Processed food is everywhere, and it forms the bulk of many diets in the western world – there is a hugely profitable industry designed to persuade you that processed food is delicious and healthy, helping you to stay slim, and save precious time and money that could be spent on more important things.
In the past we have been led to believe that losing weight is all about what you eat and how much exercise you do. But actually this is only one element of weight control, and one that fails and frustrates many dieters. Of course there may be medical conditions that pertain to weight gain, such as an underactive thyroid, and lifestyle factors such as stress and sleep play a part, but we are now beginning to understand that our digestive systems are key when it comes to our ability to lose weight.
As a nation, we’re becoming fatter – that’s a fact.
Worldwide, rates of obesity have doubled since 1980, and The World Health Organisation has predicted that in the UK, 74% of men and 69% of women will be overweight by 2030. But there is a type of obesity that is especially harmful when it comes to raising our risk of health conditions like diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
Low carb diets are now so fixed in our dieting consciousness, it’s hard to remember a time when we didn’t fear carbohydrate-rich foods like bread and pasta. The truth is that as a nation, we eat far too many carbohydrate-rich foods throughout the day, with cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, then pasta, more bread or rice for dinner, plus constant snacking on cereal bars, chocolate, crisps and biscuits in-between.
What can sugar do to your body, training and long-term future. We take a closer look and show what you need to eat and what to avoid.