Tuesday Tip: Aspartame and Cancer 🥤

You may have seen some headlines recently about the World Health Organisation cancer agency reclassifying aspartame, a key sweetener in diet drinks, as possibly carcinogenic. So is this a sign to panic and stop drinking diet drinks/eating foods with sweeteners? Well let’s just look at this a little closer.

The WHO cancer agency reclassified aspartame as a class 2B carcinogen, which means it’s “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” based on limited evidence, including animal studies. They’ve specifically said that it needs more research. For reference other substances in this category include pickled vegetables and aloe vera (coffee was, too, before being reduced to 3 in 2016.). Now this only considers whether something could cause cancer, but importantly not at what dose it’s dangerous.

Another WHO group, the JECFA, is an international scientific committee that evaluates the safety of, and the risks associated with, food additives, contaminants, and naturally occurring toxins in food. They concluded that the data evaluated indicated no sufficient reason to change the acceptable daily intake of 0-40 mg/kg body weight for aspartame. A 355 ml can of Diet Coke contains ~ 200 mg of aspartame. If you weigh 70 kg, you would need to drink ~15 cans of Diet Coke per day for it to even begin to have any negative effects.

Most notably if this info is concerning you and you’re worried about consuming aspartame as a result then you also need to consider the other foods in that category – pickled veg etc. More importantly the first thing you should do is stop drinking alcohol; an actual toxin the WHO has classified as a Group 1 carcinogen (“there is sufficient evidence the agent causes cancer in humans”). In fact, the WHO even states there is NO safe amount of alcohol consumption that doesn’t affect health : “We cannot talk about a so-called safe level of alcohol use. It doesn’t matter how much you drink – the risk to the drinker’s health starts from the first drop of any alcoholic beverage.”

So if we’re talking about relative risk, you’re more likely to get cancer drinking even the smallest amount of alcohol than you are drinking a few cans of Diet coke or any other artificially sweetened drink/food a few times per week. So I’m summary – don’t panic and if you enjoy a diet beverage continue to do so!

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx

Tuesday Tip: Start when you’re busy ⏰

One common thing I hear from people is that they want to start losing weight/ getting fit etc but they’re just going to wait until they’re less busy/have fewer social commitments going on etc. Now whilst I understand this completely, in actual fact it’s not the best approach. If you’re waiting until you’re less busy/less social to start a new habit/program then it sort of assumes that when you are busy again you’ll stop or revert back to your old ways. If you have to be less busy to do it then surely you can’t do it when you are busy right? In reality the best time to do it if you want a long lasting change is when you’re busy! Learn how to make it work in the worst conditions so you can easily stick to it long term.

It doesn’t need to be all or nothing, it doesn’t need to be perfect… it just needs to be something … consistently. If you are unhappy and wanting to make a change then you need to stop making excuses or using being busy/having lots of social events on etc to justify not starting to make a change. The reality is you will always have busy or sociable periods and waiting for the ‘perfect’ time to start is not a realistic way to make long term sustainable changes, because the moment you get busy etc again then you’ll struggle to stick to it.

So if you want to make a change but you’re telling yourself you’ll just wait until this week/month/holiday/event is over then stop. Today is the perfect time to choose change regardless of the what else is going on in your life. Take a small step today – consistency over perfection right?

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx

How to get bikini ready.. 👙

Summer holidays are on the horizon and already people are talking about wanting to get bikini body ready… so here’s my top tips for getting a bikini body! You probably assume you need to lose weight, cut out food groups and foods you enjoy, live on salads, do loads of workouts etc…

Nope – it’s a very simple 2 step process to getting your bikini body.

Step 1 – have a body ✅

Step 2 – put a bikini on it !

Ta da!

Now I realise it’s actually not that simple – and that wanting to look a certain way in your swimwear is totally valid. If you want to lose weight to feel more comfortable when you’re on the beach then that’s great – go for it! However whether you prefer a bikini, a swimsuit, a swim dress , a tankini, a sarong, T-shirt and shorts… whatever.. you’re entitled to wear whatever you like however you like. You deserve to enjoy the sunshine regardless of your shape or size. You don’t have to lose weight to do that! Find a style you like and rock it!

Happy summer!

Xx

Tuesday Tip: How to age well! 👵🏻

Ageing is something we all experience but perhaps we feel like it’s out of our control. In reality up to 80 percent of how we age is directly influenced by your lifestyle choices.

Movement, exercise, good nutrition, and sleep can make significant differences to how you age.

Regular physical activity can significantly slow the aging process in joints. Studies have shown that inactive individuals experience a rapid deterioration of joint health, leading to increased pain, stiffness and reduced mobility.

Regular exercise not only helps maintain muscle mass, but it also plays a crucial role in preventing age-related muscle loss. In contrast, a lack of physical activity is associated with muscle wasting, weakness, and frailty. It also helps with proprioception and balance. Proprioception is the body’s ability to sense movement, action, and location. It’s present in every muscle movement you have. Without proprioception, you wouldn’t be able to move without thinking about your next step. Proprioception allows you to walk without consciously thinking about where to place your foot next. As you age this becomes even more important and helps you to stop yourself falling. Preserving muscle mass also means you can get back up if you do fall. All this enables longer independence

People who regularly do some form of aerobic exercise, experience significant improvements in cognitive function and a decreased risk of age-related cognitive decline. Meanwhile, sedentary individuals have been shown to be prone to memory loss, reduced mental sharpness and at greater risk of neurodegenerative diseases

A diet abundant in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins provides essential vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals that combat oxidative stress, protects against age-related diseases, and promotes cellular health.

Lack of sleep disrupts vital processes, which can lead to some signs of aging, such as fine lines, dull skin, and impaired cognitive function. During deep sleep, the body engages in critical repair and rejuvenation activities, promoting cellular regeneration and optimising brain function.

So take some control back and prioritise some of these habits and prioritise your nutrition, exercise and sleep to ensure you age as well as possible!

Happy Tuesday 🤗xx