Gloria Hunniford, 75, co-hosts the new BBC1 show Food: Truth or Scare.
Here she tells how food has affected her health and how she aims to help you
There’s dieting for vanity and there’s dieting for sanity. And the latter has helped me beat off the threat of diabetes.
It was during an annual blood test in 2013 that my doctor said I was pre-diabetic and told me to take my life in my hands.
That meant cutting out croissants, chocolate and biscuits – for, like my late sister Lena who struggled with diabetes, I had a sweet tooth.
I’d dieted before but going on a medical diet gives you determination. I cut out all the sugar I could.
Inside six weeks, my GP ran another test and said, for my age, I had achieved the best reading.
This was the start of a journey in which I have learned more about food , its benefits and its pitfalls.
It’s clear to me now that sugar, not fat, is public enemy number one. And low fat just means it’s been replaced by too much sugar.
A few months after bringing my sugar levels down, I cut my finger carving lamb. I suffered a terrible reaction, close to blood poisoning.
The doctor treating me said if I was pre-diabetic, I ought to quit carbs too because they turn into sugar in the body.
So I gave up bread, pasta and potatoes. It wasn’t the end of the world. Now I’ll have egg or sausage for breakfast, but no bread.
It’s soup or salad with fish for lunch and in the evening I’ll replace potatoes with cauliflower, which has the same sort of crunch.
Instead of sugary snacks I’ll have a chunk of cheese, nuts or a glass of milk.
After cutting out sugar and carbs, I’d dropped two stone to 8st 7lb – a little too thin, so I’m now back up at 9st 1lb.
To help make the right diet choices, it’s necessary to cut through confusing and sometimes downright frightening headlines.
Advice changes all the time too.
When my husband Stephen, 74, had a heart attack 12 years ago, I told him he wasn’t allowed more than three eggs a week because of his high cholesterol.
But during filming I found eggs have no impact on it. In fact, they are a superfood with as many nutrients as fillet steak.
When it comes to vitamins I’m a self-confessed junkie. I’ve been taking supplements since I was 17.
We spoke to some experts who suggested pills weren’t necessary if you follow a good diet – but who does that when we’re all so busy?
I want to live as long as I can for my family, including my late daughter Caron’s kids. Vitamins are my insurance policy.
I learned so much while doing this show. For example, cooking with olive oil can be bad for you beyond a certain temperature.
And don’t chop carrots until they’re cooked to retain their goodness.
Armed with the correct information, you can make the right decisions.
Graham
3 comments:
I need to do this. I did it before, and stayed off sugar for years, but that was when I lived near Whole Foods. Their gorgeous stacks of fresh produce helped a lot! And now I've lost my tolerance for turkey and a number of other foods. Food allergies are rough.
hope all goes fine dear, i have to avoid spicy food and when i see people older the me eat with no harm it makes me little sad for a while
This was so interesting, a great testimonial. And yet i hear over and over that we should cut out fat from our diet. Carbs (sugar) not fat, is the culprit. We are as a society still so ignorant of nutrition, and the medical community and drug companies don't help anything.
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