Tuesday 12 February 2013

A post that was supposed to prove my boyfriend wrong...

When people ask me about eating clean, I often get lost for words. If someone asks me why I don't eat processed foods I can never quite manage to get my words out. I don't want to offend anyone that does eat them so I tend to keep my mouth shut instead of saying that it massively freaks me out when I think about how much processed food is consumed on a daily basis.

Most of this food had not been invented 50 years ago... Now think about how long humans have been around... Now think about the fact that you're eating foods that were 'invented'. Now think about the crazy rise in diabetes, obesity, heart disease and other illnesses. Coincidence? You might think so, and you're entitled to your own opinion but I think its pretty obvious that there's a link!

My boyfriend and I often discuss this. He has always been active, been in shape and he dabbles in processed foods, like a lot of people I know, and sees no harm. So when I try to convince him that clean eating is natural and better for you, he tends to disagree. Well disagree is a strong word but like I said, I often get lost for words and put up a rubbish counter argument. Recently he asked for proof and set me the task of doing some research - proper research not just un referenced scare stories online.

Challenge accepted and challenge failed after attempting to read 3 or 4 papers from the European journal of nutrition (having a background in biology would have been very helpful). I was gutted because I was really looking forward to learning more about nutrition. So I have signed up to a couple of online courses due to start in April :) in the mean time here is some things I have learnt that are so straight forward, I don't think they need references!

Please note - I'm not trying to be preachy here I just want to get everyone thinking a bit :)

1. Flour
People quite often say to me, well how is flour a processed food, it's just wheat isn't it?
To which I say they're refined, please don't ask me anymore on this subject.
Until recently I didn't quite understand why this is a problem. Basically the process of making white flour (which goes into your standard pasta, cereals etc.) strips the wheat of bran, germ and husk - basically all the nutritional parts! This makes it harder for your body to digest and more obviously displaces calories which you could be intaking elsewhere on more nutritional foods.

Our bodies require an intake of both micro nutrients and macro nutrients. Macro nutrients are very generally split into: carbs, protein and fat and micro nutrients consist of important vitamins and minerals. Which minerals and vitamins are you getting from you pasta?

2. Sugar
I honestly have the weakest argument in the world against sugar and I'm sure it should be the easiest to scrutinise. I could tell you all the online 'gossip' about how bad sugar is for you but I do not have the backing to prove it. So again, quite obviously: it's refined, it causes calorie displacement and has no nutritional value. Oh, and it's bad for your teeth! - There is also no requirement for unnatural sugar in our bodies. It serves no purpose.
There are genuinely people out in the world who think sugar (and sweetener) is the devil. It is one of the biggest causes of diabetes and I have read a lot that suggests that sugar lowers your immune system. This last point is just what I have read online, not anything I can confirm as fact.

3. Meat
Meat is a clean food yet one of the things I see most often online is that meat is bad for you, it causes cancer - like everything else on the planet. I eat meat often and theres no denying it's the best source of protein available so I wanted to look further into why this is such an issue. From what I gather, meats that are high in saturated fats are really bad for you. These are your sausages, chorizos and my favourite - salamis. Eating too much of this fat is what will clog your arteries and cause heart problems down the line. Sticking to leaner meats such as turkey and chicken (without the skin) is much better for you.

This information barely scratches the surface. There's so much to take in it blows my mind. So I turned to a man we all know and trust from the tele... I found a great interview with Dr Christian Jessen. A dr who, himself is in brilliant shape making him a great advocate. Here is a quote:

Which other foods would you recommend for their health benefits, other than pistachios?

It’s all about variety, the more fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and colour is all really important too when it comes to choosing your diet. Anything that’s overly processed can come straight from the factory is less than ideal put it that way. I don’t want to use the word natural because people always turn that into meaning organic, and I don’t necessarily mean that, anything that comes pretty much un-messed around in a factory is going to be better for me that something that has been heavily processed. Fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, dried fruit and vegetables are good too actually.

You can read the whole interview: HERE

So I guess what it all comes down to, which my boyfriend has said from day one is 'everything in moderation'. So although there is clear information about how bad refined foods are, even Dr Jessen himself promotes eating a balanced diet and doing exercise so that you can have those days where you eat something a little naughty and don't have to feel bad about it :)

The discrepancy I have now is... 'Everything in moderation' my personal belief after knowing all the above information is that refined products shouldn't be eaten every day, not even close to it! And if this blog hasn't made you think twice about what your putting into your system well then I have failed. But it's your body not mine ;)

I started to follow this clean eating diet because I believe it is the best way to lose fat. The more I've looked into it, the more I've discovered and the more I want to do this for the rest of my life. It's healthy, natural and not dramatic in any way whatsoever. It just makes sense doesn't it? Eat how your great grandmother would, she probably didn't have diabetes.

I'll be completely honest and say that if I had enough of a calorie allowance to get all my needed nutrients from fresh food and still have calories left over everyday for something naughty, I probably would. But I don't, and that will not get me the body I'm working towards. I've made sacrifices, and it's been relatively easy because I love fresh food! Once I have reached my goals and I'm in a place where I need to maintain my weight? That's when I'll start treating myself more frequently.

We get all the vitamins and nutrients we need for healthy skin, bones, nails, organs, bowels, digestive system, muscles, heart...(you get the picture) from fresh food. It doesn't matter if you're over weight, under weight or somewhere in the middle, you need these nutrients. These things control your health, physically AND mentally.

I might not have proved Dan wrong on this one - although I'm almost certain that if I could understand more than 9 words in those journals I'd have a good shot at it! Unfortunately their are still a lot of people out there purely concerned with losing weight and will eat whatever sugar free rubbish they need to get there. But if you eat clean and don't put any nasties in your system, I can guarantee that your weight will take care of itself, your body will be more efficient, you will digest foods better, cope with illnesses better and generally feel better. I know I do.

So I hope this has given you something to think about. No matter what your current goals or diet, everyone should be striving to make their body the best it can possibly be by giving it what it needs :)

Minnie
xXx






















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