For the start of the New Year, a different format for Zoe. Instead of a couple of experts in discussion with Jonathan Wolf, two people Beck and Mark l from different perspectives, why they followed Zoe nutritional advice, what they expected to gain, and did the advice meet expectations? Plus additional input from Tim Spector and Sarah Berry.
Becky struggling with weight control. Yo-yo diets. Calorie counting does not work. Now is able to maintain desired weight without dieting.
Mark eating what he thought was a healthy diet but did not feel healthy but does now.
A healthier diet , feel better.
Focus on the quality of food, not counting calories. Counting calories, too simplistic.
Eat three Mars bars, ok, so long as within the calorie quota. But what if, ate other than a few Mars and still within the calorie quota?
The expose on fat, The Big Fat Surprise, which for many will be an eye opener.
Does eating healthily make a difference, being mindful of what we eat?
It’s that time of Year , New Year Resolutions , Stop Smoking, Lose Weight, Veganuary. By the end of the week, most have fallen by the wayside.
I’ve never made New Year Resolutions. It has always seemed to me a pointless exercise. If I want to do something I do it.
There is though a psychological reason for starting on the first of the month. A fresh start, a new beginning. So what better way to start then the First of January with a New Year Resolution. A New Year, a fresh start?
One possibility. Three fermented foods a day. This is based on a Stanford study, five fermented foods a day. Zoe replicated the study with 5000 volunteers, three fermented foods a day. Both studies showed marked improvement in health. I tried last year. No noticeable improvement.
A discussion between Tim Spector, Sarah Berry and Jonathan Wolf, eight ways we can improve our health by eating better in the New Year.
Counting calories is not the way to lose weight. Yo-yo diets.
We are not short of protein. Ignore the protein scams. Multi-billion dollar scam. The average person on a varied diet eats more than sufficient protein. Additional protein is not stored. It passes through or is converted to sugars and fat.
Positive changes to our diet lead to improvements in how we feel within days.
principles
mindful eating
eat 30 plants a week
avoid ultra-processed food
focus on food quality not calorie counting
when you eat
eat the rainbow
protein quality
eat fermented foods at least three a day
There are simple things we can do to improve our diet, improve our health.
Eat 30 plants a week. Five a Day is dated. Diversity of what we eat is important.
Eat the rainbow.
Eat three different fermented foods a day.
The three Ks, kimchi, krauts, kefir.
Avoid ultra-processed foods. Always read the labels.
Peasant food made to taste delicious. — Dan Buettner
An exploration of Blue Zones with Dan Buettner and Tim Spector.
Blue Zones are locations around the world where people live to a healthy old age, often to 100 and beyond.
A common denominator across the Blue Zones is simple peasant food. Beans and complex carbohydrates. Beans and rice. Beans and pasta.
Eat whole foods, no ultra processed food, be active, walk, have good social interactions.
It is a myth, there is a pill or potion or super food, that will give us a healthy life.
Exercise does not require a trip to a gym. We don’t need to go to the gym for exercise. Move, walk, work in the garden. Grow food in the garden, for fresh food to eat.
In England, we find cities with big difference in longevity. Closely tied to social deprivation.
What is fascinating from this discussion, we see in the real world, what we observe from clinical trials. 30+ plants a week, plus exercise and social interaction.
Diversity of foods and fermented foods. Wholefoods, minimally processed. High in fibre, high in polyphenols. No ultra-processed food.
Depressing,Okinawa, since the introduction of ultra-processed food, has gone from the healthiest people in the world to the least healthy in Japan.
Three weeks ago at Vibe, I noticed nearly everyone drinking matcha. I decided to give it a try.
I cannot say I liked or disliked it. I found it to be weak and insepid, an earthy and green leaf taste.
Maybe an acquired taste.
This was a ceremonial grade matcha. Served by an expert. The matcha more expensive than Panama Geisha. Vibe with a Chinese coffee shop that serves excellent coffee, a roastery and serves out of this world matcha cheesecake.
Later at Effy, I noticed 20g sachets of matcha on sale on the shelves. Twenty pounds and upwards.
Recently I’ve seen matcha on sale in M&S. Claimed to be ceremonial grade. Looking at the price tag, this I very much doubt.
The only matcha other than Vibe I have tried was at Bird and Blend. Cheap low quality matcha served with fake milk. It was disgusting, undrinkable. Walking by recently, they tried to claim high quality. Who do they think they are fooling?
Health wise, how does matcha compare with an espresso or green tea?
Matcha has similar polyphenol levels as coffee.
Matcha is grown in the shade of trees. The green leaves are picked, pounded into a fine powder. With tea, we are creating an infusion, with matcha we are drinking a fine powder in suspension.
We are what we eat. Why are people happy to gorge themselves on ultra-processed food?
Ultra-processed food not only leads to heart disease , type 2 diabetes and obesity, it also rewires our brain, diminishes our cognitive abilities.
Ultra processed food is costing the country £268 billion a year.
We should treat ultra-processed food in the same way we treat smoking.
health warning
tax
no promotion or sponsorship
The disastrous Labour Budget last month was a lost opportunity. Why no tax on ultra-processed food cf sugar tax. Instead we had a tax on people, which will have the following impact on small businesses.
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