As a doctor I’m very interested in nutrition and good health, and I worry about the growth of ‘convenience’ processed foods.
There’s more and more evidence that heart disease, cancer and type II diabetes are triggered by inflammation. Inflammation can be a good thing – it helps our bodies fight infection, and cancer cells – but if it starts appearing when it’s not needed, it causes harm. One trigger for unhelpful inflammation is the large spikes in blood sugar after eating many junk foods, sweets and deserts. Even savoury processed food often has hidden sugar. Glycaemic Load (GL) value is a useful indicator of how quickly a food releases sugar into your blood – a low GL is under 10, and 20 and above is classed as high.
So as my predecessor, Hippocrates allegedly said – Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food – wise words.
My research led me to Lizi’s Super Muesli, which of course I road-tested. Lizi and husband Mick Shaw are passionate about wholesome food and they test the GL of all their products. For a single serving of their muesli, the GL is around 5, so good and low. Contrary to popular perception in this ‘low-fat’ world, some fats are essential for our well-being, and hence Lizi makes sure their muesli’s have plenty of nuts and seeds.
So we’ve established that Lizi’s Super Mueslis are good for you, but do they taste OK? Short answer – they taste heavenly. There are four different choices. All have a base of different whole grains, including ancient varieties such as spelt, but with very distinct and frankly delicious flavours.
Here’s a summary guide:
GLOW: featuring fig, apple and almond it provides B2 and selenium – good for healthy hair and nails and also fatigue. It has large chunks of dried green figs, which I loved.
BOOST: features mango, papaya and turmeric – which as you know has many beneficial properties, and the vitamin C and B6 help tiredness and our immune system. It tastes very fruity and the natural sweetness of the fruit offsets the bite of the turmeric.
FOCUS: this has noticeably no dried fruit but majors on nuts and seeds, including hazelnut and pecan, and also contains maca – a Peruvian root which is said to boost energy. It contains zinc and B6 – to help brain function.
CLEANSE: I have to say this was my favourite – the tartness of the chunks of dried cranberry, raspberry and cherry was simply delicious. It provides zinc and vitamin C – but frankly I don’t care – I just love the taste.
So if you’re looking for a New Year’s resolution, you could do worse than resolve to switch to these delicious, wholesome and healthy breakfast mueslis. They come in attractive and convenient resealable packs and are available from Lizi’s website.
By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.