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Is this new rule good or bad
31st July 2009
* Why this 'healthy' coffee is bad for you
* Why decaf is unhealthier
* Another warning on this high street menace
Do you think the following is a good idea...?
The government wants to make your chocolate
bars smaller.
Notice the way I say 'your' chocolate bars, like
I wouldn't know what to do with a Twix if I was
handed one.
Smoke it? Stick it behind my ears? Who knows?
Anyway, the plan is to force chocolate
manufacturers to reduce the size of their bars by
about 20%.
Why? To help us reduce our calorie intake and
stop us eating so much saturated fat.
So, what do you think? Is this something we
should applaud (albeit with tears running down
our cheeks), or something we should condemn
as yet another example of Big Brother Britain.
CCTV cameras... ID cards... and now, er,
chocolate bars.
Is this a move in the right direction, or should
people be informed of the risks, be educated, but
ultimately be left to make their own decisions?
I'd really love to hear what you think, because
this is a tricky one for me.
On one level, I think people should be left to
make their own decisions. Otherwise I can see
the day where us chocolate eaters are forced to
scurry around at dark, hiding in the shadows
until we reach a door, knock twice, give the
password ('I'll have seconds please') and hurry
into a chocolate safe house, where we'd nibble
nervously on our KitKats.
But on the other hand, unhealthy eating is a
very, very serious problem in this country.
Unless our diets improve drastically, it's
estimated that 60% of Britons will be obese.
So, chocolate bars would be for the chop. In size
at least.
And fizzy drinks would be forced to do the
same selling smaller cans only.
Now in principal, this all sounds marvellous.
And maybe it is the only REAL way to get the
majority of people to look after their health.
After all, not everyone's as enlighten as a Good
Life reader such as yourself.
So, really, tell me what you think. I'd love to
hear from you. And once I've woken up and had
a good think about it, I'll come back to the
subject in a future issue.
In the meantime...
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Why this 'healthy' coffee is bad for you
Last week I had a wee rant about the health
police - specifically their views on salt.
Well, actually it STARTED with salt, but
quickly led into wine, fat and everything else we
get nagged about.
Well here's another nail in the coffin for the
health nags...
The US National Institutes of Health has found
that drinking decaffeinated coffee could
increase the risk of heart disease.
Yep - increase, not decrease.
Those in the survey who drank decaffeinated
coffee experienced an 18% rise in the fatty
acids, which encourages the production of bad
'LDL' cholesterol.
They also discovered that their levels of
apolipoprotein B (a bad cholesterol) shot up by
8%.
The group drinking regular coffee was not
affected.
The survey was led by Dr Robert Superko of the
'Fuqua Heart Centre' in Georgia. He said:
'Contrary to what people have thought for many
years, I believe it's not caffeinated but
decaffeinated coffee that might promote heart
disease risk factors.'
So there you go... another 'healthy' alternative,
like margarine and artificial sweeteners, has
turned out to be the devil in disguise.
Haven't we learned any lessons, yet?
When will scientists realise that making
chemically altered versions of perfectly decent
foodstuffs only INCREASES the risk of a health
disaster? |
Why decaf is unhealthier
One reason for the results of the survey on
coffee appears to be that caffeinated and
decaffeinated coffees are made from different
species of beans.
Most caffeinated coffee comes from a bean
species called 'Arabica'... while many
decaffeinated coffees are made from 'Robusta',
which is much, much stronger.
This is because decaffeination takes out those
flavanoids that give coffee its flavour.
The problem with that is these flavanoids act
like powerful anti-oxidants, which can help
protect the heart and fight cancer.
So decaffeinated brands are not only lower in
flavanoids, but use a much stronger bean to
match the flavour of the regular stuff.
The result is that decaf gives your bad
cholesterol a most unwelcome boost.
Most experts believe that you shouldn't worry if
you're one of those who enjoy only one or two
cups of coffee a day... but I think you should be
aware of this study.
So that's decaf dealt with.
Now let's move onto another danger that's
stalking the nation...
Another warning on this high street menace
A while back I told you about the dangers of the
ubiquitous sun tanning salons that seemed to
have cropped up on every high street.
Especially the ones that have no trained staff.
Basically, as long as you've got the money (and
it's only a few pounds), you can lie on a sun
bed for as long as you like... something that a
lot of youngsters seem to be doing.
Well here's a piece of information that should
shock heavy users out of the salons...
According to the International Agency for
Research on Cancer, sun beds can increase the
chances of developing skin tumours by 75%.
In fact, sun beds that emit ultra-violet rays are
carcinogenic to humans. It means we
SHOULDN'T USE THEM.
Crikey - I've turned into a bit of a health nag
myself, haven't I?
Must be the idea of smaller chocolate bars that's
made me so tense.
That's all for today.
I'll be back on Sunday with more news, views
and tips to help you enjoy a healthier life. |
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