I wrote a post recently: 'Why diets don't work' and if I say so myself, it was very interesting. Without reiterating (easier for you to just read the post) the key to successful dieting isn't about counting calories, banning carbs or crunching kale, rather, it is about looking after our gut bacteria.
Gut bacteria has a direct effect on our glucose response to food and by eating the right foods we can cultivate more good bacteria and consequently stay slimmer and healthier.
The problem with our modern diet is that much of what we ingest is saturated with additives, preservatives, trans fats and artificial sweetners, all of which are unnatural to our digestive systems. The food industry have cleverly bombarded us with ready made diet meals which, whilst low in calories, are full of other nasties which kill good bacteria and allow potentially toxic bacteria to thrive.
If we look back at our grandparents generation we think of them as eating unhealthily, foodstuffs such as saturated fat, sugar, carbohydrates (which were used as fillers where meat was scarce) were all staples. However, theirs was not a processed diet, they diversified what they ate in accordance with the seasons and consumed lots of fresh natural ingredients and homemade dishes. Ready made diet products weren't available, yet there wasn't an obesity epidemic and food intolerances were few and far between.
Professor Tim Spector, of Kings College London, says everything we know about diets is wrong and that rather than depriving ourselves of our favourite foods, we should be eating them. These include cheese, dark chocolate, red wine and nuts. He said: 'Everyone should treat their gut as a beautiful English garden. The more varieties of microbes and foods we eat, the more flowers our gardens have and the healthier they look.'
I guess it's not rocket science and as the old adage goes: 'A bit of what you fancy does you good.' This was certainly the way previous generations viewed their diets which consisted of homemade cakes, biscuits and jam, dripping, fatty cuts of meat, homemade chips etc. Unfortunately, we are lulled into a false sense of security with all the 'healthy diet meals' which tempt us to eat more because we think they're low in calories, fats and sugar, ignoring the fact they are full of unnatural chemicals.
Our gut bacteria actually enjoy cheese, chocolate and red wine as much as we do. We should heed the advice of 'Never eating anything our great grandparents wouldn't recognise.'
Whilst in Spain recently I ate a varied diet of fresh fish and seafood, olive oil, cheese and vegetables, I also had chocolate and red wine, this is a 'healthy diet' which can't be found in a ready made container!
As readers know, I avoid processed food like the plague, however, I know that for many people it's the easy choice (and that many people actually think a weight watchers or slimming world ready meal is healthy.) This next recipe is child's play and I have to tell you that Glenn loves mashed potatoes and this is the perfect substitute (he thinks it's some sort of exotic mash.)
Healthy lentils
'If you're concerned about your health, you should probably avoid products that make health claims. Why? Because a health claim on a food product is a strong indication it's not real food, and real food is what you need to eat.'
- Michael Pollan.
Love Donna xxxxxx
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