FULL-LIFE EATING GOAL: replace junk food in your diet with healthy alternatives
Automatically throw away 'flavour sachets' and 'spice mixes' that come with cook-at-home dishes They're mostly salt. Instead, invest in several sodium-free spice blends or make your own. Three we love: ground black pepper mixed with a dish of sodium-free dried lemon peel; oregano, ground cumin and a shake of red pepper flakes; and basil, marjoram and thyme. You can save about 500mg of sodium a serving.
Always buy natural - or better still, reduced-sodium - cheese A slice of pasteurised, processed Swiss cheese packs 435mg of sodium; a slice of real Swiss cheese contains 54mg; and a low-sodium slice has just 4mg. Same goes for grated Parmesan; a tablespoon of pre-grated Parmesan has 76mg, while the low-sodium version has 3mg. Choosing low-sodium cheese is a great strategy because it's so flavourful you won't miss the salt at all.
Never buy canned fish, beans or vegetables in salted water or brine If you have any in the cupboard, rinse them twice before using. Salt-added canned veg and beans may contain a fifth of your daily sodium allowance, up to 500mg per half cup. Drain off the liquid, dump the beans or veg into a colander or strainer and rinse, then rinse again. A good 'shower' can remove nearly half the sodium. A 3 minute rinse cuts the sodium in canned tuna by 80 percent.
Make your own salad dressing Bottled salad dressings can contain upto 620 mg of sodium in a single 2 tablespoon serving - and reduced-fat dressings often have more salt to offset the loss of flavour.
Learn to love labels
Let's be honest: you can't completely remove salt, sugar and 'bad' fats from your diet. But you can try to get them down to acceptable levels. We each eat, on average, 9g of salt a day - at least two and a half times as much as we need - and the govenment is urging people to reduce this to less than 6g daily. At the start of the 18th century we ate about 4lb of refined sugar every year. And Britons eat on average over 90g of fat a day, around 36g of it saturated. Nearly 14 percent of our total energy
intake comes from harmful fats, whereas a healthy level is more like the 6 percent seen in countries such as Japan.
As many of these harmful ingredients are hidden in pre-prepared foods, it can be difficult to spot them. Sugar can pop up in the unlikeliest to places - ready meals and savoury snacks, for instance:
the contents list may describe it using names such as glucose, sucrose, dextrose or fructose, but they're all sugar, Hydrogenated vegetable fat must be listed, but the really bad trans fats don't need to be labelled separately under European law, even though they're present in harmful quantities in many biscuits and cakes, fast foods and some margarines. The safest bet is to steer clear of anything that says 'hydrogenated'.
Low MEDIUM HIGH
(per 100g) (per 100g) (per 100g)
Fat 0-3g Between 3g 20g+
and 20g
Saturated fat 0-1.5g Between 1.5g 5g+
and 5g
Total sugars 0-5g Between 5g 15g+
and 15g
Salt 0-0.3g Between 0.3g 1.5g+
and 1.5g
Make your own dressing with 8 tablespoons olive oil, 4 tablespoons balsamic or cider vinegar or lemon juice, and your choice of herbs and spices (try crushed garlic, black pepper and oregano), then refrigerate. A 2tablespoon serving packs less than 3mg of sodium.
Eat real meat instead of sliced meats, bacon and sausage A single slice of prepacked ham contains 350mg of sodium; one slice of bacon, 192mg. Pretty much any meat product that's processed in a factory or cured or smoked for flavour is off the scale when it comes to sodium. Make sandwiches instead with unsalted turkey breast or lean beef.
Toss away the blood pressure time-bomb condiments Garlic and onion salts pack 1,480mg of sodium per teaspoon; and stock cubes, 1,200mg per tiny cube. Throw them out - now. Safe alternatives include onion flakes, garlic powder and low-sodium soup stock. Don't bother with reduced or low-sodium soy sauce, as it still packs 300 to 830mg per tablespoon.
Shake less sodium in the kitchen - and at the table Use sea salt in recipes - it's coarser, so it doesn't pack as tightly in a measuring spoon. And it retains important minerals and trace elements that are often lost in the processing of ordinary table salt.
THE 'BAD' FATS
The damage caused by trans fats has been one of the biggest food scares of recent years. Trans fats are by-products of a chemical process called hydrogentation, developed to raise the melting point of oils to make them more stable. For nearly a century, the process has been used to make food oils from vegetables oils that otherwise go rancid too quickly to be useful, and to make these oils stay solid at room temperature - so they can be substituted for butter and lard in cooking. The theory was that hydrogenated vegetable oils would be a healthy (and cheap) alternative to artery-clogging saturated fats. But in a classic case of consumer science gone awry, trans fats are now estimated to cause 50,000 deaths a year by promoting heart disease and cancer as well as dementia and diabetes.
A recent review published in the British Medical Journal concluded that trans fats have 'no nutritional value' and have harmful effects even at low intakes of only 3 percent of total daily energy intake (a mere 20 to 60 calories' worth). What's more, each 2 percent rise in energy intake from trans-fatty acids is associated with a 23 percent increase in heart disease.
Unfortunately, it took a long time before scientists discovered the damage that trans fats cause. Meanwhile, food manufacturers had already made them key ingredients. Today, they're in at least 42,000 food products. But a growing stack of research confirms that trans fats are health robbers - and in response, more and more trans fat-free processed foods are becoming available. As the dangers of trans fats have become apparent, many supermarkets and food manufacutrers have reduced the amounts present in their products - and even if they're not labelled as such, there's a clue in the word
'hydrogenated'. (Keep reading labels, though. Some manufacturers have reverted to using saturated-fat rich palm oil or coconut oil. Those aren't healthy alternatives, experts warn.)
Here's how to steer clear of bad fats - and fill your fat quota with the good stuff every day. Permanently ban factory-made biscuits, cakes and other baked goods from your diet. Instead, snack on individually wrapped dark chocolates, crunchy nuts or raisins. Some experts estimate that up to 95 percent of prepared biscuits and 100 percent of crackers may contain trans fats. More trans fat-free
options appear every day, though these snack food provide tons of age-accelerating
saturated fat, sweetners, refined carbohdydrates and calories. But don't give up treats. A 30g serving of dark chocolate provides heart-healthy antioxidants. A small handful of nuts (20 or so, about the amount that would fit into a box of mints) or a small box of raisins provides a lot of flavour and chewing satisfication as well as a wealth of fibre and antioxidantss, and, from the nuts, you get good fats that protect arteries.
Say 'no thanks' to commercially fried foods Get a grilled chicken sandwich instead of the crispy, fried version, and have a salad in place of chips. The fast-food industry has been slower than retailers and producers to adapt to the dangers of trans fats and, of course, you can't readily tell what your food has been fried in. One major chain uses EU-subsidised rapeseed oil that contains 16 percent trans fats. And because hdyrogentated oils stay stable for a long time, they can be reused again and again - some chip shops reportedly reuse the same oil for up to three months. And even restaurants that claim their foods are trans fat-free probably aren't using good fats - the fryers are usually filled with blends containing high amounts of omega-fatty acids, a type of fat we already consume way too much of.
The anti-cancer diet
Here are some of the ways to cut your cancer risk, based on recent studies.
Say 'yes' to onions, apples, berries, kale and broccoli Eating lots of antioxidants called flavonols - found in these foods - cut pancreatic cancer risk by 23 percent. Among smokers, a flavonol-rich diet lowered the risk by 59 percent, report researchers from the Cancer Research Center for Hawaii who studied 183,518 women and men.
Go to the limit with fruits and veg Study participants who got 12 servings a day lowered the risk of various cancers by 29 percent compared with those who ate just three daily servings, a recent study of 500,000 people aged 50 and over found.
Choose the red wine Red-wine drinkers may reduce their risk of lung cancer by around 13 percent for each daily glass, according to a study of 132 male lung cancer patient compared with 187 minor surgery patients at a hospital in Spain. Rose, beer and spirits had no impact - and white wine seemed to have the opposite effect, though the number of white wine drinkers studied was too small to draw any conculsions. Researchers suggest that an antioxidant in red wine called resveratol,together with the tannin, which is also antioxidant, may be able to stiffle tumour development and growth.
Have fish more often Eating plenty of omega-3-rich oily fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel could reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a 30 year study of more than 6,000 men at Sweden's karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Men who ate no fish had a two to three-fold higher risk to prostate cancer than those who ate moderate or high amounts.
Automatically throw away 'flavour sachets' and 'spice mixes' that come with cook-at-home dishes They're mostly salt. Instead, invest in several sodium-free spice blends or make your own. Three we love: ground black pepper mixed with a dish of sodium-free dried lemon peel; oregano, ground cumin and a shake of red pepper flakes; and basil, marjoram and thyme. You can save about 500mg of sodium a serving.
Always buy natural - or better still, reduced-sodium - cheese A slice of pasteurised, processed Swiss cheese packs 435mg of sodium; a slice of real Swiss cheese contains 54mg; and a low-sodium slice has just 4mg. Same goes for grated Parmesan; a tablespoon of pre-grated Parmesan has 76mg, while the low-sodium version has 3mg. Choosing low-sodium cheese is a great strategy because it's so flavourful you won't miss the salt at all.
Never buy canned fish, beans or vegetables in salted water or brine If you have any in the cupboard, rinse them twice before using. Salt-added canned veg and beans may contain a fifth of your daily sodium allowance, up to 500mg per half cup. Drain off the liquid, dump the beans or veg into a colander or strainer and rinse, then rinse again. A good 'shower' can remove nearly half the sodium. A 3 minute rinse cuts the sodium in canned tuna by 80 percent.
Make your own salad dressing Bottled salad dressings can contain upto 620 mg of sodium in a single 2 tablespoon serving - and reduced-fat dressings often have more salt to offset the loss of flavour.
Learn to love labels
Let's be honest: you can't completely remove salt, sugar and 'bad' fats from your diet. But you can try to get them down to acceptable levels. We each eat, on average, 9g of salt a day - at least two and a half times as much as we need - and the govenment is urging people to reduce this to less than 6g daily. At the start of the 18th century we ate about 4lb of refined sugar every year. And Britons eat on average over 90g of fat a day, around 36g of it saturated. Nearly 14 percent of our total energy
intake comes from harmful fats, whereas a healthy level is more like the 6 percent seen in countries such as Japan.
As many of these harmful ingredients are hidden in pre-prepared foods, it can be difficult to spot them. Sugar can pop up in the unlikeliest to places - ready meals and savoury snacks, for instance:
the contents list may describe it using names such as glucose, sucrose, dextrose or fructose, but they're all sugar, Hydrogenated vegetable fat must be listed, but the really bad trans fats don't need to be labelled separately under European law, even though they're present in harmful quantities in many biscuits and cakes, fast foods and some margarines. The safest bet is to steer clear of anything that says 'hydrogenated'.
Low MEDIUM HIGH
(per 100g) (per 100g) (per 100g)
Fat 0-3g Between 3g 20g+
and 20g
Saturated fat 0-1.5g Between 1.5g 5g+
and 5g
Total sugars 0-5g Between 5g 15g+
and 15g
Salt 0-0.3g Between 0.3g 1.5g+
and 1.5g
Make your own dressing with 8 tablespoons olive oil, 4 tablespoons balsamic or cider vinegar or lemon juice, and your choice of herbs and spices (try crushed garlic, black pepper and oregano), then refrigerate. A 2tablespoon serving packs less than 3mg of sodium.
Eat real meat instead of sliced meats, bacon and sausage A single slice of prepacked ham contains 350mg of sodium; one slice of bacon, 192mg. Pretty much any meat product that's processed in a factory or cured or smoked for flavour is off the scale when it comes to sodium. Make sandwiches instead with unsalted turkey breast or lean beef.
Toss away the blood pressure time-bomb condiments Garlic and onion salts pack 1,480mg of sodium per teaspoon; and stock cubes, 1,200mg per tiny cube. Throw them out - now. Safe alternatives include onion flakes, garlic powder and low-sodium soup stock. Don't bother with reduced or low-sodium soy sauce, as it still packs 300 to 830mg per tablespoon.
Shake less sodium in the kitchen - and at the table Use sea salt in recipes - it's coarser, so it doesn't pack as tightly in a measuring spoon. And it retains important minerals and trace elements that are often lost in the processing of ordinary table salt.
THE 'BAD' FATS
The damage caused by trans fats has been one of the biggest food scares of recent years. Trans fats are by-products of a chemical process called hydrogentation, developed to raise the melting point of oils to make them more stable. For nearly a century, the process has been used to make food oils from vegetables oils that otherwise go rancid too quickly to be useful, and to make these oils stay solid at room temperature - so they can be substituted for butter and lard in cooking. The theory was that hydrogenated vegetable oils would be a healthy (and cheap) alternative to artery-clogging saturated fats. But in a classic case of consumer science gone awry, trans fats are now estimated to cause 50,000 deaths a year by promoting heart disease and cancer as well as dementia and diabetes.
A recent review published in the British Medical Journal concluded that trans fats have 'no nutritional value' and have harmful effects even at low intakes of only 3 percent of total daily energy intake (a mere 20 to 60 calories' worth). What's more, each 2 percent rise in energy intake from trans-fatty acids is associated with a 23 percent increase in heart disease.
Unfortunately, it took a long time before scientists discovered the damage that trans fats cause. Meanwhile, food manufacturers had already made them key ingredients. Today, they're in at least 42,000 food products. But a growing stack of research confirms that trans fats are health robbers - and in response, more and more trans fat-free processed foods are becoming available. As the dangers of trans fats have become apparent, many supermarkets and food manufacutrers have reduced the amounts present in their products - and even if they're not labelled as such, there's a clue in the word
'hydrogenated'. (Keep reading labels, though. Some manufacturers have reverted to using saturated-fat rich palm oil or coconut oil. Those aren't healthy alternatives, experts warn.)
Here's how to steer clear of bad fats - and fill your fat quota with the good stuff every day. Permanently ban factory-made biscuits, cakes and other baked goods from your diet. Instead, snack on individually wrapped dark chocolates, crunchy nuts or raisins. Some experts estimate that up to 95 percent of prepared biscuits and 100 percent of crackers may contain trans fats. More trans fat-free
options appear every day, though these snack food provide tons of age-accelerating
 |
| say 'yes' to onions, apples, berries, kale and broccoli .... |
Say 'no thanks' to commercially fried foods Get a grilled chicken sandwich instead of the crispy, fried version, and have a salad in place of chips. The fast-food industry has been slower than retailers and producers to adapt to the dangers of trans fats and, of course, you can't readily tell what your food has been fried in. One major chain uses EU-subsidised rapeseed oil that contains 16 percent trans fats. And because hdyrogentated oils stay stable for a long time, they can be reused again and again - some chip shops reportedly reuse the same oil for up to three months. And even restaurants that claim their foods are trans fat-free probably aren't using good fats - the fryers are usually filled with blends containing high amounts of omega-fatty acids, a type of fat we already consume way too much of.
The anti-cancer diet
Here are some of the ways to cut your cancer risk, based on recent studies.
Say 'yes' to onions, apples, berries, kale and broccoli Eating lots of antioxidants called flavonols - found in these foods - cut pancreatic cancer risk by 23 percent. Among smokers, a flavonol-rich diet lowered the risk by 59 percent, report researchers from the Cancer Research Center for Hawaii who studied 183,518 women and men.
Go to the limit with fruits and veg Study participants who got 12 servings a day lowered the risk of various cancers by 29 percent compared with those who ate just three daily servings, a recent study of 500,000 people aged 50 and over found.
Choose the red wine Red-wine drinkers may reduce their risk of lung cancer by around 13 percent for each daily glass, according to a study of 132 male lung cancer patient compared with 187 minor surgery patients at a hospital in Spain. Rose, beer and spirits had no impact - and white wine seemed to have the opposite effect, though the number of white wine drinkers studied was too small to draw any conculsions. Researchers suggest that an antioxidant in red wine called resveratol,together with the tannin, which is also antioxidant, may be able to stiffle tumour development and growth.
Have fish more often Eating plenty of omega-3-rich oily fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel could reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a 30 year study of more than 6,000 men at Sweden's karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Men who ate no fish had a two to three-fold higher risk to prostate cancer than those who ate moderate or high amounts.
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