What you don’t know could hurt you

Do you really know what you eat?

Getting into great shape is not just down to exercise. Did you know 80% of your fitness results are attributed to your diet.

Our everyday living is so fast paced compared to 30 years ago, thus making our decisions on what to eat extremely bad. Due to our fast-paced society we tend to look for the more convenient option when it comes to food. We often eat food without giving it too much thought as to what we are actually ingesting. This excess body fat is a direct outcome of our hurried and very poor nutrition.

Knowing what and what not to eat is very confusing and the media doesn’t make it any easier to understand.

The giant food manufacturing companies add to this confusion by printing bogus and misleading nutrition labels.

Your physique is mainly down to one key element and that is what you eat. If you put rubbish into your body then your body isn’t going to look in top condition. The saying “you are what you eat” is very true in this sense.

Here are 5 ingredients that should raise a red flag when you look at the nutrition labels on food packages.

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup- This is a man made sugar. It is derived from genetically modified corn. This sweet cocktail has been shown to increase binge eating and cause hysterical hunger. Not to mention this ingredient will send  major problems to your blood sugar levels. Resulting in fat storage.

This product has direct correlation with the increase in type 2 diabetes (47% increase) and is also related to a massive 80% increase in obesity. Majority of food manufacturers use HFCS in a large amount of their products, including:

• Sauces
• Yogurt
• Processed backed goods
• Ice cream
• Packaged snack foods.

1. Hydrogenated fat/ Partially Hydrogenated fat (Trans Fat)- this ingredient has gone under so much modification that human body doesn’t even recognise anymore. The human body sees this as foreign ingredient which is destructive to the physiology of humans.

1. Aspartame- this product is probably the worst of all the ingredients. It was actually denied by the FDA 8 times to be classed as an artificial sweetener. It was finally approved in 1973. Many scientists and researchers have objected to the approval of this ingredient, simply down to the fact that it hasn’t been proven safe for us in food as an additive.

1. White Sugar- this basically the juice of a sugar cane plant that has gone through an intense refining process. During this process all of the good enzymes, fiber, vitamins and minerals are completely wiped out. Thus making this ingredient nutritionally void. To add on top of this, white sugar is extremely high in calories and we all know now that the body loves to store this excess amount of calories in fat cells.

Along side the common side effects of white sugar intake, this ingredient also has many other side effects if taken in large quantities. Refined sugar has been linked with weakened immune system, mental and emotional disorders, enlargement of the liver and kidneys and an imbalance of the neurotransmitters in the brain.

1. White Flour- this ingredient derives from natural whole wheat but it has been stripped of all its nutrients, vitamins and minerals. SO you are left with a product that has no nutritional goodness and a product that is loaded with high calories that are released into your system, creating a massive increase in your blood sugar level.

Now by simply cutting these 5 ingredients out of your diets, you will be pleased to see the results you will achieve. You will definitely see change in weight, more energy and you will feel so much better overall.

Stick to real food that has not been created in somebody’s chemistry lab. Include lean meats, vegetables, whole grains and fruits in your diet.

Remember, while nutrition is vitally important for weight loss, true results are achieved through a combination of both nutrition and challenging, progressive exercise.