LIKE many of you, I was clapping to celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the NHS yesterday and it brought back memories of the fabulous project I did with Tameside Hospital trust two years ago on the 70th anniversary!
We launched a Ditch Sugar challenge to 250,000 people in Manchester. One of my fellow speakers was the leading cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra, an expert on healthy sugar-free eating, and as we chatted during a break I had a light bulb moment…
Why not issue a similar challenge to readers of my blog and all my Slimpodders! So that’s what I did two years ago and a huge number of Slimpodders took part and reported great successes.
Me and Aseem at the conference
So now as we celebrate the NHS’s 72nd birthday I thought I’d start you all off on a special project to raise your awareness of any excess refined sugar you might be consuming. Stress levels have been at an all time high since lockdown began in March and I know so many people have found themselves eating sugary things as a result.
Slimpod will really help with reducing your sugar intake but some people need a little extra help because the habit is so ingrained and can be a bit stubborn to break. So if sugar has been raising its ugly head recently then this project is for you!
Ditch sugar and stay on track
Even without all the pressure of the virus, July and August can be really difficult months when you’re trying to eat healthily and lose weight because these months are full of temptations and distractions.
It can be that classic “fall off the wagon” time! But it really doesn’t have to be that way. You absolutely CAN stay on track if you ditch sugar and I’m going to help you do it by cutting down on the refined sugar you’re consuming!
Slimpod star Sammie Axton joins me at the conference
Sugar is really addictive and it hijacks your brain so you feel you’re losing control.
Here’s what happens: The vast quantities of hidden sugar we consume every day in food and drink is hooking our brains into repeating unhealthy food behaviour over and over and over.
Once you’re on that sugar-fuelled roundabout that’s harming you it’s almost impossible to get off without the specialised help a Slimpod programme offers..
In my research I uncovered a statistic which horrified me: There are an estimated 600,000 different food products on sale in America and 80 per cent of them contain sugar.
That proportion is undoubtedly repeated on this side of the Atlantic.
Tameside hospital CEO Karen James was a co-speaker
Worthless, empty-calorie, unnecessary sugar does nothing for the human condition but helps make food and drink manufacturers rich.
They use a substance called fructose which tastes sweeter than sugar but is far cheaper to produce. It crops up everywhere – in processed food like pizzas and pies, in biscuits and cakes and in fizzy drinks.
Ditch sugar and choose healthy alternatives
For the next six weeks, I’d love you to become more and more aware of how much refined sugar you’re putting into your body every day.
Once you recognise the sources of sugar you can start replacing sugar with healthy alternatives.
The simplest way to ditch sugar is to stop buying processed food such as ready meals, takeaways, things in tins and packets.
Buy fresh food and cook it yourself so there’s no danger of hidden sugar creeping in, which is the real danger with non-fresh food.
NHS nurse Sarah Moody spoke too
You might be surprised just how good you feel after just a day or two on healthier food because it creates a virtuous circle in your body and your mind.
Once you start to get your buzz from eating fish, lean meat and vegetables instead of pizza, pasta and curries it just becomes easier and easier to keep up the good work for yourself and your family.
Ditch sugar and take back control
I’ll be talking about how sugar hijacks your brain and revealing some strategies you can use to ditch sugar and take back control in my Facebook Lives this week.
So please join me on our public Slimpod For Weight Loss page tomorrow (Tuesday July 7) at 7.30pm UK time. And if you’re a Slimpodder and you belong to our private Slimpod Club group, I’ll be devoting a whole hour to more on this important subject on Wednesday at 8pm.
Happy Slimpodder nurse Dawn Hamer was there
Leave a comment below to let me know if you’re up for it. Do you want to ditch sugar and take back control?
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