Sugar and mental health: 2-ingredient, healthy ice cream

It is common knowledge that eating sugary foods makes your fat, gives you diabetes and generally doesn’t do the body much good. But far less attention is given to the effect of a high-sugar diet on our mental health. Many studies have shed light on the negative impact of sugar on mood and quality of life. In fact, associations have been made with a high-sugar diet and increased risk of depression, anxiety schizophrenia as well as a poorer recovery rate that those with a low-sugar diet.

It is easy to blame mental health problems on predisposed genetics but when a shocking 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem in our lives, we have to look at the change in environment that is causing the rise in psychological diagnoses. It is no coincidence that sugar-intake is at an all time high.

Sugar suppresses activity of a hormonal activity and the immune system- issues common to people with depression. Interestingly, the countries with the highest rate of depression also have a high sugar intake.

Similarly, sugar had been found to worsen anxiety symptoms and weaken our stress coping ability.  A sugar high and subsequent crash can cause shaking, fatigue, which can make anxiety worse or induce a panic attack.

If you or anyone you know are experiencing depressive or anxious symptoms, I would really advise cutting down on sugar. This doesn’t mean excluding it from diet all together, but it could be doing a lot more harm than you think.

SO…I GIVE YOU SUGAR FREE ICE CREAM! 

I think this recipe is the best healthy substitute I have found to date. It requires zero effort, only 2 ingredients and actually tastes better than real ice cream. Honestly you have to try it, it is unbelievably good! I can now have ice cream for breakfast without feeling guilty.

Ingredients

4 frozen bananas

1/2 cup Milk (I used almond milk but you can use whichever you have around!)

Flavouring/toppings (e.g. cocoa, honey, nuts, dark chocolate chips, berries)

1.  Freeze the bananas (with the skins off!) for a few hours. May be helpful to chop roughly them before freezing.

2. Place the bananas and milk in blender or food processor. I had to stop and scrape off the sides a few times but continue until mixture resembles ice cream!

3. Add whatever flavouring, I used cocoa topped with sugar-free chocolate chips and nuts.

N.B To make strawberry/raspberry flavoured ice cream add frozen berries in with the bananas.

Hopefully this recipe will give help you realise that fruit is a great alternative to man-made sugary products. Although it contains some sugar, it is more natural and less damaging for the body and brain. Enjoy!

Care less, eat more.

I found out something really cool and interesting that has really helped me to change the way I think about food…

The attitude we have towards a meal can change the way we metabolize it.

The limbic system regulates emotions, rewards and thoughts. Within the limbic system is the hypothalamus which integrates the processes of the mind and body. The hypothalamus also alters metabolic activity, and takes into account our emotional states when doing so.

If you are super excited about eating that pizza you’ve been craving all day and eat it with delight, the hypothalamus with increase activity to the digestive system, helping you to burn calories quickly and efficiently. However, if you are feeling really guilty about eating the pizza and are already working out how long you’ll have to spend in the gym to burn it off, the hypothalamus dampens its activity to the digestive system, inhibiting caloric breakdown and causing more to be stored as body fat.

In other words, our attitude towards food can be as important its nutritional value. I think it is’ so cool that your thoughts and emotions toward a meal can actually change the physical response you have to it.

Knowing this really motivates me to try and change the way I feel before I eat food that I know is bad for me. I am finding it really difficult to kick my chocolate addiction and always feel so guilty before I eat anything sweet. With this new information in mind, I am going to try and embrace the fact that I am going to eat it and let myself enjoy the deliciousness. Firstly, it is a much nicer experience actually enjoying the food you secretly want but know you shouldn’t eat. Secondly, being happy about my choice may actually make me digest it faster it…it’s a win-win situation!

Check out my new recipes for Cinnamon roasted butternut squash with leeks, pecans and cranberries and Tomato and mushroom dhaal (pictured above)…These are some recipes you know you’ll be happy about eating!

Eat fat, lose fat.

When trying to lose weight, one of the first things that we are told to do is to cut out high-fat food.  Public health campaigns and articles promote this idea, and as a result many people will avoid foods with high-fat content. Supermarkets make this easy, giving us a ‘low-fat’ alternative to nearly every product.

But in reality, many of the products marketed as ‘low in fat’ or ‘light’ contain the same number of calories and have more sugar than the high-fat option. This is a huge problem! We are fooled into picking the unhealthy option under the pretence that we are eating healthier foods!

A recent study showed that people regularly under-estimate the amount of calories in low-fat foods and over-estimate the calories in high-fat foods by a whopping 35%. How unfair is it that even when we consciously try to improve our diets, the mislabelling by food companies is stopping us.

If I am going out of my way to choose the healthy option, I want it to actually be the healthy option!

Actually, we should not be completely avoiding foods high in fat, as fat is a necessary part of our diet. Our brains are made up of a mainly fats, so our dietary fat intake influences our mental state. Evidence even suggests that increased fat consumption can prevent disorders of cognitive function.

It is important to state that these studies are mainly talking about good fats. Monounsaturated fats have been associated with enhanced memory, learning and decreased risk of Alzheimer’s. So despite what we are lead to believe, fats are not all bad. By all means exclude saturated fats, but it is encouraged to increase intake of healthier fats such as eggs, avocado, olive oil. Plus, natural fats are totally delicious and can turn a boring meal into a taste sensation. I have spent so much time this week experimenting with avocados that the man at vegetable market has been saving me the biggest and ripest ones each day…I think it’s safe to say we have bonded.

My main message here is that fat is an important macro-nutrient that we all need for well-balanced, efficient functioning. While it may feel like we should choose ‘low-fat’ products, a small amount of good fat is so much better for you than the sneaky sugar they add and don’t advertise!

Here are some recipes high in unsaturated fats, that will do your brain the world of good: Poached eggs and smashed avocado on toast or baked egg in avocado.

Poached eggs and avocado on toast

This mouthwatering recipe is high in unsaturated fats, cheap and takes 5 mins- I’m obsessed!

Ingredients

2 pieces of wholewheat/multi-seed bread

1/2 avocado

2 eggs

Balsamic glaze

1. Mash 1/2 avocado in a bowl and then spread over bread (you can toast the bread first if you prefer)

2. Poach two eggs. Boil water and start gentle swirling with a spoon. Crack the egg into the middle of the whirlpool and spin until the white encases the yolk. Leave for 2-3mins.

3. Add the eggs to the bread and top with balsamic glaze, salt and pepper.

10-day juice cleanse

To kick start my new healthy lifestyle, I did a 10-day juice cleanse. I somehow coaxed my dad into doing it with me, which actually really helped to stop me from giving up. Although there were frequent debates about which flavour juice to have – my dad didn’t quite get that you can only juice fruit and vegetables and kept sneakily trying to put chocolate buttons in the juicer.

We were sticking to this plan recommended by my guru ‘Joe‘.. check out the link for more information on juicing

 

It is fair to say that the first few days were a little challenging –  I had to stop myself opening the fridge/cupboard and grabbing the first thing I saw about 10 times a day. But after a while your body gets used to it and, provided you drink enough juice, you really don’t feel that hungry.

As I previously stated, juicing seems to be a controversial matter; many have strong views on whether it is really has healthy, positive effects.

Having scoured the internet I have found evidence for many physical health benefits, such as;

• Eliminate toxins
• Rest and repair the intestines and stomach,
• Flush out the liver
• Increases intake of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients nutrients (which give digestive and anti-inflammatory enzymes).
• Rehydrates the body
• Weight loss
• Heals cells

There are also many psychological benefits of cleansing, which are often overlooked.

Eliminate toxic foods. The juice cleanse eliminates dairy, wheat, gluten and fermented foods from the diet (as well as coffee and alcohol).  This can reduce our dependence on these foods and help to find what foods may be cause our body problems when they are reintroduced.

Improve energy. After a few days adjustment period (mostly due to caffeine/sugar withdrawal symptoms), the concentrated beneficial energizing  nutrients give most people much more energy and clarity.

Reduce appetite.  Juicing stops the habit of overeating, and makes you feel satiated with less food than usual. This provides a big psychological boost to changing bad habits such as comfort eating or picking.

Starts a routine. Having a set juicing routine can break bad eating habits and put good habits in place for post-juice healthy eating.

Ease food decision-making. Juicing focuses on consuming fresh whole food produce every few hours — and reduces the enslavement of thinking constantly about what the next meal is going to be. Not only do we feel full, but realize we are no longer slaves to our addictions with (often very harmful) foods.

 

Of course I can’t tell you the physical internal processes that occurred I can say that juicing felt both physically and psychologically beneficial to both me and my dad. We have tons of energy, our skin is glowing and our bodies feel like they have had a fresh new start.

My personal reasons for juicing were to break my dependence on unhealthy foods and replace bad eating habits with new, healthier ones. I think these 10 days have done both of those things! I really have no interesting in eating unhealthy foods, and haven’t craved caffeine or sugar since finishing. If anything, I am craving more juice and vegetables, as I know how much energy they can give me and how great they can make me feel.

On the habit side of things, I have stopped going to the fridge every 5 minutes to munch and my dad has kicked his chocolate button habit. He enjoyed juicing so much that he has bought his own juicer and is carrying on for an extra 10 days! This is a man who is notorious for his chocolate addiction and has an aversion to all things green … so if he can do, it anyone can!

I know juicing can seem quite extreme, but you don’t have to completely cut out foods to start juicing. People advice drinking juice on top of your normal meals as it provides so many nutrients. Since finishing juicing, my dad and I are continuing to drink juices every morning, purely because can feel the good they are for us!

For our favourite juice recipes, see previous posts or the drinks tab.

Happy juicing!