Nutrition by Jessica Heaton

An honest and colourful guide to understanding nutrition

Jessica Heaton

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No carbs before Marbs Starch

Sugar

Eating fat doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean being fat Saturated fat

Unsaturated fat

Trans fat

Protein isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just for men Protein

Resilient, strong and tough Soluble fibre

Insoluble fibre

Shine from the inside - out Vitamins and minerals

Running water never grows stale Water

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s a health advocate, I read a

teens, and it took me a long time

lot of nutrition articles and

to see the damage I had brought on

advice and it can be somewhat

my body.

contradictory and confusing. With so many different opinions, studies

This book will give you the

and debates in the media, it can be

information you need to begin

hard getting a grip on what is good

leading a healthy lifestyle. I have

and what is bad for us. This year

simplified and spiced up some of

we have seen sugar take a seat on

the boring yada-yada that can be

the naughty step, but what else is

quite weighty to take in, making

reducing our health?

this book an informative but pleasant read.

To make things clear, I am not a nutritionist or dietitian, but I

I recommend this book to anybody

have a keen interest in healthy

interested in eating a well balanced

eating and believe we should look

diet, who want to know the benefits

after our bodies and nourish them

of eating; raw and unprocessed

correctly. I had a difficult spout

foods. We only get one body; we

with Anorexia nervosa in my late

need to take care of it!

er p u S n Bra

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nown to some women as the evil essence of weight gain, starchy carbohydrates are those yummy doughy things that the devil himself

bakes in the kitchen. But they aren’t all bad.

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extra calories which results in

that is found naturally in many

weight gain, but cutting carbs out

fruits and vegetables as well as

altogether means you will only

grains, potatoes, corn and beans.

replace them with other foods

Starches are long complex chains of

containing the same amount of

simple sugars. This is why they are

calories. Too much of these will

called “complex carbohydrates”.

also be stored as fat.

We are constantly bombarded

Good choices of carbohydrates are

with carbohydrate campaigners,

whole grains such as brown bread,

all shouting different opinions

rice and pasta, vegetables, fruit,

as to why we should/shouldn’t/

beans and pulses. These contain

must/never eat carbohydrates and

a good source of fibre, essential

the truth is, just be wise about

nutrients and energy to keep our

which ones you put in your body.

bodies invigorated.

Eating too many will result in

So fi zz Oran y ge MOO MOO Y DA I R

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ugar is that backstabbing best friend who has been sneaking around in our business for years. Little did we know this sweet, innocent, sugar is

not just bad for us, but it is in pretty much everything we eat and drink.

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hatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right, sugar appears to

(above the required amount of

be added to everything these

natural sugar) makes the liver

days. Even in unassuming items

expand like a balloon. When the

like cereal, tinned pasta sauces

liver is full, the excess glycogen is

and soup. Merchandisers add sugar

returned to the blood where they

to their products in an array of

are taken to every part of the body

disguises, things like: fructose,

and stored in the most inactive

maltose, molasses, brown rice

areas: the belly, buttocks, breast

syrup and dextrose, these are all

and the thighs.

camouflaged sugar molecules that fool your eyes but not your body.

Try cutting down on your sugar intake by removing added sugar

Excess sugar is stored in the liver

from hot drinks and drinking water

in the form of glucose (glycogen).

instead of fizzy drinks. Instead of

Since the liverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capacity is limited,

shop bought sauces and soups, why

a daily intake of refined sugar

not try making your own.

E GE ’S IT E E GH

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or years we have been told to swap butter for margarine and cut back on cheese and fatty cuts of meat for the sake of our hearts; but new research shows it could all have been a load of baloney…

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aturated fat has been linked

fat can raise LDL (bad cholesterol),

to heart disease for decades,

but that’s only one risk factor

with scientists telling us that the

for heart disease. Compared with

saturated fat we find in meat, cakes

refined carbohydrates, saturated

and on our toast causes our arteries

fat can raise HDL (good cholesterol)

to clog. What’s more is – the general

and lower triglycerides in the blood

assumption with fat is that it will

which are both countering effects

make you fat, meaning many people

to heart disease.

choose low-fat options. Little do we know, these low-calorie, guilt-

So bring back butter, don’t be

free treats are actually loaded with

scared of full fat yogurts, and enjoy

sugar… And we all know how bad

your yolks. You will feel fuller for

that can be.

longer and your body will thank you for the sugar reduction. Everything

The new research on saturated fat

in moderation so they say, and trust

suggests that too much saturated

me, fat isn’t your enemy.

OH OLIV E OIL

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he god of the fats, unsaturated fat has always shone brighter than all the rest with particular interest from oily fish. These provide omega-3 fatty acids which are essential for a healthy heart.

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ade up of polyunsaturated

you will risk hunger, cravings and

and monounsaturated fats,

fatigue. As fat keeps us feeling

unsaturated fat is essential to

fuller for longer, banishing it

your health because it supports a

from our diets means immediate

number of your body’s functions.

sugary treats (the ones we avoid

It helps to absorb and transport

in vending machines) become

certain nutrients, nourish the

more appealing when we’re feeling

nervous system, help maintain cell

famished at the 3.30pm mark.

structures, regulate hormones and more.

Introduce an avocado and a packet of nuts on your lunch break to

As fat is nearly double the calories

avoid the mid afternoon energy lull.

per gram of carbohydrates and

Unsaturated fat can be found in oily

protein, it’s wise to be careful with

fish, nuts and seeds, avocado and

your portion size, but don’t cut

liquid plant and vegetable oils such

it out of your diet completely or

as olive and safflower oil.

MAR

SED PROCES KE A C PA N POO

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rans fats from a distance look as glorious as butter, standing tall, smooth and glossy. But up close, they are ugly old witches, gripping onto youth with unnatural potions and tricks.

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rans fats, i.e. the devils youth

invented for use in margarine as a

cream is the nastiest fat. It

healthy alternative to butter (back

is made, by adding hydrogen to

when saturated fat was to blame

vegetable oil, through a process

for all our troubles). But did you

called hydrogenation, which makes

know that if you put butter and

the oil less likely to spoil. Using

margarine side by side, flies will

trans fats in the manufacturing of

land on the butter but they won’t

foods helps food stay fresh longer,

land on the margarine? It’s too

have a longer shelf life and have a

toxic for them.

less greasy feel. Trans fats can be found in Trans fats have been known to

processed foods such as cakes,

increase your bad cholesterol

biscuits, doughnuts, microwave

(LDL) and lower your good (HDL)

popcorn, fried food and frozen food.

cholesterol, which can increase

Look out for ‘hydrogenated fat’ on

your risk of heart disease. It was

food labels to help eliminate it.

O MO O MO Y R DA I

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here is an unspoken precedence that if you’re a woman and you claim to eat protein… You are a ‘body builder’, but we are all built

from protein, and we all need it whether we are body builders or not.

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e are made of protein. Our

must be supplied from our diets.

hair, nails, muscles, eyes

All 20 amino acids must be present

and organs are all made up of

to build the body properly; if they

cells that contain protein. It helps

are not, the body, like a poorly built

build, maintain and repair body

house, will deteriorate over time.

tissues, which keeps us looking and performing our best.

For body builders, protein is vital, as when you gain muscle, your body

It is important that we eat

requires more protein to maintain

enough protein to ensure we are

it. If you build muscle then don’t

replenishing our amino acids.

provide your body with enough

Amino acids are the building blocks

protein for its upkeep, it eats away

of protein and there are 20 different

the muscle and thus reduces its

amino acids that are essential to

need for protein. Great sources are:

the body. The body can make 12

chicken, tuna, salmon, eggs, cheese,

of the needed AA’s but the others

beef, quinoa, beans and tofu.

Super Great Oats

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e see the word fibre on cereal packaging and associate it with a good bowel movement and rich fruits like dates and prunesâ&#x20AC;Ś But what does it actually do?

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ibre comes from plant foods and

digestion of food which can make

there are two types: soluble and

you feel fuller for longer. You will

insoluble fibre, both types canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be

feel more satisfied if you eat a

digested by the body and contribute

meal that contains 300 calories and

no calories or food energy. Instead

10 grams of fibre, than if you eat

of being broke down and absorbed

a meal with the same number of

into the bloodstream, fibre simply

calories and no fibre.

passes through the entire digestive tract, regulating our flow.

Soluble fibre helps to control blood sugar levels and lower blood

Soluble fibre can be found in some

cholesterol so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to get

vegetables, fruit and legumes like

a good amount in your diet. Oat

dried beans and peas. When water

bran, lentils, beans, cucumbers,

is added to the food, the soluble

celery, pears and blueberries are

fibre thickens and becomes gel

good sources of insoluble fibre.

like. Soluble fibre helps slow the

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nsoluble fibre is found in the skins of vegetables, fruits, legumes and the bran portion of whole grains. It isn’t digestible which is why sweet corn has the reputation that it does. I’ll say no more.

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f you stir insoluble fibre into

flour. The bran is the outer hull

hot water, it wont dissolve but

that covers the kernel. Foods high

will soak up some of the water

in insoluble fiber contain the kernel

and puff up. Imagine a dry sponge

and the bran. Plain wheat without

expanding as it absorbs water, this

the bran, like processed white

is theoretically what insoluble

bread, does not contain insoluble

fibre is. Now imagine that moving

fiber or any vitamins and minerals.

through your intestines and you’ll begin to get an idea what insoluble

Other great sources of insoluble

fibre does to you. Insoluble fiber

fibre include: corn, oat bran, nuts,

is a very effective treatment and

flax seeds and the skin and peels

preventive for constipation and IBS.

of many fruit and vegetables. These foods also contain lots of essential

It’s important we include whole

vitamins and minerals, which

wheat bread in our diets. Wheat is

your body absorbs before passing

a plant that is harvested to make

through your digestive system.

sIUm e n g a M

folic acid

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itamins and Minerals are those things that we never see; we just know that they are good for us. But how important are they, what do they do and do we need to take expensive supplements?

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itamins are organic substances

of foods to ensure that you get

made by plants or animals,

everything you need. Prolonged

minerals are inorganic elements

vitamin or mineral deficiencies can

that come from the earth; soil

cause problems, while an overdose

and water and are absorbed by

can literally poison the body.

plants. Animals and humans absorb minerals from the plants they

Supplements are only necessary if

eat. Vitamins and minerals are

you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t follow a balanced diet,

nutrients that your body needs to

but be wise about which you buy as

grow and develop normally.

cheaper versions can be synthetic, man made copies and can cause

Only small amounts of each

more bad than good. Eat peppers,

vitamin and mineral are required

kale and broccoli for vitamin C and

each day by the body but you need

calcium, sweet potato and carrot

to make sure you eat a healthy,

for vitamin A and almonds and fish

balanced diet with a good mix

for vitamins; B1, B2 and vitamin D.

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uit your morning coffee, watch the alcohol and forgot the pop. Unadulterated water is the best thing for you. It’s refreshing, quenches your thirst and doesn’t contain any hidden nasties.

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ithout water you will die

getting enough water in your diet

within a week as every

will improve mild dehydration. You

function in our body is fueled by

know the kind, when your screen

natures own liquid gold. We reap

is hurting your eyes and your head

the benefits from water either

feels cloudy and tired. This is

plain or in the form of other fluids

afternoon fatigue, and it’s amazing

or foods. It is essential we drink

how water can prevent this.

more than what we lose in our daily activity (breathing, sweating and

Water transports nutrients around

metabolic waste) to keep up good

our bodies and flushes out toxics,

health.

it helps our joints stay lubricated and even keeps our eyeballs juicy.

Eight glasses a day equals around

Swap your morning coffee for warm

two liters, which is a guideline for

water with half a lemon. It cleanses

how much we should be drinking.

your bowels, refreshes your mind

It’s not scientifically proven, but

and gives you a boost of vitamin C.