Woman’s Weekly Living Series – July 2019

The pros

✿ Cutting down on

trans fats from fried foods,

especially takeaways,

is a very sensible move.

‘These foods are often

fried in oils that are

reheated on a daily basis

and this damages the fats so

your body can’t use them,’

says Judy. ‘In this form they

may also damage your

gut bacteria, triggering

inflammation and joint

pain, and making it difficult

to control your weight.’

The cons

✿ You may think you’re

being healthy buying

processed ‘low-fat’ foods

• but you might not be. Fat
  is tasty – so when a food
  manufacturer strips it out of
  your ready meal, pudding
  or yogurt, you need new
  flavour added to it. ‘If that
  injection of flavour comes
  from sugar, you’re doing
  yourself no
  favours at all,’
  says Judy.
  ‘So-called
  “diet”
  chocolate

puds may be low in fat, but

some contain more than

the daily recommended

amount of sugar in a single

serving. That’s no more than

25g (6tsp) a day, but your

low-fat pud could contain

at least 26g!’

‘This sugar, if unused by

your body, will be stored

as fat,’ explains Judy, ‘and

some low-fat products have

been found to contain five

times the amount of sugar

in the full-fat original.’

You may also wrongly

demonise all fats,

thinking the

more fat

you eat

the more

weight you’ll

gain. But don’t avoid the

healthy fats in fish, nuts,

seeds and avocados.

‘You need these for brain,

heart and joint health,

and vitamins A, D, E and K

depend on fat for their

absorption. So you risk

becoming unhealthy if you

go totally fat-free,’ says Judy.

The verdict

✿Eat plenty of fish and

plant fats, but stick to

the recommended daily

amount of saturated fat,

which is 20g for women.

A good daily guideline

is one pat of butter, one

full-fat yogurt, and one

piece of chicken or two

eggs, advises Judy.

HealtHy eating

uten- free
could be sensitive to gliadin

• a substance in gluten that
  affects your digestive tract.
  Studies show that 40%
  of us carry the genes
  (HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8)
  that make us susceptible to
  this sensitivity.
  ‘A lot of people say they
  think more clearly, are less
  bloated, have more
  energy, and
  lose weight
  more easily
  when they

give up gluten,’ says Judy.

‘If you’re complaining of

a foggy brain, digestive

problems and low energy,

try cutting down on gluten,

such as bread and pasta.

‘Gluten also seems to

aggravate other autoimmune

diseases, such as fibromyalgia

and Grave’s disease (an

overactive thyroid). Having

one of these is another good

reason to try gluten-free.’

The cons

✿ Going gluten-free can be

tricky because it crops up in

numerous products. Find

details at coeliac.org.uk.

‘Gluten-free diets are

also said to increase

your risk of heart

disease – but only if

you’re trying to swap

like for like and eating

lots of processed

“gluten-free” cakes,

bread, etc,’ says Judy.

‘Some of these are

packed with sugar and

refined potato and rice

flour, which put you at risk

of weight gain and obesity.’

The verdict

✿ Going gluten-free will be

good for you if you use it as

an opportunity to look for

healthy options – for

example, finding a salad or

vegetable soup for lunch

instead of a sandwich.

And don’t just buy foods

labelled gluten-free, stick to a

naturally gluten-free diet not

one that mimics the ‘gluten-y’

foods you used to eat.

healthyoptions–for

puddsmaybb l i f b

Thepros

GoinG fat-free