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Podcast – 31st January 2013

The heat is turning up on sugar and the nutrition bodies connected with the sugar industry

Even if you have only a passing interest in nutrition and the subject of ‘healthy eating’, you’re likely to have picked up a change of wind in recent times regarding the dietary cause of obesity. For three or four decades, conventional wisdom has had it that dietary fat is the true villain of the peace. […]

Some reasons why yoghurt can make a good basis for breakfast

I’m a big believer in eating natural and unprocessed foods, which means basing the diets on foodstuffs such as meat, fish, eggs, nuts, vegetables and some fruit. However, I am not averse to having some dairy products in the diet, in particular full-fat plain yoghurt. With a few nuts and berries chucked in, I reckon […]

Why you perhaps need to ignore what your doctor thinks about your weight

It’s the New Year, and this time usually brings with it an upsurge in the numbers of people wishing to shed excess weight. Some of these may even have been urged to take steps to lose weight by their doctor or other health professional. Governments and the medical profession frequently warn that being ‘overweight’ or […]

Artificial sweeteners found to boost weight gain in animals

Artificial sweeteners such as saccharin and aspartame have the ‘promise’ of being better than sugar for weight control because, although sweet, they contain virtually no calories. It’s a nice theory, though the reality is I cannot find one single properly conducted (randomised, controlled) study in humans exists in the scientific literature to support this. Now, […]

Why it can sometimes pay to be realistic about the impact of exercise on weight loss

January is not that far away now and when it comes around at least some people will turn their thoughts to shedding surplus pounds through diet, exercise or both. I came across a report this week of a recently-published study which compared the effects of aerobic exercise with resistance training on weight and fat loss. […]

Contrary to what some may say, fruit and veg not great for filling us up

The food we eat can perform a range of functions including an ability to nourish us and bring us pleasure. However, I reckon a sometimes forgotten quality of food is to sustain us. I’m not sure what the precise definition of sustain is, but if I were to have a stab at it I’d say […]

Study suggests that, for optimal fat loss, the best thing to eat before exercise is nothing at all

The night before someone runs a marathon, there’s a fair chance they’ll chow down on pasta. The carbohydrate in pasta is supposed to help stock the liver and muscles with glycogen (a form of starch) which can then be used to fuel one’s efforts the following day. Such an approach is said to reduce the […]

Mindful eating found to help diabetics

I believe I eat a generally healthy diet, but I’m no angel. One of my weaknesses is my ‘speed eating’ – a tendency to consume food too quickly and a failure to savour it properly. One of the risks of eating this way is that it can bypass some of the body’s natural cues regarding […]

Simple mental tricks for improving motivation and making change easy

Most individuals believe that physical activity is beneficial, but many at the same time may find themselves leading quite sedentary lives. The time that exercise can take can be a perceived barrier for some who believe there’s simply ‘not enough hours in the day’. I don’t judge this point of view because I can fall […]