Bread of heaven?

I can't tell you the amount of times I've heard someone say to me "I'm trying to lose weight......so I'm going to give up bread."

Whether this is because of the popularity of low-carb diets or because of the push for wheat-free living I've never been sure. But bread seems to be regarded as the demon preventing weight loss by many. 

So I thought I'd do the research on bread to find out if this is true, and so you can make your own mind up about whether or not it should form part of your balanced diet.

As far back as the late 70's researchers were looking at the effects of bread on weight loss. One group (Mickelsen et al, 1979) found that college males eating a low calorie diet that included bread lost on average nearly 9kg in 8 weeks. The authors suggested this may be because bread was a filling food but not high in calories and as such could help to decrease overall calorie intake.

Let's have a look at how filling it is, its calorie content and various other factors which might help you decide if the 'slice is right' or whether you'll use your loaf and avoid it in future.

Wheat and gluten allergies and intolerance

Let's start here as it's a good place to begin having received much coverage in recent years. According the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), Coeliac Disease, the main form of wheat intolerance is thought to affect somewhere between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1,500 people in the UK. The truth is that the real number is unknown, but it is thought that only 1 in 8 with the condition are properly diagnosed. 

Coeliac disease is an intolerance to gluten, a protein found in all wheat products including bread. It is also found in barley and rye and so breads of this variety will also cause problems for anyone with this condition. The problems that occur are damage to the small intestine and a knock-on effect of difficulty digesting food, causing diarrhoea and malnutrition. It occurs in people genetically predisposed to the condition when they eat gluten containing foods.

Allergy to wheat itself seems harder to define. It appears at present that there is no clear agreement as to whether or not this truly exists. It is recognised that people report allergies to wheat, with symptoms ranging from fatigue to bloating and inability to lose weight. The British Nutrition Foundation suggest that this may in some instances be caused by a psychological aversion to wheat, or in other cases it may be that people are wheat sensitive but that this is not always defined as an allergy. Read more about the BNF's take on wheat intolerance, allergy and Coeliac disease here. 

To ignore many people's feelings about how they response to bread would be to do them a disservice. Allergy UK say that wheat and other cereal allergies are most common in the first few years of life and usually resolve themselves. Symptoms include allergies type reactions like asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, abdominal pain and loose stool. They say that some suffer immediate reactions to eating wheat, whilst others responses may be delayed over 24-48 hours. Some can suffer severe reactions to wheat after exercise. You can read more about this here. 

So what can you do if you suspect you have an issue with wheat?

1) DO NOT GET TESTED BY AN ALTERNATIVE THERAPIST. This is nothing against these individuals, but if you really do have an allergy you need to see a medical practitioner who can arrange for allergen testing that is proven such as blood testing or patch tests, not sticking your feet in water and seeing what colour it turns.

2) If you think you have wheat sensitivity, you can speak to your GP about trying an elimination diet. This is where you remove wheat products or whatever you suspect to be causing the problem for a period of time, note the response and then reintroduce them back into the diet. This can be challenging as some appear OK with rye and barley but not wheat whilst others may struggle with all. True elimination diets can be challenging as many foods contain wheat, including beer! On the plus side though, an elimination diet may help cut a few unwanted calories! It will be important during this to ensure you are still getting the nutrients your body requires so work with a medical practitioner and/or a qualified nutrition professional such as a dietitian to ensure this. Oats, buckwheat, quinoa and even popcorn may be suggested as alternative grains at this time.

THE VERDICT: those with Coeliac Disease should definitely avoid most if not all bread. Others may have sensitivity to one or more types of grain found in bread, and should work with a medical practitioner to test this and find solutions.


Glycaemic Index (GI)

Those of you who've read my Facebook page and blogs before will have seen bits on GI. If you haven't then in very simple terms, the GI of a food relates to how quickly the sugars in it are released into your blood. The faster the release the more likely you are to store it away as fat. Foods are classed as either low GI (slow release and generally a good choice), medium GI or high GI (less desired or certainly less often). High GI foods eaten regularly can cause energy fluctuations, weight gain and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

So how does bread stack up on the GI front? Well, that's a harder question to answer than you might imagine. There are literally thousands of types of bread being made in bakeries across the world every day and when you look at the lists of bread tested for GI you'll find some are classed as low, some as medium and some as high.

But it's simple isn't it? All wholemeal breads are low GI and all white breads are high? I wish it was. Typing in 'bread' into http://www.glycemicindex.com provides 318 separate results, with some white breads coming out low, some medium and some high with the same true for wholemeal variations too. Bear in mind however that when the GI of foods is tested, it is compared against a control food; sometimes this is pure glucose but others use cheap white bread!

Of course GI doesn't tell the whole story. The Glycaemic Load of a food multiplies its GI by the amount of carbohydrates in it. So for example, eating a whole loaf will have a greater effect on your blood sugars than a slice regardless of the GI.

THE VERDICT: the GI of bread varies greatly from loaf to loaf. Wholemeal bread is not always lower than white bread, although cheap white breads do tend to have a high GI as they are highly refined. Check the labels as some loaves will list the GI these days. Anythings less than 55 is low GI, under 70 is medium and above is high. Eating in moderation controls the effect of the overall GL of bread; a few slices have a smaller effect than an entire loaf.

Calories

How many calories can you find in a slice of bread? Guess what, that depends on the slice. Here's a rough guide to calories per slice:

Rye thin slice - 70 
Brown or white bread - 60-80
Wholemeal pitta - 75
French bread - 90
Garlic bread - 200

I think you can see from this list that garlic bread certainly isn't the future! Sorry Peter.

Of course bread often isn't eaten on its own. If you're going to consider the calories you might need to add on the butter, jam, peanut butter, Marmite, marmalade, eggs, chicken, cheese and pickle, ham, sausages, bacon, mayonnaise or whatever else sits on top of or between the slices.

THE VERDICT: Calories depend on the type of bread, how much you have and what you have with it. Portion control is a key part of any weight loss programme so whilst bread certainly isn't a particularly high calorie food in most cases, eating too much of it day after day can play its part in weight gain.

Nutrients

As far as nutrients go, bread generally doesn't score particularly highly but it does contain a few important ingredients. Obviously it's a good source of carbohydrate but it also contains a reasonable amount of protein too. There's also a small amount in each slice of calcium, magnesium and iron, as well as sodium. The latter is required by the body but we tend to get too much anyway and this can increase our risk of high blood pressure. You won't find huge variations in these nutrients between wholemeal, rye, or pumpernickel bread.

One thing that you will find a fair amount of in a loaf is fibre. Roughage as it is sometimes also known is important for us to make us feel full when eating, help digestion and removal of waste and in controlling levels of cholesterol in the body. Unrefined wholemeal, rye and spelt bread are all good sources of fibre and can help you get your daily requirements. Combined with other grains like rice and quinoa, couscous, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and the like you should get your full requirement of both soluble and insoluble fibre each day.

On a personal note, I use rye and wholemeal bread to help me feel full. I find that meals containing just meat or fish with vegetables don't cut it for me, I need carbohydrates to feel full or else my stomach can feel empty and ache. Other grains like whole grain rice work for me but nothing as well as bread. I also find that after hard exercise when my stomach can be a little upset with me for my exertions, bread can help to alleviate pain. 

THE VERDICT: Bread offers a good source of fibre and small amounts of other nutrients. It does contain a reasonable amount of sodium, which should be limited in the diet to ensure good health. Small amounts of bread combined with other healthy foods can help to meet the dietary requirements of most.

So what have we learnt?

• Bread isn't right for those with Coeliac disease. Some may also have wheat insensitivity and should work with medical practitioners to see if this is the case. Alternative grains like rye, spelt, oats, buckwheat, quinoa or corn may or may not be better tolerated. Each individual needs to discover what works for them.

• The GI of bread varies greatly; if it's listed on the packaging you can opt for low GI versions to help with weight management in the long term. The GL of bread depends on the GI, the size of the loaf, slice and how much is eaten. Like all other foods, bread should be eaten in moderation.

• Bread isn't high in calories, but what you add to it can obviously increase the energy intake and limit your chances of weight loss. Eat bread and the additional spreads in moderation and remember, garlic bread is high in calories and should be eaten in small amounts or infrequently. The same applies to other breads you'll find in takeaways.

• There are a small amount of nutrients in bread that can contribute towards a healthy diet. It's a good source of carbohydrate and fibre but can be high in sodium too, which should be limited due to risks of elevated blood pressure.

I hope you find this little slice of the debate useful and it goes some way towards helping you to find your own balance. If you use your loaf you'll be well on the way to maintaining a healthy weight and a healthy body.

Yours in health,

Paul

Stressed? Here's how to find some balance.

Do you often feel stressed? How do you know? What do you feel? How do you feel? What do you see and hear?

The word stress is one that you'll probably hear many times these days, but its meaning is probably more complex and controversial than you may imagine.

The word stress comes from the Latin word stringere, meaning to draw tight. This is a good analogy, as it's true meaning is to put strain on something. When thinking of it in relation to you, it relates to anything that challenges your body and takes it out of its comfort zone. This could be a mental stress, challenging your brain, a physical stress challenging your body, or both.

When most people think of and use the word stress these days, it generally carries a negative meaning, yet that does not always have to be the case. There are in fact two distinct types of stress:

Eustress

This is good stress. What's that you say? How can stress be good? Well let's look at a few examples.

Exercise - you know it's good for you, or you do if you've been reading the balance blog and Facebook posts! Exercise involves physical exertion, placing stress upon your body. In fact, one of the key principles of exercise that any fitness professional can tell you about is called overload. In simple terms, your body will not adapt and get fitter unless you challenge it. Why would it? If you've ever taken up exercise, you'll know that feeling of discomfort in the first few sessions, then after a while you don't find it so hard. You have stressed your body enough that it's decided to change, primarily because it's quite lazy and doesn't want to have to work hard. Suddenly you find the same exercise session pretty easy, and the only way to get more changes from your body is, you guessed it, to work harder still. Of course, you need to do this sensibly and gradually or you place your body under too much stress and increase the likelihood of overtraining and injury.

Challenge - ever had a job that was just too easy and you were bored? Many of you will have experienced this and will have spent time trying to get promoted or looking for a career change. You're basically trying deliberately to add more stress to yourself, but that's because you need it and want it. Imagine if there was no challenge to life, what would be the motivation to continue? It could easily be argued that stress is actually what keeps you alive.

However, as with all things in life, it's all about balance. Too much stress, or unwanted stresses can have a negative impact.

Distress

This is the term for bad stress, any stressor that puts your body under too much strain or has a negative effect. This is what most people think of when they use the term stress.

What causes distress?

• Work - being overworked, not enjoying your job, demanding deadlines, pressure passed on by your boss or by targets set for your team, bonus schemes, long hours, there's a whole host of reasons why work can stress people both mentally and physically.
• Money - life these days can be expensive and throws up unexpected costs when the car breaks down or a utility bill is bigger than you thought.
• Family life - it's hard to get on with the people you love all the time. Even when you do, you want to look after them and time apart, exam pressure for children, job interviews, university placements, holidays, illness and a million other things can make life feel complicated and stressful.
• Lack of sleep, too much exercise, exposure to electrical and chemical radiation, taking exams, and even sitting down place stresses on your body, the latter putting your knee joint under strain by tightening the muscles that attach around it.

Whether you are affected by stress (I mean distress) depends on a number of things:

1) Your balance of eustress and distress.

2) The coping mechanisms you have in place.

Let's have a look at these and see what can be done. Firstly, it can be useful for you to identify all of the things that create good stress and bad stress in your life. Make a list or create a table like the one below.

Eustress	Distress
My gym visits Taking exams for my courses Rehearsing for a play that you’re going to be appearing in Preparing to go self-employed	Lack of sleep Work pressures Getting the kids to school on time in the morning Flying on holiday next week and hate flying Fitting in visits to the family around after-school clubs, visits to the doctors, going shopping, picking up a prescription, posting your tax return on time and a million other things you struggle to make time for Spending 10 hours a day sat in front of a computer

Now you've got your list, don't get stressed if you think you've missed something, you can add it at another time, it's worth looking at the balance of good and bad and asking yourself two questions:

1) Can I add more things that will give me eustress to my life?

2) How can I manage or remove the things that cause me distress?

What can I do to give me more eustress?

• Take up yoga or meditate 
• Go for a walk outside at lunchtimes or at least get away from my desk more often
• Book a race to raise money for charity
• Spend time playing sports with my children
• Go to sleep half an hour earlier

These are just a few examples, you'll have your own that you can come up with.

What about removing distress? Some would call it stress management or stress reduction, you can call it distress disposal, Fred or whatever you like that makes most sense to you. Let's choose one of the causes of distress from above and look at ways to reduce it; in this case the fear or hatred of flying. Hate is a strong word so it must be pretty stressful. So what can you do to manage this stress?

1) Avoidance - in this case don't fly. Go on holiday in the UK? Nah, no sunshine! Drive and take the ferry? Too far and would take up half the holiday.

2) Drink - many choose this as a way to remove stress as it makes them feel relaxed. You need to ask yourself though, is it a good method? One or two drinks may supply an instant feeling of relaxation as the alcohol acts on the nervous system, any more though and guess what, you're actually placing your body under distress as it then has to cope with the increased level of toxins in the body and the dehydration. Your liver and other organs end up stressed and long-term this won't be a good solution for removal of stress, you simply replace one stress with another. Some go even further in times of stress and take drugs, the consequences of which are much the same if not even more severe. Getting out of it is not a great way to get over it.

3) Distraction - I know, I'll read a book, listen to music, do a puzzle, plan a presentation, schedule my exercise for the next 12 weeks before my race. This is a great option if it works, as it uses eustress methods to overcome distress.

4) Rationalise - I could read up about the statistical likelihood of being involved in a plane crash, and reassure myself that I'm far more at risk statistically when going for a walk than I am when flying.

5) Mind tricks - I could use hypnosis, have counselling, practice meditation or anything else that I thought may help me to overcome or allay my fears.

As you can see, I have options open to me and this is a good thing, as it means I can take action and do something. Try it for yourself, pick one of the things that cause you distress and make  list of methods you could use to remove or manage this. You can try them all or even use just one of them, it really is up to you. The key thing you need to ask yourself though is, will the things I have written down have a positive impact on the health of my mind and body, or will they cause me further distress? Opt for the ones that have a positive impact. Smoking, alcohol and junk foods are common 'stress relief' methods employed by millions of people across the world, but they're not effective because they end up loading different and equally harmful stresses onto the body.

The advice above serves only to help you manage stresses you feel you are able to control without seeking further help. What you may have discovered by doing this task is that there are some stresses in your life that you feel are deep-seated, that you can't think of a way to remove or that you feel are causing you real harm. If this is the case, you should seek medical advice in the first instance and then work with your GP to find suitable solutions to balance your stresses and improve your health. 

Let's have a quick re-cap:

• Stress can be both good and bad for you. You need good stresses in your life to motivate you, but too much stress or negative stresses can affect you both physically and mentally.

• Spend time considering the balance of your good stress (eustress) and bad stress (distress). Do you need to take action to redress this?

• Add as many things to your life as you can tun cause eustress - exercise, get outside, listen to music, dance, paint, read, have a bath, spend time with friends, go for promotion, set yourself a challenge, whatever it is that you personally find challenging but enjoyable.

• Identify ways in which you can manage or overcome things causing you distress. Sense check these to ensure that they themselves will not cause you further physical or mental distress. Choose realistic changes that will help bring you back into balance.

• Accept that 'stress' is a part of your life, now and forever but recognise it is essential to your life. It will come and go, rise and fall, but you need to find the stress management techniques that work best for you.

• Aways seek medical advice if you feel a stress is having a negative consequence on your mental or physical wellbeing. Your GP can discuss a range of options available to you that best suit your needs and circumstances.

The hare and the tortoise

Once upon a time there was a hare and a tortoise, and they were good friends. They had once had a race and surprisingly the tortoise had won! The hare was much faster but when he was far ahead he'd become cocky and decided to have a rest. He dozed off to sleep and the tortoise had sneaked by and ended up winning.

                                                       Image courtesy of digitalart at freedigitalphotos.net

After the race, both lost their motivation to exercise. They had trained hard for their event, the tortoise, victorious and pleased with himself became complacent and lazed around all day eating chocolate and chips instead of lettuce. The hare felt down after his loss and consoled himself with beer and takeaways in front of the TV.

A few months went by and one day and Mr Fox came to visit. He couldn't help but notice how much weight both had gained and felt he should say something. He was in fact a doctor, he didn't use the title as there had been an unfortunate incident when he had been confused with a radio DJ and followed by the paparazzi on holiday in Turkey. He offered to help the hare and the tortoise to lose weight, and although surprised at first, they agreed. The tortoise did say that his shell had been feeling a little tight recently and the hare had noticed he could no longer see his big paws.

Mr Fox started the pair off on a healthy eating routine, carrots and lettuce leaves, as well as a sensible amount of daily activity. They both had to go for a walk in the park for half an hour every day which they could do together so they had some moral support and to make it a sociable task. Both felt motivated by having a new challenge and encouraged each other by preparing healthy evening meals, taking it in turns to cook.

A week passed by and Mr Fox came to carry out his weekly weigh in with the pair as he had promised. Both had lost 2 pounds and were on the right track. Tortoise felt pleased with himself and could feel that his shell was already a little looser and easier for him to curl up into at night. Hare was less happy; he wanted to lose one and a half stone, and he thought that at this rate it was going to take him forever. He decided that he would cut back on his food and do more exercise, but he didn't tell tortoise as he wanted to lose more weight than him to impress Mr Fox.

Next week the pair continued to do their walks together, but tortoise became frustrated as hare would speed off and he would struggle to keep up. Hare started to run off into the distance and then run back to tortoise, jogging on the spot next to him. This annoyed tortoise, but he didn't say anything as he was focused on his own goals and he knew what he could and couldn't do.

Hare found that if he skipped breakfast in the morning and got out for a quick run he could be back before tortoise woke up and then still be able to do their exercise session together. At the next weigh in tortoise had lost another 2 pounds. Fox congratulated him for continuing to work hard. Hare though had lost 4 pounds and Fox praised his hard work but warned him that losing too much weight too quickly could be unhealthy. Anything more than 2 pounds a week was likely to mean that hare was not just losing fat but probably not eating enough. This meant his glycogen stores (carbohydrate supply) were being depleted and with it he would be losing water. His body may also start to break down his muscles to supply him with energy if he continued for a long period of time at this rate.

Hare though was pleased that he had lost more weight, and determined to reach his goal as quickly as he could he decided to ignore Mr Fox's advice. He continued on his strict diet and did as much running as he could. He stopped exercising with tortoise as he felt he was not fit enough to keep up with him. Tortoise decided to add a little weights routine into his program as he did not want to get bored of doing the same thing and had heard that weights training could build lean muscles, which in turn would increase his rate of calorie burn and help him reach his goals.

At the next weigh-in hare had lost another 4 pounds and tortoise another pound. Fox was now concerned that hare wasn't eating enough to fuel his body properly and had a chat with him after the session. Hare reacted angrily and was confused; why was Fox not pleased that he had done so well? He told Fox that he no longer needed his help and that he would carry on alone. Fox, not wanting to argue, asked hare to reconsider his weight loss methods but wished him good luck.

Another week went by and tortoise lost another pound. Hare was now weighing himself and was surprised and upset when he fund he had gained two pounds when he was so close to his goal. How could this have happened? He had barely eaten all week and he had exercised very hard! But he had been starving and gorged most of that cake the one day. And he had treated himself on Friday night with pizza and ice cream as he had been good and only eaten one lettuce leaf all day.

Hare decided to up his training so he joined the gym and spent hours on the cardio kit and went in the sauna as he though he might be able to sweat out more of the weight. Tortoise joined too and took up Body Combat, although it didn't work as every time the instructor told them to kick or punch he automatically hid in his shell! Instead he tried Yoga which he found more to his pace.

Each weighed themselves again as scheduled and tortoise had lost another pound; he was now 7 pounds lighter than when he'd started 5 weeks ago and very pleased. Hare had gained another two pounds, how could this be? He had noticed he'd been starving after all that exercise and feeling weak so he'd been eating sugary foods to stop himself feeling dizzy. Tortoise had now lost more weight than him which was ridiculous as far as he was concerned.

Tortoise continued with the small changes he'd made to his life and went on to return to his race weight. He now competes in marathons, OK it takes him a while but he gets there. Hare joined a slimming club and drinks shakes for breakfast and takes tablets to help him burn fat. His weight has fluctuated up and down over the last few months and he is currently one pound heavier than when he started his programme. Mr Fox has changed his title back to Dr Fox and has a regular slot on morning TV advising animals about weight loss, exercise and health.

The moral of the story? Slow and steady doesn't just win the race, it wins hands down for weight loss too. Weight gain will happen slowly over a number of months or even years, expecting to lose it all in a matter of weeks is unlikely to be realistic and can have many effects on the body that make it harder to maintain weight throughout life. Aim to lose one to two pounds a week through sensible changes to diet and an exercise programme combining cardiovascular and resistance training.

balance on…ten foods that help give you a Super Diet

Super foods: fact or fiction?

You can't have failed to escape the press coverage over the last few years about 'super foods' and all of the good things that they contain. The idea is simple; these foods are supposedly healthier than their counterparts because they contain high levels of a wide variety of substances, including:

    •   Vitamins

    •   Minerals

    •   Isoflavones and flavonoids

    •   Phytoestrogens

    •   Polyphenols

    •   Antioxidants

You're probably thinking, they all sound very fancy, but what are they and what do they do for me? Well, without getting too complicated, here's a brief description of each and their importance.

Vitamins 

These are a diverse range of organic compounds that the body needs to get from diet to be able to work properly. They help your body do everything from grow and repair to producing energy and boosting your defences against disease.

Minerals 

These are different to vitamins as they are inorganic, that is they have never been alive. The body still needs them to function and stay healthy though. They are always solids and made up a range of chemical elements. Sodium and potassium are examples of minerals, and roles include maintaining fluid balance in your body, ensuring your heart pumps effectively and building strong bones and teeth.

Isoflavones, flavonoids phytoestrogens and polyphenols 

A range of compounds that you get from things that were alive, namely plants and animals, the latter containing them because they have eaten plants. These compounds have a lot in common with vitamins; in fact flavonoids up until the 1950s were often referred to as vitamin P. Today you'd probably only use that term in relation to the colour of your wee when you've taken your effervescent vitamin c tablets! 

Collectively, any nutrient that comes from a plant is called a phytonutrient.

Antioxidants

Have you ever watched Star Wars? It's the classic battle of good versus evil, light versus dark. Inside your body there's an interstellar war going on every day to keep you in balance. An army of Antioxidants, think of them as Jedi Knights, defend you against Free Radicals, or Darth Vader's army, hell bent on destruction. 

As you know, your body needs oxygen to survive, that's why we have to breathe to live. Unfortunately, oxygen is a highly reactive substance. We know this as we can see the effects it has on cars and boats over the years. As they are exposed to air and water, they begin to rust, and there is a process that occurs in your body every day known as oxidation, which is effectively internal rusting. It is one of the things that causes you to age.

This process occurs as a result of using oxygen to produce energy for life. As a consequence, free radicals are produced. These are atoms that have effectively lost an electron and as a consequence go a little bit haywire, or to use our earlier analogy, have gone over to the dark side. They search around the body looking for another electron to get back into balance and back to the light. In their efforts though they can leave behind a path of destruction.

Your antioxidant defence system come armed with spare electrons, which they donate to any free radicals that they meet, turning them back into stable atoms that function normally. Remember when Darth Vader becomes good again in Return of the Jedi? This happens in your body every day, as long as you have the right amount of antioxidants available to defend you. And this is where the notion of 'super foods' comes from, with some things that you can find on the supermarket shelves containing a wide range of these healthy substances.

It certainly cannot be argued that some foods contain a massive amount of these health-promoting goodies and it is worth having them in your diet. The truth is though that your body needs a wide range of these nutrients to function at its best; as with everything it's about balance. You can eat tonnes of blueberries, knowing that they're packed full of antioxidants, but if this is all you eat you won't be getting many of the other substances that you need. Instead of thinking about super foods, focus instead on Super Diets, consuming a wide range of plant substances to give your body everything it could possibly need to stay healthy, grow and function at its best. Remember here that the word diet simply means the foods that you eat; it has absolutely nothing to do with restricting foods or calories.

How are super foods measured?

One helpful measurement is the ORAC value of a food, or the Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity. This tells you how many free radicals a food can turn back from the dark side, stabilising them and decreasing the risk of damage to your body. So which food is the Yoda or Luke Skywalker of your diet? Learn about the ORAC values of different foods here.

Below I've provided you with ten foods that can contribute effectively towards a Super Diet. You'll notice that there a wide range of colours on show here and a great little rule to remember is the 'Rainbow Rule', ensuring that your shopping trolley always contains foods that are a wide range of colours. Sorry to disappoint you here, but Skittles don't count!

Image courtesy of Kangshutters/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Super Food	What’s in it?	What can I eat it with?
Broccoli	Extremely rich in vitamin C, as well as good amounts of vitamin A, B6 and calcium. All dark green vegetables are a superb source of folic acid too, particularly essential for women during pregnancy	Perfect with stir-fries or traditional roast dinners
Blueberries	Rich in flavonoids called anthocyanins, blueberries have been shown to be effective in reducing blood pressure and managing blood sugars to help control diabetes	Perfect as a healthy snack or in yoghurts or porridge
Tomatoes	High in levels of lycopene, an antioxidant that has been strongly linked with cancer prevention. Also a good source of vitamin C	A food that pretty much goes with anything, from salads to sandwiches, or even roasted and served with fish
Kale	Just 50 grams will give you your daily requirements of vitamin A and C, helping with your immune system, eye health and a host of other benefits	Perfect steamed with meat or fish, or as part of a warm casserole on a cold night
Ground cloves	Spices and herbs are packed full of antioxidants, in fact they contain more than any other food on earth. Cloves are particularly rich in manganese, a mineral important for healthy bones and skin	Perfect in game  recipes, try one of these instead of the usual Sunday roast.
Dark chocolate	The cocoa, or cacao plant is packed full of antioxidants and linked to heart health, blood sugar control and brain function	Opt for 70% dark chocolate and have one or two squares as a snack
Raspberries	Another food that provides lots of vitamin C and manganese, they are also rich in fibre for bowel health	Mix into a salad with sunflower seeds to add extra flavour, or add to porridge for additional sweetness
Raw ginger	Another spice packed with a massively high ORAC score, reported to help with digestive health and as an anti-inflammatory	Add one or two slices of raw ginger to hot water with lemon and honey
Walnuts	Rich in Omega-3 fats that are vital for energy production, brain health and in preventing inflammation	Mix with berries and take to work in small Tupperwear pots for mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks
Turmeric	A rich yellow-orange spice related to Ginger, rich in curcumin, an antioxidant linked to relief from stomach problems and arthritis	A great addition to curries to add vibrant colour and flavour

Hopefully this has given you some thoughts and ideas about what to put in your shopping basket next time you're in the supermarket. Remember the rainbow rule and you'll go a long way towards boosting your health. Also bear in mind that a healthy body is much better to able to process energy, build lean muscle to boost metabolism, and remove waste.

Focus on a healthy diet and a healthy weight is far more likely.

Balance your life, balance your scales

Paul

PS, if you're keen to know more you can now follow me on Twitter @paulw_fitness