Spring Clean Your Diet!

The days are gradually becoming warmer…. the grass is becoming greener and little leaves are popping up with the promise of beautiful, colorful flowers to come… windows are being opened to air houses… clutter and dust are starting to be removed….

Spring time is here!

So as we begin to spring clean our homes and tidy up the garden why not take the time to spring clean your body too?

Go through your fridge and pantry removing those processed, sugary and salty foods! Replace them with basic foods in their natural form – fresh meat and fish, fresh vegetables (frozen vegetables are good!), wholegrain rice & pasta, quinoa, 100% wholegrain bread, organic dairy.

Have fun experimenting with new, simple recipes and be good to your body!

Remember, the greater the increase in demand for natural and organic foods the cheaper they will become!

Preparing meals from basic ingredients has come to be seen as a chore – something we ‘don’t have time for’. But what could be more important in our day than nourishing our bodies?

Embrace refreshing drinks such as water, skimmed/fat free milk and green tea in place of sugary drinks, soda or calorie laden coffees and milkshakes!

Your body will feel amazing and you will be ready for all those fun summer days ahead!

Coconut oil

Is coconut oil a healthy addition to our diet or not?

There is some confusion about the health risks or benefits associated with coconut oil. This is due to the fact that the majority of fat in coconut oil is saturated fat.

High intakes of saturated fat have long been associated with heart disease. Saturated fat from animal sources such as meat and dairy food raises ‘bad’ or LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol which is linked to coronary heart disease.

However, the fat in coconut oil differs from the fat from animal sources in that the saturated fat in coconut oil is mainly medium chain fatty acids. The body metabolizes these medium chain fats in a different way to those saturated fats from animal sources therefore they do not appear to increase blood levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol.

In Sri Lanka, for example, coconut oil accounts for a very large percentage of the population’s fat intake yet their LDL cholesterol levels are not raised. Mary G Enig PhD gives a good account of this and other studies looking at the effect of coconut oil on blood lipids in a presentation given in 2000 http://www.westonaprice.org/A-New-Look-at-Coconut-Oil.html

There are claims that coconut oil can be beneficial in some cancers or thyroid problems however more research is needed in these areas.

As with all foods, moderation is vital. Some may think that if a little does you good then a lot must do more good. This is rarely the case and there is no substitute for moderation and a varied diet!