It sounds like the perfect solution doesn’t it?  Getting a sweet hit without all the problems associated with eating sugar – BUT might it be too good to be true? The short answer, sadly, is yes.  In this article I’ll look at which artificial sweeteners may be detrimental to your health, and where they may be lurking. Which ones are healthier, and what the best options are.

The problems with artificial sweeteners

Sweeteners may actually cause you to become addicted to overly sweet foods.

How?

By training your taste buds to want increasingly sweeter and sweeter foods.

When you eat sweet-tasting food your brain thinks it’s getting some sugar, and your body prepares itself as though sugar is going to land in your digestive system.  The problem is the sugar never appears.  Your body still produces insulin from your pancreas, and it is this insulin release which will cause you to gain weight.  At this point your body is in a total spin, expecting sugar which never arrives!

Which leads to the next problem:  Because your brain thinks it’s getting sweet food, and that sweet food never arrives, you may end up craving very sweet, high carb food to make up the deficit.  This may also add to the sugar addiction problem.

After you’ve consumed the sweeteners, the insulin you produce will drive down your blood sugar levels and undoubtedly cause anxiety, and/or feelings of being ‘hangry’.

So all this confusion in the body may well be why the intake of artificial sweeteners is strongly associated with –

• Obesity and weight gain
• Type 2 diabetes
• Metabolic syndrome

Frequent consumption of sweet-tasting foods, with no calorific content really does interfere with your overall metabolic function.

If your sugar cravings are starting to get to you, check out the Ultimate Gut Health Programme which contains a wealth of information to help you curb those cravings for good.  Click here for more info.

Then there are the side effects of artificial sweeteners –

If you have trouble with your digestive system, there’s double trouble as sweeteners tend to increase inflammation throughout the gut. These problems are apparent in those suffering with IBS and IBD.

A further study found that consuming artificial sweeteners on a daily basis actually caused the build up of arterial plaque, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Here are a few of the more common artificial sweeteners that you need to look out for, as they may cause problems for you.

Always check labels for –

• Aspartame
• Nutrasweet
• Saccharin
• Splenda
• Sorbitol
• Sucralose

These will be hidden in a lot of ‘low sugar’ or ‘light’ prepackaged food and drink options, for example –

• Yogurts
• Sweets
• Zero calorie water
• Diet soft fizzy drinks
• Some vitamins, medicines etc.

Worse still …

Studies which have looked at the effects of aspartame have found it may impair memory performance.  Also, if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding you will definitely want to avoid it as it may cause issues with obesity and metabolic disorders in the child, later in life.

Further problems associated with aspartame include –

• Headaches
• Migraines
• Dizziness
• Mood disorders and other mental health problems
• Nausea and digestive disturbances

If you want to finally get a handle on your sugar cravings I’d highly recommend downloading my online course The Ultimate Gut Health Programme to help you balance your meals optimally, and therefore help avoid the dreaded sugar cravings.

It’d be impossible to include all you need to know in one blog, but the programme will have all you need to know to ensure you’re soothing your digestive system, whilst eating delicious and filling foods.

Avoiding artificial sweeteners – natural is better

When it comes to sweetening food, I’d definitely recommend retraining your taste buds to appreciate less sweet foods, such as the natural sweetness of fruit or dates for example, which also contain dozens of health enhancing nutrients.

Prebiotic or probiotic.  Which is more important?  Which should you choose?

By now everyone is pretty familiar with the concept of probiotics and how beneficial they are for our overall health. Particularly our digestive health. But what about prebiotics? What are they for? Read on to discover whether you should opt for a prebiotic or probiotic.

Which is best – a prebiotic or probiotic?

Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms that live in our large intestines. They are instrumental in ensuring we have robust immune health, they regulate our mood and of course assist in digesting and absorbing nutrients, not to mention hundreds of other positive actions in the body.

Prebiotics on the other hand are what probiotics need to survive and flourish. They are a type of fibre which travels through the small intestine undigested, which then provides fuel for our probiotics to ferment. As with all high-fibre foods prebiotic fibre passes through the small intestine undigested. It then arrives in the large intestine and provides fuel for the good bacteria to ferment and thrive on.

So you can safely say, as much as you need your probiotics for great health, you also need prebiotics to keep them well fed so they can multiply and flourish.

Given how important they are, prebiotics are still largely underrepresented in the typical Western diet.

Unfortunately this can result in issues such as –

• Indigestion
• Poor immunity
• Weight gain
• Inflammation

What’s best to consume?  A prebiotic or probiotic?

A combination of both is ideal – although if you’re supplementing there is a caveat which I’ll come to in a bit.

Both are vitally important to maintain great health. While your beneficial bacteria provide an array of health benefits, prebiotics ensure they are healthy and plentiful – they really amplify the benefits that probiotics provide.

Prebiotics can be broken down into the following categories –

Fructooligosaccarides – you may find this as a supplement shortened to FOS.

Inulin – the notorious gas producing Jerusalem artichokes are high in this.

Galactooligosaccharides – when looking at supplements you may find this shortened to GOS.

Some foods provide natural sources of prebiotics –

• Leeks
• Onions
• Garlic
• Chicory

So use these liberally in your cooking. For example use onions as a base for soups, stews and curries. You can add leeks to these and you would barely notice they’re there as they dissolve almost to nothing when they’re cooked.

The absolute best way to ensure you’re getting plenty of great quality prebiotic fibre from a wide variety of different types of fruit and veg is to join a veg box scheme. We’re all guilty of buying the same food over and over again when we shop in the supermarket (which is not ideal for our gut health), but if you join a box scheme it’s a great way to encourage you to get more variety in your diet.

I’ve been a huge fan of Riverford for many years, their produce not only tastes so much nicer, you can be confident it’s not covered in pesticides or other chemical fertilisers (which also are detrimental to your gut flora, and hormones). If you’d like to give them a try feel free to use my referral code to get £15 off – click here to learn more.

Use liberal amounts of garlic for flavour and chicory in salads.

If you increase your intake of prebiotic foods you can look forward to amazing benefits such as –

• Less indigestion and bloating
• Improved digestion
• Better immune function
• Balanced hormones
• Greater resilience to stress
• You’ll be less likely to gain weight

If you want to supplement, which one is best – a prebiotic or probiotic?

A combination is ideal and you can look forward to optimised body functions such as –

• Nutrient absorption
• Improved mood
• Generally better gut health (there is a caveat to this, so more in a bit)

Therefore you can see that by passing through into the large intestine and feeding the beneficial bacteria, prebiotics play a vital role in increasing levels of gut bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, and ensuring great diversity.

Ensuring you’re eating a diverse diet, which  is rich in prebiotic fibre, to keep your microbiome healthy, can be a nightmare when you’re suffering with your gut.  Especially as so many of these prebiotic foods are also big trigger foods. If this is the case for you I’d highly recommend downloading my online course The Ultimate Gut Health Programme to help you eat safely, whilst avoiding triggering symptoms.

It’d be impossible to include all you need to know in one blog, but the programme will have all you need to know to ensure you’re soothing your digestive system, whilst eating delicious and filling foods.

Why?

Because if you begin to experiment with either prebiotic or probiotic supplements you may make your symptoms worse. In these types of situations you need to establish what the root cause of your problem is. For example, you may already have established that you need to avoid foods high in prebiotic fibre such as garlic or onions, as they may make your bloating worse.

This doesn’t apply if your gut is already functioning OK,.  Then you can take a probiotic and prebiotic to keep things ticking over nicely, or for extra reassurance whilst travelling, for example.

There are a few points to bear in mind when it comes to breakfast, aside from what should you eat for breakfast, and they are –

• There is certainly nothing special about breakfast
• Eating healthy, good quality food for the entire day is what matters most
• Breakfast does not ‘jump start’ your metabolism
• Skipping breakfast doesn’t make you overeat and gain weight

Ultimately, breakfast is optional, and it all boils down to personal preference. If you feel hungry in the morning and like to eat breakfast then a protein-rich breakfast is best.

Chia seeds, nuts and eggs are examples of great protein-rich breakfast foods.

What should you eat for breakfast?  Breakfast cereal.

There’s no doubt about it, breakfast cereal is very handy indeed – most of us are in a hurry in the morning, weekday mornings are usually anything but relaxed and cereal is easy to reach for and quick to prepare.

BUT there is a problem – commercial brands are usually loaded with refined carbs and added sugar and loads of salt.

Not the best way to start the day and a surefire way to start you off on the blood sugar rollercoaster which will leave you feeling starving and craving more carbs and caffeine a couple of hours later.

But all is not lost! There are a few things to look out for when you’re selecting your cereal.

What should you eat for breakfast?  Watch the sugar content

In an ideal world you want sugar-free cereal, there are a few brands that make sugar-free but double check the labels.

For example, healthier ranges such as Deliciously Ella or Rude Health for instance will have some options which are very low in sugar (great) with high quality ingredients, and other options which are stacked with sugar.

Even if you’re shopping in a health food shop – some types are great and totally sugar free, but others can be loaded with sugar.

So be careful, always check the labels – ideally you’re looking for less than 5g of sugar per 100g, preferably with no added sugar at all.

Once you start checking labels (if you don’t already) you’ll probably be shocked at how much sugar they can contain – a lot of the time they’re just mostly sugar!!

Especially brands which are targeted at kids unfortunately.

What about wheat?

Commercial brands such as Nestle will have low sugar options, but they’re normally made of wheat, and a lot of us don’t want to be eating too much of that.  It’s commonly not tolerated that well and it can be very aggravating, especially if you have gut problems.

Beware of things like bran flakes – these can be very high in sugar (alarmingly so!) and bran can be very irritating to the gut so far from a healthier option.

Yes it’s a minefield!

So unless you’re going to become very label-savvy I highly recommend you prepare your own breakfast food and get creative! It doesn’t have to be cereal.

Ensuring you’re eating a diverse diet can be a nightmare when you’re suffering with your gut, especially as so many of these ‘healthy’ foods are also big trigger foods. If this is the case for you I’d highly recommend downloading my online course The Ultimate Gut Health Programme to help you eat safely, whilst avoiding triggering symptoms.

It’d be impossible to include all you need to know in one blog, but the programme will have all you need to know to ensure you’re soothing your digestive system, whilst eating delicious and filling foods.

Nut butter on toast.

Eggs – always a great, simple breakfast food – make egg muffins in advance and keep them in the fridge ready to grab as you’re heading out of the door.

Pre-make pancake mix at the weekend and use the leftovers during the week. This can be tailored to suit your dietary needs.

Don’t forget the protein!

All these ideas are packed with protein to keep you going and full of energy up until lunchtime.

‘Having candida’ tends to be a much bandied about and over-used phrase. The fact is, the candida albicans yeast is a normal part of our gut flora and should always be present in our gut in small quantities.

The problems start when candida begins to overgrow. If it gets out of control candida can grow into your gut lining, start to break it down and cause ‘leaky gut syndrome’ which can give rise to many immune related issues.

Candida Symptoms

Normally, our ‘good’ bacteria will keep candida in check. However, when candida starts to overgrow you may experience any of the following symptoms –

• Exhaustion
• Sugar Cravings
• Cravings for yeasty food (like alcohol or bread)
• Brain fog
• Recurrent UTIs
• Sinusitis
• Allergies
• Gas and bloating
• Low immunity
• Thrush and other itchy, fungal patches on the skin such as athletes foot.

What causes candida?

If you’ve experienced any of the following scenarios, then you could well be looking at candida as the cause of your issues –

• A course of broad spectrum antibiotics
• Ongoing antibiotic treatment
• Taking the contraceptive pill
• Eating lots of sugar
• Prolonged stress
• Diabetes
• Corticosteroid medications
• Drinking a lot of alcohol

So, lets look at some of these symptoms in a bit more detail:

1. Feeling tired a lot of the time

If you feel fatigued or tired a lot of the time despite sleeping well, candida may well be to blame as it’s one of the causes of chronic fatigue, although certainly not the only one.

2. Being in a bad mood

Candida can also cause you to feel anxious, have erratic mood swings or depression, and it can also worsen PMT or menopause symptoms.  For more on managing erratic hormone levels have a look here.

3 & 4. Recurring UTIs or recurring sinusitis

It often surprises people that candida can often be the culprit behind these two niggly and persistent infections. Also, if you have anything like post-nasal drip, hay fever or congestion, candida may be to blame.

5. Digestive symptoms

Again, another common cause of ‘IBS’ type symptoms, candida can often give rise to bloating, cramps, diahorrea and constipation.

For more tips of getting rid of gut aches and pains have a look here.

6. Brain fog

Another huge symptom of candida is the dreaded brain fog – this is so common.  Do you ever have that feeling of having cotton wool between your ears? Or that you can’t concentrate, have a poor memory or lack focus? Again, if this is bothering you it may well be worth getting tested.

7. Poor blood sugar control

8. Toxins

Intolerance to fumes, cigarette smoke or perfume – due to the toxins from candida overloading the liver.

9. Fungal infections

Vaginal thrush, athletes foot, itchy patches on the skin – all of these are likely to have started from a yeast infection in the gut.

Ensuring you’re eating a diverse diet can be a nightmare when you’re suffering with your gut, especially as so many of these ‘healthy’ foods are also big trigger foods. If this is the case for you I’d highly recommend downloading my online course The Ultimate Gut Health Programme to help you eat safely, whilst avoiding triggering symptoms.

It’d be impossible to include all you need to know in one blog, but the programme will have all you need to know to ensure you’re soothing your digestive system, whilst eating delicious and filling foods.

Dietary upgrades

Once you know what you’re dealing with, the usual course of action would be to modify your diet – taking out sugary and very high carb foods and replacing with lots of fresh vegetables, lean proteins and good fats.

It’s a good idea to work with a nutrition specialist when dealing with candida, as its not advisable to restrict your diet too much when doing battle with a yeast overgrowth. It’s also essential to make sure all your detoxification and elimination pathways are functioning optimally so you don’t get too much of the dreaded ‘die-off’ reaction.

What is insulin restistance? How do you know you have it? What symptoms does it cause?

After we eat any kind of food our pancreas secretes insulin.  Its job is to ensure that the energy we consume – glucose – gets to where it needs to go. Our muscle, fat and liver cells need to absorb plenty of glucose, and insulin facilitates this process. In addition, our muscles and liver store any excess glucose, and insulin also helps with this. So what is insulin resistance?  It’s what happens when this process stops working properly.  Read on to learn about the symptoms and signs you may be affected, and some quick tips to help you nip the situation in the bud.

What is insulin resistance – what happens?

If you’re insulin resistant your body loses the capability of responding to the insulin it produces appropriately. This means your muscle, liver and fat cells don’t absorb glucose from the blood as easily as they should. Consequently the pancreas has to produce ever increasing levels of insulin to help glucose get to where it needs to go. A consequence of this is that your pancreatic cells struggle to keep up with the demand for insulin, and end up shutting down altogether. When this happens glucose builds up in the bloodstream and the result is pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes.

Insulin resistance happens when your cells become less sensitive or receptive to insulin. They can’t keep up with all the carbs and sugar coming along.  The insulin receptors on your cells shut down, and that leads to more insulin production to try to deal with the extra unwanted sugar.

What is insulin resistance – what causes it?

Obesity, high blood pressure and increasing levels of fats in the blood are all linked to insulin resistance. Most current research points to excess weight as being being the primary driver of insulin resistance. This is especially true for weight which accumulates around the waist, giving the classic apple body shape. The great news is that losing this excess weight drastically improves how the body responds to insulin. In fact, dietary changes can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes.

Ensuring you’re eating a diverse diet can be a nightmare when you’re suffering with your gut, especially as so many of these ‘healthy’ foods are also big trigger foods. If this is the case for you I’d highly recommend downloading my online course The Ultimate Gut Health Programme to help you eat safely, whilst avoiding triggering symptoms.

It’d be impossible to include all you need to know in one blog, but the programme will have all you need to know to ensure you’re soothing your digestive system, whilst eating delicious and filling foods.

Avoid sweet drinks

For example, fruit juice seems healthy as it contains an array of vitamins but juice doesn’t contain much, if any, fibre so the sugar will be absorbed extremely quickly into your blood stream. Again this means stress for your pancreas which has to produce enough insulin to keep up with demand. Also avoid sugary fizzy drinks and any drinks with added sugars. Stick to water as your main drink and herbal teas, tea and coffee (if of course you tolerate caffeine OK).

Finally, avoid overeating.

If you follow the guidelines I’ve already mentioned you’ll be much less likely to overeat as a combination of all those food groups will keep you feeling nice and full. Eat mindfully without distraction, listening to your body’s signals which tell you it’s full.