20/03/2024
A bit of nutrition education for you lucky people this Wednesday morning 😅😂
I did a blood sugar and gut microbiome test over the last few weeks with Zoe and it gave me some pretty worrying (but quite unsurprising) results. They gave me a score of foods that are excellent for my gut health which can be enjoyed in abundance (100/100) down to terrible (0/100 - these foods should only be eaten on rare occasions!
I will be trying out some recipes using some of these 100 point ingredients with Arlo - some of the lower scoring ingredients really surprised me because I have been using some of them in Arlo’s weaning diet which I thought were better for him than what they are! I also learned a lot of non-organic vegetables that contain a lot of water (cucumbers, courgettes etc) can hold pesticides in the skin because bugs love to eat them due to the water content. So peel off the skins and wash again!
100 score
Broccoli, Sprouts, Spring Greens, Hazelnuts, Kale, Puy Lentils, Mushrooms, Peas, Pecan Nuts, Baby Spinach, Macadamia Nuts, Walnuts, Pistachios, Brazil Nuts, Almonds (all nuts unsalted of course 😟), Green Olives (in brine), Courgette, Rocket, Tahini Paste
0 score
Tomato Sauce, BBQ Sauce, Sweet & Sour Sauce, Energy Drinks, Coca Cola, Polenta, Pork Sausages, Beef Jerky, Bacon, Salami, Marshmallows, Lightly Salted Rice Cakes
Some surprising scores to avoid, some of which I thought were ok to consume more regularly!
Raisins - 2
Honey - 4
Cranberry Juice - 7
White Rice - 13
White Bread - 15
Orange Juice - 22
Mustard - 23
Apple Juice - 25
Dates - 28
Beef Mince - 28
Watermelon - 29
Parsnips - 38
Surprising Facts for future diet choices
Veg Oil (78) is better to use than Coconut Oil (25)
Mayonnaise (44) is a better condiment than Mustard (23)
White Wine (41) is slightly better than ale (30) and cider (29), but wasn’t as low as I thought!
Wholewheat Pasta (71) blows normal Pasta (43) out of the water
Avoid Gluten Free flour (13) if you can v Soya Flour (81)
Tortilla Wraps (36) are a better choice than brown bread (22)
NB - these scores are personalised to me so be aware that some ingredients may not be beneficial to you due to allergies / intolerances. Please ask if you have any questions and I will try to answer! ☺️