Food is the most powerful medicine we have available to control our health. It is not only fuel, it is information that instructs every single aspect of your biology. If you're putting the wrong things in, you're sending your body the wrong codes. What works best for each person depends on many factors. There is no one-size-fits-all diet. Each person is a unique individual with highly individualised nutrition requirements. What we can agree on however, is that there are some 'foods' that we all do better without. Let's take a look at them.
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
By definition, a processed food is one that has been altered from its original form. Canning, drying and freezing are all considered forms of processing. We humans have been preserving foods in these ways since time immemorial. That’s not what we’re talking about here. We don't want you to worry about using some tinned tomatoes, olive oil, or frozen berries. Ultra-processed foods are ones that have been deconstructed from their original form, then reassembled with an array of additives to make them more 'palatable’ (ie. addictive). Supermarkets are dominated by their shiny packaging, and at last count, Australians were consuming a whopping 42% of their energy from these ultra-processed ‘frankenfoods’. Though they may be convenient, these foods offer little nutritional value, and a study released earlier this year showed a direct association between a higher intake of ultra-processed food and a higher risk of early death from all causes, especially cancers and cardiovascular disease.
What to eat instead: WHOLE, SEASONAL, LOCAL foods - vegetables, grass-fed meat, free-range poultry, wild-caught seafood, eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole fruit, herbs and spices.
REFINED SUGARS
There is little doubt that sugar is one of the worst foods for your health. It's also highly addictive, but kicking the habit is one of the best things you can do to minimise your risk of diabetes, obesity, cancer and heart disease, as well as preventing the development of arthritis, digestive disorders, anxiety, depression, and mental decline. We've been fed a fair bit of misinformation about sugar over the years, but numerous studies are starting to illuminate the truth. Just recently, a large trial showed that sugar causes cardiovascular disease (and here we all were avoiding fat!)*. When we consume too much added sugar, our body releases pro-inflammatory messengers called cytokines and suppresses the effectiveness of white blood cells, weakening the immune system. Sugar comes in many different forms so make sure you read the labels - sucrose, glucose, and anything else ending in "ose" is sugar masquerading as something else.
* The documentaray 'Fat Fiction' is a great one for challenging the myth of the 'low fat diet'.
SEED OILS
Seed oils is a blanket term used to describe the edible oils that are extracted from a variety of plants (including soy and canola, despite the fact that they don't actually come from seeds). Popularised in the 1950s and 60s, they were a cheaper, 'heart healthy' alternative to animal based fats like butter and lard (of course we now know that these were incorrectly vilified). They've become ubiquitous, used in everything from infant formula to salad dressings. So why are they a problem? Firstly, polyunsaturated vegetable oils have very high omega-6 fatty acids and dismally low omega-3s. While a small amount of omega-6 is essential for overall health, overconsumption can raise inflammation in the body and promote disease. They're also prone to oxidation when heated to high temperatures (hello deep fried foods!) causing the formation of free radicals that can damage cells and contribute to even further inflammation.
Avoid: canola oil, soybean oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, rice bran oil, peanut oil, corn oil
Alternatives: FOR COOKING: organic virgin coconut oil, tallow or lard, grass-fed butter, ghee                USE COLD: olive oil, avocado oil, hemp seed oil, walnut, or macadamia oil
TRANS FATS (PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS)
Trans fats are found in two forms, those that occur naturally in some animal products and are not considered harmful, and the artificial ones, which have been shown to have serious health consequences. Artificial trans fats are industrially produced by a process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to solidify them. They are added to foods like baked goods, snack and takeaway foods in order to make them crispy and increase their shelf life. They are a dietary hazard that has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, metabolic disorders and strokes. While other countries have made moves to restrict the use of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, Australia does not currently have any such regulations in place. The onus is on the individual consumer to be vigilant with their diet.
Avoid: deep fried foods, fast foods, commercially baked goods (cakes, cookies, crackers), potato chips, anything with partially hydrogenated oil or vegetable shortening, margarine, copha.
FOOD ADDITIVES & PRESERVATIVES
Preserving is not a dirty word. Traditional preserving methods such as fermenting, pickling, and drying have been crucial for humanity's very survival, ensuring adequcy of food supply during times of need. Today, most of us can pop down the road to re-stock our pantry at any time, and yet our modern foods contain an ever growing list of additives, not just to preserve food freshness, but to enhance flavour, texture, colour and quality. Food labels are full of ingredients that are unfamiliar to anyone but a chemist or food scientist, and many of these compounds are harmful. They have been shown to directly alter our gut microbiome, producing both physiological and behavioural changes. The only way to know what’s in the food you’re eating, and whether or not it's safe is to get comfortable with reading labels. A good rule of thumb is that if you can't pronounce it, or it isn't an ingredient you'd find in your kitchen, it's probably better avoided.
Avoid: emulsifiers, artificial colours, sorbates, benzoates, sulphites, nitrates, propionates, gallates, BHA, BHT, flavour enhancers, glutamates (such as MSG), glutamate boosters (yeast extract, HVP (hydrolysed vegetable protein), HPP (hydrolysed plant protein)
Alternatives: choose whole unprocessed foods or those that use traditional preserving methods such as fermenting, pickling,or drying; Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), Vitamin E, natural food colours (such as turmeric, beet juice, saffron), herbs & spices (garlic, onion, cayenne), celery juice, kakadu plum
FAST FOOD
McDonalds market their chicken nuggets as being made with 100% chicken breast. It's only when you read the small print that you discover chicken breast only constitutes 45% of the nugget. That's right. More than half of the chicken nugget isn't even chicken! Here's what the other 55% is: Water, Vegetable Oils (Sunflower, Rapeseed), Maize Flour, Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin, Starches, Wheat Semolina, Breadcrumb, Natural Flavourings, Potassium Chloride, Dried Glucose Syrup, Wheat Gluten, Salt, Raising Agents (Sodium Carbonates), Pepper, Celery, Dextrose.
Need we say more?
ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
We know that sugar adds calories and contributes to inflammation, but the synthetic sweeteners that are used to replace it are NOT healthy. They are highly inflammatory and contribute to major digestive issues, brain inflammation, metabolic conditions, and they accelerate the aging process. In May 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) released guidelines recommending against the use of artificial sweeteners, citing the results of a systematic review that found these sweeteners do not have any long-term benefits, and that long-term use may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality in adults.
Avoid: ‘diet’ foods and soft drinks, aspartame (Equal), sucralose (Splenda), saccharin (Sugarine)
Alternatives: monk fruit and stevia are natural, low-calorie options that don’t raise your blood sugar
Even if you change nothing else, limiting your intake of these items will have a huge benefit for your health. We're not saying you should never eat a hot chip again. On the odd occasion, that can be good for the soul! But, if you want to feel your best, getting rid of these unnatural, industrialised 'foods' is the ideal place to start. If you need some support to make changes to your diet, please book in for a follow up appointment with one of our dedicated practitioners. We are always available to provide support, education, motivation, and inspiration, and to assist with the implementation of long-term strategies to ensure your health and wellbeing are maximised.
Bright blessings for Vibrant Health,
Love from your Ubuntu Community.