Lessons and Questions

Things you need to know about some popular health trends.

Superfoods:  Chia seeds, Maca powder, Cacao powder, Goji berries etc.

Are they really super? Yes, these superfoods are extremely high in antioxidants and do have superior qualities.

Cacao is exceptionally high in iron and magnesium (justifying those chocolate cravings that tend to creep up during the menstrual cycle) and Goji berries are loaded with vitamin C (500 times that of oranges by weight) and have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years.

But they only work if you're eating a clean diet to begin with. If you're eating a lot of processed foods, sipping sugary drinks throughout the day, munching on crackers and cheese while slugging down a few beverages and then sometimes adding a few chia seeds to your morning smoothie expecting results, then it's not enough to cancel out all that bad stuff.

Instead of treating superfoods as a cure-all, clean up your diet and then embrace superfoods as add ons to an already balanced diet. That's when they become really super and there are plenty of other nutritional powerhouse foods around like leafy greens, wild salmon, sweet potatoes and avocado that can also be classed as superfoods.

Supplements: Most supplements on the market are absolute crap. Yep, it's true. Someone I know who was a Naturopath and then accepted a job with a well known, highly respected supplement company, discovered after a year, that most of those little pills are loaded with impure additives including fillers, binders and lubricants. (The discovery was a huge disappointment to her and ethically and morally, she couldn't continue working there) 

Those additives cause malabsorption and prevent your body from utilising the few benefits that are in the supplements, or in the food that you eat.  Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

No supplement is going to cure or take the place of a bad diet. Some supplements may be beneficial, but it's best to consult with a health professional whom you trust, before heading to the health food store to load up on herbs and supplements.

A good diet (have I said this already?) is always better than anything else you can try.

Calorie Counting:  Although the world is moving away from the calorie counting trend, it still rears its ugly head in the form of catchy marketing slogans. We see it everyday in advertising on our television screens and in the magazines. Food marketers still (successfully, unfortunately) use calorie totals to disguise the fact that their "health" foods aren't actually healthy. "Buy me! I'm only 100 calories!" And we buy them, because at one point in time, counting calories was all the rage.

The latest news? Calories don't matter. Clean food does matter. As a former (rather obsessive) calorie counter, I've gone the opposite way and have to tell you — it's beyond freeing.

As long as you are eating quality food and not eating beyond your body's needs, calories are insignificant. However, if you simply must buy packaged foods, don't completely ignore nutrition labels. They are still necessary to evaluate other aspects of the nutritional contents, such as sodium content and sugar.

End of today's lesson.

Another four minute video of Nora Gedgaudas talking about gut bacteria.


Now for a question that will get you thinking ...

If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month, which show would you choose?

My shortlist was

• 'Moonlighting' - because I had the hots for Bruce Willis way back then.
• 'Will and Grace' because I adore Jack and Karen and they would be a blast to play with.
• 'Brothers and Sisters' just so that I can hang with Sally Field and possibly meet Harrison Ford who is married to one of the other stars, Calista Flockhart, oh and of course I'd meet the yummy Rob Lowe.
• 'Absolutely Fabulous' for the wine, travel and sarcasm.
• 'Sex and the City' for the cocktails/wine, shopping and friendship.
• 'Friends' for the friends and Phoebe would be my best friend!
• 'Gilmore Girls' because living in Stars Hollow would be fabulous, eating at Lukes would be interesting and watching old movies while eating junk food is my kind of heaven.

My final decision is 'Gilmore Girls' - old movies and junk food and love abounds!

Adoring Husband has chosen 'Big Bang Theory' because it's funny and he can relate so well to Sheldon (the main character).

I'm off to make a late lunch/early dinner. We had a huge late breakfast of bacon, eggs, mushroom, tomato and avocado and I'm still not the slightest bit hungry 5 hours later, however, Adoring Husband is asking for food, so I'd best provide some healthful nourishment before he chooses to fill up on junk.

Nite all.