To do this, the hormone insulin sends messages to the liver, muscles and fat cells to take up glucose from the blood, this is then used for energy.

Once the body has enough glucose to be used as energy, excess glucose is stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver (just in case you need to run for a bus).  Once the liver has stored as much glycogen as possible, any left over gets sent to the fat cells where it is stored as triglycerides - or in other words... FAT.

Refined carbs such as white bread, pasta, rice, flour, sugar, honey, agave and maple syrup, etc., cause sharp spikes in blood sugar levels and the insulin-fat storing process described above begins every time you eat refined carbs... think toast at breakfast, bread AND dessert at lunch, sandwiches, soup and bread for dinner... How many carbs do you eat on any given day?

However, a lot of this fat storing process is also down to the TYPE of carbs you are eating.  "Healthy" carbs do exist and it is all down to the amount of fiber they contain.  The higher the fiber the more "healthy" they are.  High fiber grains such as rye are broken down more slowly in the body and have less impact on blood sugar levels, hereby avoiding the dreaded spike and insulin response.

Rye, brown rice, oats, quinoa and Kamut, for example, are also naturally high in essential nutrients such as magnesium, iron, zinc, B vitamins, and manganese.  B vitamins and magnesium are essential for converting the food you eat into energy among other things.

However, restricting your carb intake is essential if you are trying to lose weight.  I recommend restricting grains to TWICE a week... that's TWO MEALS a week and HIGH fiber carbs.  For example rye toast at breakfast and a quinoa cobb salad for lunch on another day.

But fiber isn't only found in grains.  We all need fiber, so when you are thinking about what to eat make sure you have plenty of vegetables on your plate.  High fiber vegetables are:

Artichokes
Peas
Broccoli
Carrots (technically a carbohydrate as they are a root vegetable and higher in sugar)
Beets
Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, turnip greens, Swiss chard, etc

Also, high fiber fruits are:

Raspberries
Pear with the skin
Apple with the skin
Banana
Orange
Strawberries
Dried figs
Raisins

So remember, high fiber is good for you but choose wisely as you could be going high carb instead!

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Pomegranates, more than just a pain to peel...

I LOVE and HATE pomegranates.  They are utterly delicious but a total pain to peel.  I have tried every suggestion and watched endless videos on YouTube as to how to peel them, and I still make a mess of it.  However, there is one truth: pomegranates are worth the effort.

They are also the "it" fruit of the moment.  But they are also extremely healthy, Swiss scientists suggest that pomegranates may be capable of strengthening aging muscles and add years to your life.

Pomegranates have high concentrations of ellagitannins which our gut bacteria turn into a compound called urolithin A which helps keep the mitochondria in our cells charged.

Although it is too early to tell if the effect would be the same in humans, but mice and worms given urolithin A lived longer and ran further, in laboratory tests.

But pomegranates have more to offer than this, including fighting cancer.  According to a small study from 2006, researchers at the University of California found that drinking 227ml of pomegranate juice daily significantly slowed the progression of prostate cancer, it is thought that urolithins block cancer cell growth.

A current small U.S. study involving 30 patients is studying whether supplements containing pomegranate extract can prevent prostate cancer spreading.  Another small study from 2004 suggests that a glass a day of pomegranate juice may reduce cholesterol build-up and damage in patients with narrowed arteries.

More recent studies suggest that a certain compound in pomegranates helps boost memory, enhances exercise performance, improves blood pressure, strengthens bones and helps prevent Alzheimer's due to its anti-inflammatory properties.  These anti-inflammatory properties could also help with other health issues such as Parkinson's and rheumatoid arthritis.

However, most of this information is obtained from numerous lab trials on animals and has yet to be tested in humans.

But, what we do know is that pomegranates contain antioxidants which can help protect against damaging free radicals which means this fruit may protect against age-related diseases.

But eating a wide range of fruits and vegetables will boost your antioxidant level and all berries are high in antioxidants, not just pomegranates.

By all means, go to town on pomegranates, but don't juice them or any other fruit for that matter.  Juicing removes the healthy fiber and turns healthy fruits and vegetables into flavored sugar water!

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

It's all in the attitude

CALLING ALL WOMEN!!

I have often been asked (mainly by my dear friend MaryJo), to write about the menopause stage in life.  I think that to date, I have written just 2 posts trying to help improve menopausal symptoms.

As you know I also run - a lot.  When I run I listen to audio books instead of music.  That way I can catch up on reading things I am interested in without having to sit around to do it - sitting still has never been something I have ever managed to accomplish.  So while browsing the audio book section on iTunes the other day, I found a book called "Goddesses Never Age" by Christiane Northrup M.D.

So, thinking of all the positive feedback I have had from just 2 posts on menopause I decided to dive head first into this, until now, little explored territory.  I bought and downloaded the book.  I admit I had already heard of the author as I had seen her in a documentary I love called Food Matters.  Even better, the audio book is narrated by the author - something unusual as most hire a professional reader for the recordings.

I think I fell in love with her during the introduction.  Christiane Northrup is 66 years old and, just from her voice, you can tell she is brimming with life, love and laughter.  I have spent this spring running near my home listening to her wise advice, her intelligent explanations and reasoning, and I swear there were times I was positively flying.

Many of us have been brought up to believe that life is like a play in 3 acts... Education, work and
retirement.  Retirement, which usually coincides with menopause is the beginning of the decline into old age where joints stiffen, relationships and health wane and death is the closing curtain.

STOP RIGHT THERE!  As Dr. Northrup says, menopause should not be thought of as the beginning of the end, of being out of date, no use (as you are no longer able to bear children), or too old to have any fun.  In some asian cultures, menopausal women are celebrated for being WISER, it is seen almost as a privilege - hot flushes included!

There is life after menopause and it is there to be embraced, tasted, enjoyed and LIVED.  It is all in the attitude.  If you embrace this moment of great change in your life, you may find yourself "free" for the first time in decades - children have grown up and left home, you may even be in a financially stable time of life where you can take the plunge and start a new career or study something you have always wanted to study, but never had the time.  Attitude is what gives you life or... takes it away.

Being positive, feeling happy are both assets which fight against disease and promote health.  Most of us have unfortunately had to cope with negative and/or damaging experiences in our lives, and many hold on to negative feelings and even hate related to those experiences.  It is vital to health to deal with any deep seeded negative emotions that could be holding you back and holding back your happiness, after all:

Hating someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die...  

To me there is no bigger waste of time or happiness drainer than wasting precious energy on negative feelings.

However, the book goes into great detail about how to rid yourself of negative emotions and how to improve your mindset.  It also says how much women devote themselves to others and feelings of guilt if they indulge themselves for a few minutes, a morning or a day...

We women are our own worst enemies.

We put enormous stress on ourselves to be the brilliant business woman, the perfect wife and the best mother... every one else comes before us.  However, there is a saying, "Ain't nobody happy if momma ain't happy!"

I can only encourage you all to read this book as each page is a delight and filled with exceptional knowledge on every aspect of life, from love, to laughter, to sex, to food, to relationships.

However, I would love for every female to read it and not just menopausal women... I can't help wishing I had read this book in my teens.  It also teaches you to love yourself as a woman and I think young women should read it so that they don't fall into the same trap that many of the now menopausal generation fell into.  I will be giving this to my teenage daughter in the hope that she will learn NOW and love herself and will therefore be the very best she can be for those around her and the world.

So, if you are hoping to live happily and actively for as long as possible, you really need to read this book.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Low-carb veggies that will help you lose weight

The more I read about low-carb diets the more convinced I am that they work wonders for many people.  However, trying to work out carb content of common foods is not as easy as it may seem.

Obviously you need to avoid all refined sugars, flours (including pasta) and rice and processed foods.  But out of the natural food section there are fruits for example that are low-carb such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc and those that aren't; mango, apples, pears, grapes, etc...  It's understandable to be confused!

So here is a vegetable help list of low-carb veggies that you can stock up and fill up on!

1.  Of course my all time favorite is the avocado.  These are actually considered a fruit, but they are just so wonderfully nutritious that I wouldn't stop anyone eating one of these when they feel like it.  They are high in fat but only contain  13g of carbs - 10g of which are fiber!  They are also rich in oleic acid, a type of monounsaturated fat that is extremely beneficial de health, they are also a great source of vitamin C, folate and potassium.  Their high fiber content means that you will feel fuller for longer so can help with weight loss.  It is also believe that they can help lower LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

2.  Asparagus.  Just one cup of cooked (I steam them) asparagus contains 8g of carbs - 4g of which are fiber, that's 4g of digestible carbs per serving.  Asparagus are also packed full of vitamins A, C and K.

3.  Artichokes.  One medium globe artichoke - roughly 120g contains 14g of carbs - 10g of which are
fiber.  A portion of this fiber is inulin which acts like a prebiotic and feeds the good bacteria in the gut and it is thought that they may protect heart health by reducing inflammatory markers.

4.  Broccoli - another of my favorites, lightly steamed with a drizzle of melted butter!  One cup of raw broccoli contains just 6g of carbs - 2g of which are fiber, it also provides over 100% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) for vitamin C and K.  Studies have shown that broccoli may play a part in reducing insulin resistance in type 2 diabetics and protect against several types of cancer, including prostate cancer.

5.  Bell Peppers.  Packed full of antioxidants and carotenoids that play a part in reducing inflammation, decrease the risk of cancer and protect cholesterol and fats from oxidative damage - delicious too!  One cup, that's roughly 149g of chopped red pepper contains 9g of carbs - 3g of which are fiber.  They also provide 93% of the RDI for vitamin A and a huge 317% RDI for vitamin C!  Green, orange, and yellow peppers are similar in their nutrient content but red peppers are highest for certain antioxidants.  I quite often have these as a snack when I'm hungry in the afternoon.

6.  Brussels Sprouts.  Ok, I admit it, this is one vegetable you will never find on my plate.  Although I love eating veggies, this one is just beyond me.  However, having said that, I know many people who love them, and rightly so!  Half a cup of cooked Brussels Sprouts contains 6g of carbs - 2g of which are fiber.  They also provide 80% RDI for vitamin C and a huge 137% RDI for vitamin K.  Some controlled human studies have suggested that consuming Sprouts may reduce the risk factors for colon cancer and other forms of cancer.

7.  Cabbage.  Like broccoli, this cruciferous veggie can help reduce the risk of certain cancers including esophageal and stomach cancer.  Just one cup, about 89g of chopped raw cabbage contains 5g of carbs - 3g of which are fiber.  Cabbage also provides 54% RDI for vitamin C and 85% for vitamin K.  I lightly sauté shredded cabbage with bacon as a side dish.

8.  Cauliflower.  The new low-carb go-to dish that is substituting potatoes and rice.  There is so much you can do with cauliflower and can be eaten cooked or raw.  One cup - about 100g of raw cauliflower contains 5g of carbs - 3g of which are fiber.  It is high in vitamin K and provides 77% RDI for vitamin C and has been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.

9. Courgettes (Zucchini).  Very mild tasting, another veggie that is versatile and can be used not only in savory but also sweet dishes (yes, I have a great recipe for courgette brownies or courgette pancakes).  One cup, about 124g of raw courgettes contains 4g of carbs - 1g of which is fiber.  They are a great source of vitamin C and provide roughly 35% RDI for this vitamin per serving.

10.  Cucumbers.  Great for summer!  One cup, 104g contains 4g of carbs but just a little less than 1g of fiber.  These may seem good for hydration and little else, but the humble cucumber has more to it than meets the eye.  They are high in vitamins, minerals and contain all the essential amino acids needed for good health as well as a compound called cucurbitacin E which is thought to have beneficial effects on health.  Studies in animals suggest is has anti-cancer properties and anti-inflammatory properties too, it may also promote brain health.

11.  Celery.  Just one 101g cup of chopped celery contains 3g of carbs - 2g of which are fiber.  Celery also provides 37% RDI for vitamin K.  It also contains luteolin - an antioxidant with the potential for preventing and helping in the treatment of cancer.

12.  Eggplant.  One 99g serving of chopped, cooked eggplant contains 8g of carbs - 2g of which are fiber.  It's richly purple colored skin is high in an antioxidant called nasunin which helps reduce free radicals and might promote brain health.  It is also thought to lower cholesterol and improve other heart health markers.

13.  Garlic.  This power house for immune protection contains just 1g of carbs per clove - part of which is fiber.  Studies have found it to help boost resistance to the common cold and lower blood pressure among other antibacterial properties.

14.  Green Beans.  Another of my favorites.  Although you may not think so, green beans are part of the legume family along with lentils, chickpeas, etc... However, they are significantly lower in carbs, just one 125g serving of cooked green beans contains 10g of carbs - 4g of which are fiber.  They are green because of their high content of chlorophyll which may protect against cancer.  They also contain carotenoids and are associated with improved brain function.

15.  Kale.  You have to have a taste for Kale, but many are juicing with it.  It is loaded with antioxidants such as quercetin and kaempferol that have been shown to lower blood pressure and may also protect against heart disease and type 2 diabetes.  One cup, about 67g of raw kale contains 7g of carbs - 1g of which is fiber.  Kale also provides a huge 206% RDI for vitamin A and 134% RDI for vitamin C, so pack it in anywhere you can!

16.  Lettuce.  Just one cup of lettuce contains just 2g of carbs - 1g of which is fiber.  Romaine lettuce and other dark-green varieties are rich in vitamins A, C and K and are high in folate which helps lower homocysteine levels.

17.  Mushrooms.  Very low carb!  Just one 70g cup of raw white mushrooms contains only 2g of carbs - 1g of which is fiber.  Mushrooms have been studied considerably and have been found to have strong anti-inflammatory properties among others.

18.  Onions.  We use these as a base for lots of recipes.  But the truth is onions are high in the antioxidant quercetin which plays a role in lowering blood pressure.  Half a cup of sliced raw onions contains 6g of carbs - 1g of which is fiber.

19.  Radishes.  A wonderful addition to any salad.  Just 116g of raw sliced radishes contain 4g of carbs - 2g of which are fiber.  They are also fairly high in vitamin C.  It is thought that brassica veggies like radishes may reduce the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women by modifying the way that they metabolize estrogen.

20.  Spinach.  This leafy green veggie has a long list of health benefits attached to it.  Investigators have found it to help prevent DNA damage, protect heart health and may lower the risk of common eye diseases such as cataracts and macular degeneration.  It is high in iron and one cup of cooked spinach provides 10 times the RDI for vitamin K.  Raw spinach is lower in carbs than cooked spinach with one cup of cooked spinach containing 7g of carbs - 4g of which is fiber, whereas one cup of raw spinach contains 1g of carbs with almost 1 g of fiber.

21.  Tomatoes.  Like avocados, tomatoes are technically a fruit but who cares!  Just one cup of raw tomatoes contains 6g of carbs - 2g of which are fiber.  Tomatoes are a great source of vitamins A, C and K and potassium and their high lycopene content may help prevent prostate cancer.  Cooked tomatoes have a higher content of lycopene, leave the skin on at all times as lycopene is found in it's highest concentrations just beneath the skin.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

The truth behind bariatric surgery

Bariatric surgery is something I have always been against, except in certain cases as a last ditch attempt to lose weight in a person where their health is seriously affected and all else has failed.

I have often heard that the fast weight loss associated with bariatric surgery can cause devastating PSYCHOLOGICAL side effects that many patients have not been prepared for before their operation and are not helped with afterwards either.

Although there are the obvious "benefits", we are in the midst of an obesity crisis that isn't going away anytime soon, and is only going to get worse.  Obesity isn't just a problem of aesthetics, it comes with a whole host of chronic diseases that are burdening our already stressed public health systems.  High blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, to name but a few.  Bariatric surgery and the subsequent rapid weight loss has shown to help control and even reverse type 2 diabetes, lower blood pressure and improve general health.  But, it is the weight loss that improves these diseases NOT the surgery.  There are many ways to lose weight that do not include surgery.

However, there are numerous negative side effects to this type of surgery that aren't often talked about.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90% of all people with diabetes.  Unlike type 1, type 2 is, in the majority of cases, a lifestyle acquired disease.  Type 2 diabetes happens when the body becomes increasingly resistant to insulin - a hormone that controls blood sugar levels.  This resistance means that glucose stays in the blood causing high levels instead of being taken up by the cells.

Surgery helps by reducing large amounts of weight quickly and they body's ability to respond to insulin can, in some cases, return.

However, the weight loss can result in large amounts of excess skin, which is unsightly, heavy and a problem for many who find they become insecure and don't want to be seen naked even by their loved ones or themselves.

The psychological component of obesity: Many people who are obese or overweight use food as an emotional crutch and turn to food as a coping mechanism.

Once they have had the operation, they are no longer able to eat to help with their psychological problems.  This causes overwhelming distress and makes them unable to deal with their emotions.  Many patients have admitted to feeling "mentally tortured".

Depending on the type of bariatric surgery performed, as many as 20% of patients will find a way to get what they want - food wise.  They snack continually and gradually put the weight back on - some are even capable of liquidizing junk food in an attempt to get their "fix" into their reduced stomachs.

This may sound extreme but it does highlight the serious problem that these people had with food before surgery.  And, if you don't address the psychological issues the patient has before and after surgery - then surgery isn't going to fix anything longterm.

A study of 17,000 bariatric surgery patients showed that they are at a higher risk of suicide, probably because of the psychological pressure of the lifestyle changes required after surgery.

Research has also shown a 50% increase in drug and alcohol addiction post surgery, comforts that patients turn to instead of food.

This shows that we are approaching the obesity problem in completely the wrong way.

If patients' psychological problems are addressed and they are taught new coping strategies, they stop needing to use food as a support mechanism and they lose weight naturally, and the benefits of that weight loss such as the reversal of type 2 diabetes are also seen.

Getting to know why a patient is obese or overweight is a very important part of a weight loss program which ever path someone chooses to take, be it diet or surgery.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

What are you hungry for?

Apparently we make over 200 decisions about food every day.  I spend all day talking about food - or cooking it!  But listening to my patients means I have a great understanding of how hungry they are.

When you change your eating habits or your diet, you may find that you are more hungry than you used to be.  Or are you really?  

Lots of people say they are constantly hungry and are forever rummaging through the kitchen cupboards for something - anything, to munch on.

This means that there is something wrong with our diet or you mindset about food.  Humans are complex machines made up of many things including hormones... yes, those things that play havoc with your mood, your skin, your hair and yes, how hungry you are.

Ghrelin, a hormone made in the stomach, increases appetite and is high before you eat telling your brain you are hungry and need to eat.  Once you have eaten the level of Ghrelin decreases.

Leptin, another hormone, but this time made by fat cells, decreases appetite telling your brain you don't need any more food and you can stop eating.

However, studies have shown that in people with weight problems and obesity, this brain signaling mechanism doesn't work properly and they have become resistant to the leptin signal and so don't know when to stop eating.  Leptin resistance perpetuates a vicious cycle as the more you eat the more weight you put on and the hungrier you become and so you continue to eat.

But all is not lost.  You can eat properly to stop this happening by analyzing why you are hungry to start with.

Eating too many carbohydrates.  

The governing bodies of many countries would have us all eating huge amounts of carbohydrates, they are after all, the base of the government approved food pyramid.  But what most people consider carbs are actually refined carbs; pasta, bread, rice - all white.  This means they have been stripped of all nutritional properties and are basically just another form of sugar. 

Physiologically, carbs make you more hungry than full.  Yes, they may fill you up longer than other foods, but what actually happens internally means you are hungry again quickly.  When you eat refined carbs, your blood sugar spikes, and the pancreas releases insulin to return your blood sugar level to normal.  This means your brain says "Hey I liked that sugar spike!  Give me more!" and creates a sensation of false hunger so that you will eat more of whatever it was that gave you the sugar spike to start off with.  So, in the end you are eating more than you probably realize.

Whole grains release the sugar over a longer and more sustained period of time which means you don't get the sugar spike, even so, keeping carbs to a minimum is the best option.

None of us eat enough fiber.

Fiber is so important, you really need to get your fiber fix every day - several times!  There are two types of fiber; insoluble fiber, which bulks up your stools and ensures a healthy elimination of waste product, and soluble fiber which dissolves into a gel-like consistency and makes you feel fuller for longer.

Your main source of fiber is vegetables... eat as many as you like and make sure they are what make up most of the food you eat on a daily basis.  Raw vegetables are easy to snack on between meals too making snacking healthy and gut happy.

Also high in fiber are raw nuts and obviously fruit, but you should choose low sugar content fruits.  Apples are an excellent choice as their skin contains pectin which controls blood sugar spikes.

Legumes are also very high in fiber so add some chickpeas to a salad or indulge in a lentil dahl with other veggies.

Chia seeds are a great source of fiber, protein and Omega-3 fats, but they also absorb 10-12 times their weight in water, this means they swell in the stomach and make you feel full.  Add some to your breakfast oatmeal or greek yogurt.

You need more fat.

Everyone is so scared of fat.  It doesn't surprise me, we have been told for years that saturated fat is bad for us and we should keep all fat intake to a minimum.  But this has been disproved.  Fat is a very necessary part of our diet and we need to bring it back for good health.

Fat, like protein, is a very complex nutrient.  It takes longer to break down in your digestive system so it makes you feel fuller for longer, but it can also be used as fuel for the body, so if you lower your carbs and up your fat you'll have enough energy.

Avocados are my personal favorite.  Full of healthy fats you can basically do anything you like with them.  Mash them up on wholegrain toast for breakfast, add them to a salad... you can even make chocolate mousse out of them!

The protein question.

Lots of health personnel say you should eat protein at every meal.  This is where we all think of bacon and eggs at breakfast, chicken and chips for lunch and fish for dinner.   Whereas animal protein is a great source of amino acids which are the building blocks for our bodies, there are other vegetable forms of protein that you can also rely on.  Raw nuts, greek yogurt (not greek STYLE), legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, beans, etc...

So yes, by all means eat protein at every meal, but mix and match.

Take it easy on the fruit.

As I said before, fruit is a good source of fiber, but some fruits are very high in sugar so take it easy on the fruit and if you don't eat fruit every day then don't worry.  Aim for 1-2 pieces per day if you can.

Drink more water.

One of the first symptoms of dehydration is feeling hungry.  So, if you feel hungry at an odd time of day, drink a glass of water before raiding the cookie jar, it might just save you a few extra pounds.

Sleep.

Having a good sleep habit is also important.  Studies have shown that people who work night shifts are often more overweight than those with day jobs.  Being over tired means your brain craves sugar to keep going and you end up eating junk food and sweets.

Obsession.

You might be obsessing over food.  People who change the way they eat for a medical issue or just because they would like to eat more healthily, often become obsessed with what they can and can't eat or how much.  Think 3 meals a day is a good place to start, some people are ok on that, others need 2 snacks a day.  Just make sure what ever you are eating is healthy and nutritious and most of all - ENJOY IT!

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Another New Year...

Who hasn't made New Year's resolutions every year that you hardly ever keep?  I know I do EVERY YEAR!  My one resolution I make every year is to give up sugar, but having cultivated a sweet tooth from a very early age, and even knowing how damaging sugar is for health, I find that, at best, I can reduce it.

You see, that's the thing about New Year resolutions - we tend to be too ambitious.

"This year I am going to go to the gym every day and eat only salad and grilled chicken!"

"I'm quitting all sweets FOREVER as of the 1st January!"

"I am going to run every day!"

To name but a few...  I even remember the time my husband went running with his best friend on the 1st of January as the first day of his get fit resolution.  That was 2012...

Making changes to our lives that will benefit our health are, in lots of cases, essential.  But, they need to be well thought out.  Here are some ideas that might help you on your way:

1.  It doesn't have to be New Year's to change your life for the better.

The only right time to make life changes is when you are convinced it is the right time.  There is no point in doing something just because your friend, sister, brother, mother, etc., has decided to do it.  You have to be in the right mindset and convinced of what you are doing and why for any major change in your life to work.

2.  What do you want to achieve?

Think carefully about what you want to achieve.  Do you want to lose weight?  Improve your fitness level?  Incorporate a sport into your life so that you can lose weight, get fit and/or meet other likeminded people?  Give up smoking?  Give up alcohol?

3.  How are you going to do it?  

Once you have decided what you want to achieve you will need to work out HOW to do it.  For example; you want to lose weight... what diet is right for you?  Let's face it, there are sooooo many to choose from!  Would a slimming club or the help of a nutritionist be right for you?  Or do you think you can go it alone?

4.  Be good to yourself.

Don't be too ambitious.  Lots of us take on new challenges with lots of energy and hope only to find that the new diet isn't giving the good results we'd hoped for, or the new exercise regime is too difficult to fit into our busy lives... and after a month at most, they give up.

Take it slow, ease into new regimes.  Find someone to do it with you, a "buddy" can often help when your willpower is lagging and you can help them too.

5.  How to change your diet for the better:

If you change your diet radically and restrict a lot of the types of foods you usually eat, you will probably find that your body goes into starvation mode and starts hitting back at you with unbearable cravings!

If you are changing your diet, don't limit yourself too much.

The worst foods for putting on weight are refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice, pasta, and all things sweet (except fruit) including soft drinks.  So, when you overhaul your diet swap these out for healthier options; wholegrain bread, brown rice and pasta, no dessert.

Eat the whole fruit.  Fruit has lots of sugar in the form of fructose, but fruit is also full of fibre which helps to keep the sugar spike at bay and prolongs its release.  Forget fancy juices, they really aren't necessary - eat their ingredients as whole foods and you'll do much better from the fibre, juices are just sugary water where the fibre has been stripped away or blended into oblivion.

Don't mix foods that fight.  Separate your carbs from your proteins, and depending on how much weight you NEED to lose, limit your carb intake to TWICE a week.

Don't go fat free.  The majority of foods with a "fat free" label generally have had all the fat replaced with sugar and/or salt to compensate for the lack of flavor.  There is nothing wrong with a moderate fat intake.  So remember, it is better to be sugar free than fat free.

Think fresh.  Don't go for preprepared meals, junk food, etc...  Think fresh and cook from scratch.  If you eat at the office, make double the amount of dinner and take the leftovers into work for lunch the next day.

Make snacking healthy.  You can snack on fruit, or nuts - just one apple or a handful of nuts - you don't need to eat the whole bag!  If, like me, you can't stop once you've started, then don't take the whole bag with you!  Prepare a handful of nuts at home and take just that amount with you to work.

Don't eat unless you are hungry and sip water at regular intervals during the day, eat slowly and preferably in good company - not in front of your computer or watching TV.

STAND UP FOR HEALTH.  If you have a sedentary job, stand up for a couple of minutes every hour.  Go for a walk at lunch time, even if it is just a brisk walk round the block a couple of times.  Incorporate as much movement as you can into your day.

Good luck!

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

The invisible reason we're all a different weight

I think we are all far more body conscious today than ever before.  Obesity is a global epidemic... you have to be a size 0 to be successful, loved, liked... It's actually quite a sorry state of affairs.

I, as a nutritionist, have always maintained that it's about health - not dress size.  But, even though we are making great headway in weight related issues, there are still some fairly basic questions that as yet, haven't been answered.  The major one being:

Why do some people get fatter than others when eating the same amount of calories and doing the same amount of exercise?

Why do I have to carefully watch my weight because I tend to put on weight easily when another person can eat anything they want and not put on a gram?

Tim Spector, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at Kings College, London and author of The Diet Myth, believes he has the answer.

The digestive system is very important to the human body.  It also contains a very complex mix of gut microbes that account for the most part of the 100 trillion cells in our bodies and they interact with our genes to aid digestion, aid the production of certain vitamins, affect our immunity and even influence our mood, metabolism and weight.

The balance of these gut microbes is the key to good health and also to staying a healthy weight.  Tim Spector says:

"It's rather like fingerprints - we may look similar on the outside, but we're all different inside."

Which is why a low-fat diet works for some people, and a high fat diet works brilliantly for others, why some people can eat carbs to their heart's content, and others put on weight just by looking at a doughnut.

For years we have been told that a calorie is a calorie and that calories in vs calories out is what makes us lose or gain weight.  But, if you are a follower of this blog, you should know by now that that isn't the case.  It depends on how our bodies deal with the calories they receive and that is down to the interaction between gut microbes and genes.

We know there are a number of genes that influence appetite and weight.  Gut microbes do not have the power to alter your genes, however they can modify the gene activity and you can affect the microbes depending on what you eat - for better or for worse.

So what it boils down to is that you have to eat to make sure your gut microbes flourish.

Variety is the key.  Our ancestors typically ate 150 different ingredients a week, nowadays most of us eat less than 20 separate food items including a lot less fiber.  The more varied your diet the more varied your gut microbes - but keep it real and unprocessed.

You all know I am against processed foods - anything good that they may have contained at one point has been removed and replaced with high amounts of sugar and salt.  So, stick to REAL FOOD - cook from scratch and keep it as raw as possible.

Plant foods are great gut food, providing a multitude of gut-healthy benefits.  Some plants such as garlic, leeks, jerusalem artichokes, nuts and bananas, and fermented foods such as tofu, kimchi and sauerkraut, provide prebiotics that promote gut health.

Eat cheese and yogurts.  However, avoid the processed orange cheese slices they typically put on your burger and also avoid the low fat, fruit flavored yogurts that have had most of the goodness removed and sugar added to make up for the loss of flavor.

Coffee is great, it's packed full of plant chemicals called polyphenols and is also thought to protect against type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's and heart disease.  Just forget the sugar or sweeteners.

High sugar diets are bad for gut microbes - and everything else.  Artificial sweeteners aren't much better either.  Can you honestly say that a chemically produced "stuff" is good for the human body? (Not taking medicines into account). Also rats fed human doses of sweeteners for 12 weeks showed a significant reduction in healthy gut microbes.

A little bit - just a square, of dark chocolate every day - preferably 70% cocoa solids.  Microbes love chocolate which they break down into anti-inflammatory substances.

And, of course, exercise.  Movement promotes gut health by stimulating the production of butyrate, a chemical produced by the gut microbes that has a beneficial effect on the immune system.

So, are you going to look after your gut?

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

What Coke does to you... and it ain't pretty...

Last week The Renegade Pharmacist published an infographic on what a can of Coke does to you after just one hour.  It is stunning to think what your body goes through from drinking just ONE can of Coke.  Well this week The Renegade Pharmacist is back with the effects of drinking a DIET COKE.  So, just in case you missed it, here are both.

What happens one hour after drinking a can of Coke (The Renegade Pharmacist).

1.  First 10 minutes.
10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system (100% of your recommended daily intake).  You don't immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.

2.  20 minutes.
Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst.  Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat.  (There's plenty of that at this particular moment).

3.  40 minutes.
Caffeine absorption is complete.  Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your liver dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.  The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.

4.  45 minutes.
Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain.  This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

5.  60 minutes.
The phosphoric acid binds calcium magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism.  This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

6. 60 minutes.
The caffeine's properties come into play.  (It makes you have to pee).  It is now assured that you'll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.

7. 60 minutes.
As the rave inside of you dies down you'll start to have a sugar crash.  You may become irritable and/or sluggish.  You've also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke.  But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients you body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

Now this is me... Lucy Carr... we all know that drinking regular soda is full of sugar and is bad for us but people still drink vast amounts.  After reading this, will you be switching to Diet Coke?

Probably not, because as I said before, The Renegade Pharmacist has, this week, published the effects of drinking Diet Coke and here it is, in his own words.

What happens one hour after drinking a can of Diet Coke (The Renegade Pharmacist).

1.  First 10 minutes.
TRICKS YOUR TASTE BUDS & ATTACKS YOUR TEETH
The phosphoric acid attacks the enamel in your teeth, while the artificial sweeteners like aspartame hit your system.  Aspartame may trigger taste receptors and trick your body into thinking it has just processed sugar.

2.  20 minutes.
CAN SWITCH ON FAT STORAGE MODE
Like regular Coke this can trigger insulin, which sends your body into fat storage mode.

Data from a number of studies, including the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study also reported greater risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Also some data indicates those who consume artificially sweetened beverages double the risk of metabolic syndrome which is related to diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

3.  40 minutes.
CAN CAUSE ADDICTION
The potentially deadly combination of caffeine and aspartame creates a short addictive high similar in the way cocaine works.  Excitotoxins are released which may exhaust your brain by overstimulating it's neuroreceptors, especially if consumed on a regular basis.

4.  60 minutes and beyond
CAN DEPLETE NUTRIENTS, MAKE YOU HUNGRY & THIRSTY FOR MORE
Unlike the small amount of satisfaction you get from regular coke, your body may still crave sweets.  This makes you likely to reach for another soda, or worse, some other junk food you consider to be safe and the cycle continues.

A can of diet coke provides no nourishment and would replace a more nutritious drink you could have drunk while potentially depleting your body of essential minerals.

It will never quench your thirst as it dehydrates rather than hydrates your body.  A lack of vital water can lead to brain fog, poor concentration, fatigue and feeling irritable.

Now, back to me, Lucy Carr.  I was so horrified of the possible side effects of aspartame consumption that I quit Diet Coke in September 2013 and I haven't had a soda, regular or diet since - that's almost 2 years and yes, I feel so much better for it and I don't have a problem controlling my weight anymore.

So, as always, I hope this information will help you make an informed decision about improving your health.

For more information you can also read:

Just How Dangerous are Diet Sodas?
How money can buy what it wants and what that can mean to your health.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com