3. Take a Break From Refined Foods
Refined foods like white flour, sugar, and bread, have been heavily processed and changed from their original organic state, which alters their texture and taste. Although this is done to increase the shelf-life of foods and make them taste more palatable, refined foods lose many nutrients and often contain added sugar and toxin causing chemicals.
Our bodies just aren’t equipped to deal with foods that have been refined as efficiently as whole grain, unprocessed foods and this is partly down to their lowered fibre content. Refined products are more calorie dense than their whole grain counterparts and National Institute of Health research found that eating too many increases the hunger hormone ghrelin, leading to overeating and obesity.
When you eat refined produce, it causes steep spikes of insulin in your body, which creates inflammation and toxins. This not only means you’re likely to experience energy slumps, but as insulin regulates sleep, it can also mean your sleep is more disrupted. Refined foods also make food pass more slowly through the colon, meaning your body absorbs more toxins as the food putrifies and rots – ewww!
If you needed any more convincing to cut down on your intake of refined foods though, we think there couldn’t be a better reason to toss them than living longer – one British Medical Journal study discovered that consuming 7+ daily portions of refined grains worsened longevity of life by 27%!
