Low-fat dairy
Eating low-fat dairy to lose weight is actually counter-intuitive because fat is so satiating. When you consume a product with the fat removed it doesn’t keep you full for long – which means you will soon be reaching for more food. On top of that, when the fat is removed from dairy, the valuable fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E are removed along with it, making it far less nutritious. Most importantly, to ensure the product is still palatable, a ton of sugar or artificial sweetener is added in place of these beneficial fats.
Nutritionist approved: full-fat organic dairy products, goat and sheep’s milk products, and dairy substitutes such as coconut and nut milks.
Barbecue and tomato sauces
Barbecue and tomato sauces are laden with sugar, salt, preservatives and little else. Dousing meat or any dish in these processed sauces is the fastest way to ruin a nutritious meal.
Nutritionist approved: mustards, homemade relishes, tahini, harissa and pesto are all healthy and flavoursome condiment choices.
Caged eggs
The farming methods that produce caged eggs are cruel and barbaric. Egg-laying hens are confined to tiny cages, are of poor health and are fed an unnatural diet. Hens that are free to roam feed on a diet of grass, insects and plants. The varied nutrients of their diet are then transferred to the eggs that they lay resulting in a far superior, more nutritious product. Happy hens lay better eggs, it’s that simple.
Nutritionist approved: organic, pastured, free-range eggs.
Artificial sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners do not aid weight loss; in fact they can have the opposite effect. As your taste buds become accustomed to their intense sweetness you crave more sweet food and, as a result, moderately sweet foods – such as fruit – become less appealing. There is also evidence that artificial sweeteners are carcinogenic (cancer causing) – enough said.
Nutritionist approved: unrefined stevia, raw honey, brown rice syrup, maple syrup, coconut sugar and yacon.
Margarine
Margarine is high in trans fats; these are formed through the process of hydrogenation, which turns liquid vegetable oils to solid. Trans fats clog the arteries which has a disastrous effect on cardiovascular health.
Nutritionist approved: grass-fed, organic butter, ghee and coconut butter.
Factory farmed meat
The problem with many modern diets is not the consumption of meat per se, but the overconsumption of factory-farmed meat. The life of a factory-farmed cow – fattened up on grains and corn and medicated with antibiotics and hormones – could not be further from what nature intended. Support ethical farmers who treat livestock humanely, and do the right thing for our planet (factory farming is a major contributor to pollution and global warming) and our health (grass-fed meat is far more nutritious and less inflammatory than grain-fed).
Nutritionist approved: sustainable, organic grass fed and finished meat from butchers who support local farms.
Packaged smoothies and juices
Pre-packaged smoothies and fruit juices are full of sugar and very few nutrients. Smoothies and juices should be consumed relatively quickly after they are produced to ensure all the nutrients from the fruit and vegetables are still available.
Nutritionist approved: home-made is always the best option; alternatively juice bars that make their smoothies and juices to order using fresh, organic ingredients are also a great choice.
Written by Louise Cavanough – Kings Cross and Bondi Junction
