By Zoe Bingley-Pullin, Nutrition Expert
www.nutritionaledge.com.au
Coffee might not be as evil as we think it is. Coffee contains antioxidants called Chlorogenic Acid which are helpful in protecting our cells form aging. Coffee may alleviate asthma by dilating the bronchial tubes, making it easier for asthmatics to breathe. Remember limit your coffee to one per day to get the real health benefits. Excessive consumption of coffee, more than one per day, may increase blood pressure possibly causing hypertension, anxiety, irritability and affect your sleeping patterns. This occurs from the caffeine content found in coffee.
Excessive fruit (more than four pieces per day) can have a detrimental effect on the body and can put on weight as it contains too much fructose (fruit sugar). Fructose is a simple sugar and eaten in high amounts will affect the body’s blood sugar levels and may cause energy highs and lows. Excessive fructose may also aggravate the digestive system and cause bloating, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
Dark chocolate might be the treat worth eating. Dark chocolate helps reduce blood pressure and raise good cholesterol (HDL’s) as cocoa contains antioxidants called polyphenols. By eating 50g of pure dark chocolate per day in conjunction with a healthy diet it will reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 39%. I like those odds.
Water is fantastic for almost every function of the body but drinking excessive amounts of water, more than 4L per day, can affect the overall balance of the body. Excessive consumption of water can accelerate the excretion of important vitamins such as folic acid, inositol and vitamin C.
Fat-free products might look like they will help reduce your body-fat but they might increase it. Generally all fat-free products will contain more simple sugars than the full fat version, or they may contain an aspartame which is a synthetic sugar that puts pressure on the liver to metabolise. An example of a fat free product that might look good on the outside but is extremely high in sugar is Nestle Blissful 98% fat-free. It contains 1.2g per 100g of saturated fat but a whopping 15.6g per 100g of sugar.
