Sugar free my a**

I have just about had it with all these fad diets and trends.

Why is it so difficult to grasp the concept of eating well. We eat food that fuels our bodies and what nourishes our bodies, or so we should.

Now, I will be the first person to agree that sugar is the enemy. Refined sugar that is. If it has been processed it is no good for you! Your body cannot deal with it, you will not digest it the way you should, it is unnatural and therefore not designed for human consumption.

However, I do believe that a little bit of what you fancy will not kill you. If you want that donut, eat that donut. Just stop at one and ensure all your other meals and snacks are nutritious. I would be the first to eat the donut.

But to hear all these people now say that fruit should be cut out, FRUIT! Yes, fruit it full of sugar, but it is natural. I like to think of it in the same way as fat. There was a huge trend for a long time saying that fat is the

enemy. Again, unnatural processed fats are. But dairy, nuts, salmon, avocado, they are among the many foods which burn fat, and guess what, they are high in fat.

Did you know you need fat to burn fat? That may not make sense to a lot of people but the healthy fats like omega 3 and 6 feed the body and give it the ability to slowly release energy and burn the visceral fat.

So now to be told to cut out fruit has really wound me up. As someone with a sweet tooth, I need fruit to help me avoid eating biscuits every day. (And I would). Not only is it a better alternative but think about all the fibre and vitamins you would miss out on too. Vitamin C, potassium, calcium, the list goes on.

Also, the sugar in fruit helps fuel my runs, because you need carbs and sugar to give you the energy to run.

Why does it have to be a diet? Why does it have to be a lifestyle, fat free, sugar free, dairy free, wheat free. Unless you have an allergy or a personal reason for not eating a certain food group, then eat that food.

What a lot of people cannot grasp is that it is all about moderation and nutrition. You feed your body the kind of food that it needs, that helps it run at optimum performance then you can have that slice of cake, it is fine. The only thing I have heard of lately which I agree with is the 80/20 method.

Eat well 80% of the time then that left over 20% when you want to eat something naughty, don't feel guilty for it. Your body can handle it because it is happy.

Think of your diet as a healthy life style, a way of living and eating rather than a quick fix fad diet which will work for a week and then the weight and the lethargy will come flooding back.

Today's lesson: Eat that apple, then eat your steamed chicken and veg and then you know what... Eat that Rocky Road!