Posted
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Sugary foods are by far the worst but other foods with negative health associations include wheat and milk, as well as salt, caffeinated drinks, red meat, and refined food. The best food groups are nuts and seeds, followed by fruit, oily fish, vegetables and water, 
although oily fish only becomes positive once you are eating at least two servings a week.
Alcohol did not come up as negative. Results showed that those drinking a unit of alcohol a day, a small glass of wine, were less likely to be in poor health than abstainers. The positive effect of moderate drinking is consistent with a growing body of research. Other studies have shown that your risk of having a heart attack, stroke or developing Alzheimer’s is less among light and moderate drinkers than abstainers. Of course, excessive alcohol is bad news, but a relaxing drink in the evening may not be so bad after all.
Consumption of sugary snacks was by far the best predictor of poor health for every health factor we looked at – energy, digestion, immunity, hormonal and mental health. This survey confirms that sugar is the worst bad food – much worse than alcohol or salt.
This is consistent with a large body of evidence to show that high sugar intake, much of which is hidden in foods and drinks, is driving obesity, diabetes, heart disease and even violent behaviour. Our survey suggests that cutting back on sugar has even more impact on your health than eating more fruit and vegetables. With one in six people over 40 now diabetic, and the obesity epidemic out of control, it’s time the Food Standards Agency got tough on sugar.
100% HEALTH SURVEY - KEY FINDINGS
The average person in Britain is tired, grumpy, constipated, stressed and sleepy. Our love of sugary snacks, salt, meat, wheat and dairy products may be a contributor.
• Two thirds of the 55,000 people who completed the 100% Health survey online were found to have abdominal bloating
• Constipation affected 83%, with only one person in ten going to the toilet every day.
• Almost two thirds of women suffered from PMT
• Eight in every ten admitted to being frequently tired, with the highest caffeine consumers having the lowest energy levels
• Those who complained most of tiredness and sugar cravings were the most likely to struggle with their weight
• The best foods for your health are fruit, vegetables, fish, water, nuts and seeds. The worst foods are sugary snacks, sugar and refined foods, salt, meat, wheat and dairy products.
By studying the diet and health habits of the healthiest people alongside those in average or poor health, we have found some simple secrets to staying super healthy. I explain these more in my new book Ten Secrets of 100% Healthy People and will be giving the blueprint for becoming and staying 100% healthy in my regional seminars across Britain, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland starting on 1st February. If you would like a copy of the survey click here.
I have been trying to avoid wheat, yeast and sugar for some time, and I note that these are some of the worst offenders in the survey. I enjoy home baking and make things such as muffins and biscuits using alternative grains (barley, oats etc), and alternative sugars such as xylitol and agave syrup. I have a couple of questions to throw out which may help others to adjust their cooking!
Are there any drawbacks to xylitol, apart from the cost? It seems a very new ‘sugar’ and I wonder whether it is entirely safe and well tested over time? Also it appears to produce unpleasant intestinal ‘gas’. I have also been using Agave syrup as a sweetener but recently read that this is really just liquid fructose that has the same or worse effects as white sugar.
I have found that baking ‘everyday’ bread — the sort of loaf that could be toasted with an egg for breakfast or made into sandwiches for lunch is virtually impossible without wheat and yeast. Does anyone have a wheat and yeast free bread recipe that does not produce a ‘brick’ like result that crumbles when cut?
Posted by Phillippa Lambert on 01/17 at 10:06 AM
Xylose is the principal sugar in plums, cherries and most berries so it’s hardly new. In larger amounts it does have a ‘loosening’ effect - one of the main reasons why plums and prunes are remedies for constipation. This effect is not harmful as such but some people tolerate less than others. I’ve always thought of this as a good built in reason to limit even its use. Good agave syrup is good - and internet stories that it’s all high GL commercialised sugar isn’t true. Go for the organic stuff. The main sugar, however, is still fructose so it’s not the same stuff as xylitol although relatively low GL.
Let’s see what comes back in on your call for a good yeast-free, wheat-free bread recipe. I eat oat cakes and yeast-free rye bread myself. Corn bread, risen with baking soda, is another option. Very tasty with a veggie chilli bean dish.
Posted by patrick on 01/17 at 11:56 AM
Thank you for the help with ‘sugars’. Assuming that lactose intolerance is not a factor, can you also tell me whether there is any evidence that milk from sheep or goats (and their products — yogurt, cheese etc) has any less negative aspects than milk from cows?
Posted by Phillippa Lambert on 01/18 at 03:20 PM
None that I’m aware of. These milks should have the same hormones, but probably less, as do yaks and ‘wild’ cows. it all depends on what they eat. Milk, despite having a low glycemic response (GI) has a high insulinemic response, and too much insulin and insulin-like growth factor isn’t a good thing for adults, but good for calves and (goat/sheep) kids.
Posted by patrick on 01/19 at 07:26 AM
Can honey be used as a sweetener? It is natural after all.
And what is wrong with peanuts and peanut butter? Why are they different to any other nuts?
Posted by Lindy on 01/24 at 07:27 PM
Why did the 100% Health Survey publish no charts of the correlation between peoples health and the number of cigarettes smoked? and can you now supply this missing data? Ian
Posted by Ian on 01/25 at 07:00 AM
Could you please comment on the use of Whey as a protein food supplement for the elderly? Ian
Posted by Ian on 01/25 at 07:03 AM
Linda - honey has about the same effect on blood sugar levels as sugar. ‘Natural’ honey direct from the beehive is slightly better, but most commercial honey is further heated to allow the honey to become very liquid and pass through filters. This raises the GL of the honey even more. It is still a concentrated sugar to be used sparingly.
Ian - there are many cross analyses not done in the 100% health survey. This is a vast amount of data and there are many cross-analyses that would be interesting to explore. Of course, they take time and money, both of which are in limited supply. We focussed primarily on the link between various health parameters and diet.
Regarding the elderly and whey protein it is certainly true that one issue in later life is the loss of muscle, hence the need for both sufficent protein and exercise that helps to maintain muscle mass. There is a danger in having too much IGF (insulin-like growth factor), a subject discussed in detail in the last Jan ‘10 newsletter, and also too little. Whey protein is rich in IGF. Having a whey protein drink, plus lots of dairy products is likely to increase risk for breast and prostate cancer among other common diseases. In this sense it might be better to use a non-IGF protein source. Quinoa is one of my favourites. Fish is an excellent source of protein and is consistently associated with better mental health in the elderly.
Posted by patrick on 01/25 at 10:38 AM
Thanks for the explanation on honey. Please can you explain why all nuts and nut butters are ok except peanuts and peanut butter. We only seem to get peanut butter here.
Posted by Lindy on 01/25 at 05:01 PM
I’m OK with peanuts. They are a great source of protein. The concern about peanuts is that they are prone to contamination with aflatoxins. So quality and rawness is an issue. Pick the better quality brands of peanut butter that don’t ad sugar and lots of salt. By the way, a peanut isn’t a nut but a pea. op, if a person reacts to peanuts it doesn’t mean they’ll react to a tree nut such as a walnut or almond. They would be more likely to react to soya, which is part of the pea/bean family.
Posted by patrick on 01/25 at 05:47 PM
