You wouldn’t put the wrong fuel in your car so lets find out the right fuel for our bodies.

When it comes to nutrition there can be some conflicting thoughts presented to you on this topic. However, one thing nutritionists do agree on is that sugar is unhealthy.

Many people argue that the use of excess sugar in the Western diet is, perhaps, singularly the most health-destroying factor. Refined sugar is a pure acid. Our body’s require 80% alkaline food and only 20% acid. The problem with sugar is that it is hidden in so many of our foods. It pays to read labels and be aware sugar is recorded in up to 60 different ways.

It can be overwhelming to try to eliminate all sugar from your diet so consider taking small steps every week. Sugar is highly addictive and it can be hard to unhook from the cravings. So consider getting rid of the obvious sources like white sugar, lollies and soft drink. Even many breakfast cereals contain lots of sugar. If you have sugar in your tea or coffee, try reducing it and then eliminating it gradually as your taste buds become accustomed to less sugar.

Sugar is very inflammatory so reducing sugar or even eliminating it as much as possible should result in less aches and pains, better oral health, less up and downs with your moods and energy levels and an added bonus of weight loss if you are carrying extra weight due to sugary treats.

Also be aware that sugar replacements like aspartame are really unhealthy, so replacing with sugar free products is not a good choice. Lightly sweetened is also so vague it has no meaning. Try using liquid honey as a replacement. I have been enjoying porridge with chia seeds as a meal in the winter but I was using a small amount of golden syrup to sweeten it. I swapped that out for liquid honey and I really enjoy the flavour swap.

We are not always given the information we need in order to make informed decisions about what we eat so I hope this helps you consider how you can improve the fuel you put in your body and reduce or avoid sugar and artificial sweeteners. They may appear to give you the energy boost you seek but in the long run they are poor and often harmful fuel sources.