As a dietitian who practises non-diet nutrition, my advice is that ‘diets’ are unhealthy for everyone. Diets tend to restrict food intake beyond what could be considered a normal, healthy diet and this has negative effects on physical health. There’s also good evidence to show the negative effects of dieting on mental health too. When [Read more…]
“What is sucrose and is it bad for you?”
Sucrose is a disaccharide, meaning a short-chain carbohydrate made up of two single carbohydrate units. One sucrose molecule contains one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose bound together. Sucrose is one of the most common sugars available, and is also known as ‘table sugar’- the kind you buy at the shops to use [Read more…]
“Is sweet potato really healthier for you than normal potatoes?”
Sweet potatoes and normal potatoes are fairly similar in terms of their nutrient profiles but there are some key differences. Generally sweet potato will have a lower glycaemic index than regular potato but this depends on the cooking method and what you add to the potato. Food with a lower GI help keep you feeling [Read more…]
“Should I be drinking low-carb beer if I want to lose weight?”
Low-carb beer may sound like a healthy option until you realise that the majority of the energy coming from beer is actually from the alcohol itself, not the carbs. Carbohydrates give us 16kJ per gram whereas alcohol gives us 29kJ per gram, which is almost twice as much! Many low-carb beers have similar carbohydrate content [Read more…]
“What is the best type of bread to buy?”
As a general rule of thumb I tell people that the grainier and browner the bread, the better is it for us. This is not to say that white bread is unhealthy though; white bread is fine if wholegrain or wholemeal is unavailable or you do not like the taste, but you can make a [Read more…]
