As the saying goes, “You are what you eat.” Which is why over the years, I’ve been more aware of what goes into my mouth and even to a certain extent, what comes out (no constipation, etc).
I must thank the BBC for being the constant reputable source of my documentary ‘addiction’ and I just watched this one on food! The title caught me…”The truth about food: How to stay young and beautiful”. Now, who wouldn’t want that? Moreover, knowing BBC, there will definitely be interesting scientific tests to prove or disprove popular claims about diets, etc.
I’ll summarise a few key takeaways but I do recommend that you watch the documentary in its entirety.
1. Eat more tomatoes
Tomatoes are rich in lycopene which is an antioxidant that helps your skin from getting burnt so easily! The study done by the University of Manchester over 3 months showed that people who eat tomatoes have an average 30% less damage from UV. Time to load up on that juicy fruit. Oh, it also makes a great facial mask as Su Lee mentioned during our “Beauty Secrets From The Kitchen” workshop at Beauty Week.
2. Eat more berries
Just like tomatoes, berries such as strawberry and blueberry contain loads of antioxidants. Besides the skin, the antioxidants in berries are shown to greatly help slow down the degeneration of the ocular muscles. As we often are staring at our computer screens, I do suggest eating a cup of berries everyday to prevent any eye problems when we hit our 60s or 70s. If you have trouble getting the actual fruit, try Unicity’s Probiotic which is a supplement that contains both berries and probiotics to support a healthy gastro-immune system.
3. Detox diets are a myth
Alas, despite how many people say that they feel energised/ lighter/ slimmer etc after going on a detox diet, the controlled experiment clearly showed that our bodies’ natural detoxification organs work just fine. No real improvement or efficiency in the detox department after going on a detox diet. If this seems to go against what we’ve said during Melissa’s Table Top Talk Episode 14, one must remember that Su Lee did not advise people to go on a detox ‘diet’ but that it is important to include more fibre and nutrients into one’s diet to aid the body’s natural detoxification process because of our modern environment and lifestyle. Again, every body is different. So what works for you may not work for another.
4. Drinking extra 2L of plain water a day is not necessary
I was a bit shocked about this one. Turns out that all we need is to consume 2.5L a day and this comes from our foods and any sort of beverages. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t drink water when we’re thirsty, just that your coffee/tea/soups do count into your daily intake! Nonetheless, scientific studies (read: Drinking More Water Reduces Sugar, Sodium and Saturated Fat Intake) do show that drinking more plain water DOES help in your health. Thus, tip is to choose to drink plain water rather than that coffee or soda to hit your 2.5L per day.
Nonetheless, if your current diet and health regime makes you feel tip top, don’t think too much and just carry on!
Melissa Fann
