Me again! Hope you’re having a good week.
Today we’re looking at the next two comments, concerning Diet Clubs (and Muller Light!) and chips.
3) “Muller light special edition are on offer in Sainsbury and they’re syn free”.
This was actually a status update I saw on Facebook by somebody who is following a well known diet group. It made me really, really sad. I can’t remember what the special edition flavour was, something like Turkish delight, but it was clearly popular as a lot of other people had commented to express their glee at all that “syn free” goodness. Out of interest I Googled the ingredients online and it was flipping scary! These are from the Muller website:
Yogurt, Water, Fructose, Cocoa Powder, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Butter, Sugar, Modified Maize Starch, Gelatine, Stabilisers: Pectins, Guar Gum, Acidity Regulators: Citric Acid, Sodium Citrates, Calcium Citrates, Sweeteners: Aspartame, Acesulfame K, Flavourings, Carrot Juice Concentrate, Dark Chocolate Sprinkles (0.5%), Contains a source of Phenylalanine
It really worries me that diet groups are saying you can essentially have as many of these as you like and it doesn’t matter. Probably because it’s got zero fat. But you should have seen the sugar content. Wowsers! Not forgetting all those unpronounceable other chemicals, sweeteners, preservatives etc. I actually sent a message to the person who had written it (a friend, so she won’t mind me sharing this tale). Thankfully she was well aware that syn free shouldn’t really mean it’s actually good for you and that she only has these occasionally. And that’s fine, but it worries me that some people might take this too literally and start consuming a couple of these a day, which is going to cause all sorts of insulin spiking and sugar dependencies.
4) “Life’s too short not to have a bowl of chips when you go to the pub”.
Again, this exact quote is taken slightly out of context. But the essence of this remark still struck me. It’s a bit like the moderation argument – you can’t really quantify it. If you go to the pub several nights a week then a mindless bowl of chips and a few pints each time is not going to be a good habit. If, however, your trip to the pub is a once a month social engagement with friends, then ordering yourself pie and chips is probably not the end of the world. Incidentally, once your body has been treated to a rubbish-free diet, you’ll find that your stodge cravings reduce noticeably. You might not even fancy those chips after all. Half the time it’s the idea of something that appeals more than the actual consumption of it. So my tip is to always assess how you’re feeling. If you really want something – I mean REALLY want it because you’re hungry enough and you really think that is the thing that will satisfy you most – then you should absolutely go for it. But I know from personal experience that more often than not it’s the idea of something that I really seek. Once I actually have it I am often left feeling bloated, sickly and sadly disappointed. Just bear that in mind.
That’s all folks. Back soon for the concluding part of this little series.
