Fit Focus: Diet should be about health not calorie counting

A DIET should not be something that is restrictive and hard to live with and we should be concerned more with health at different sizes as opposed to trying to fit into the perfect picture of what we should look like.

We need to look at a diet as its proper and original meaning; a diet is a way of eating to promote health not where we restrict calories.

There are certainly foods that we should definitely avoid because of the effects that they have on our health. Below is a list of six of the big offenders along with a traffic light system of food to eat.

The first one is high fructose corn syrup. It is found in most processed foods and leads to blood sugar spikes, inflammation and a higher risk of fatty liver disease because of the way it is processed in the body.

The second is instant noodles. These are found to contain acrylamide; this is a carcinogen and has been found to be linked with cancer. It can also affect brain and reproductive health. They are also high in sodium which can lead to high blood pressure and an increased risk of blood pressure.

Third on the list are artificial sweeteners such as aspartame found in diet sodas and sugar free products. You should avoid these at all costs and are linked with a range of health issues.

Fourth on the list is processed meats. These are packed with sodium and preservatives that can form harmful carcinogenic compounds when heated. These are linked with heart disease and eating processed meats increases your risk of prostate and pancreatic cancer and dying from all types of cancer.

The fifth is margarine and butter spreads. This has been portrayed as the heart healthy alternative to butter for years and the cure for cholesterol as it is lower in saturated fat.

It is laden with trans fats that cause havoc in our bodies as it increases LDL cholesterol and lowers HDL cholesterol. Eating trans fats is linked with an increased risk of nearly all the major chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.

The last on the list is sugar. Excess sugar consumption from foods and drinks contributes to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other health issues.

It can also lead to inflammation which is also linked to various chronic diseases. Be careful as food manufacturers use many different names for sugar to try to disguise it.