The low down on natural sugars – part 1
We all want to reduce the amount of sugar we eat, and and there are loads of alternative “natural” sugars to pick from. When I go to the supermarket and read labels I am bombarded with terms like
- fructose
- whole can sugar
- barley malt syrup
- agave
and the list goes on. So which is the best?
First its worth remembering there is no defintion of what is “natural” or regulation around how the term “natural” is used. So basically anything can be termed “natural”. So how do you decide what is the best alternative to sugar and what are the ones to avoid?
Firstly where ever possible rely on the natural sweetness of foods themselves rather than using sugar or artificial sweetners. When cooking or preparing food consider adding
- carrots
- raisins
- beetroot
- dates
- figs
- roast parsnips
- bananas
as natural sweetners.
Over the next two weeks I will give my thumbs up or thumbs down to a variety of “natural” sugars.
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My top exercise
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What helps fights colds? Part 1
Its that time of year when people tend to get colds, so I wanted to share some tips on natural ways to fight colds. Vitamin C The first thing I reach for when I feel I am run down or coming down with a cold is high dose Vitamin C. There is scientific evidence to suggest that taking vitamin C can shorten a cold by nearly 20%. Zinc One study showed that if kids take a zinc supplement they reduce the number of colds they get by 50%. If you take zinc when you start getting a cold it can help to shorten the duration of the cold. Pelargonium Sidoides An African herb is the key ingredient in Umcka ColdCare. Studies sho that this herbal remedy can help resolve coughs, especially chesty coughs and relieve sore throats. Salt For sore thoats, I normally gargle with salt water. Please be careful not to swollow it as it will make you vomit. I then make a tea, by adding hot water to a chunk (2 cms) of fresh ginger, a slice of lemon and tea spoon of honey. References Strohle, A., Hahn, A. 2009. Vitamin C and immune function. Med Monastsschr Pharm. Feb; 32(2):49-54. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19263912 Douglas RM, Hemilä H, Chalker E, Treacy B. Vitamin C for preventing and treating the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007 Jul 18;(3):CD000980. Review. Update in: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013;1:CD000980 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17636648 Heydarian F, Behmanesh F, Daluee M, Kianifar H, Hematian M. The role of zinc sulfate in acute bronchiolitis in patients aged 2 to 23 months. Iran J Pediatr. 2011;21(2):231-4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3446156/ Singh M, Das RR. Zinc for the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Jun 18;(6):CD001364. Update in: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;(4):CD001364 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23775705


