Sugar Free Farm - The Final Episode

Well... it's all over now and the celebrities have been back home for 6 weeks (or possibly a great deal longer, as we can never be quite sure when the series was filmed!) and it has to be said that they all looked pretty cheerful when they reached the finishing post.

To a man/woman, they felt better, had more energy, lost weight and liked what they saw in the mirror a great deal more than they had when they arrived and... they all took away a wealth of information about not just how much damage a sugar-laden diet had been having on their health but also how much more damage is likely to occur if they continue down that road.

All good so far and I earnestly hope that they all manage to use what they have learned to allow them to 'cook and eat fresh' at least 80% of the time and keep an eagle-eye on the rather-too-many foods and drinks that we are all surrounded by which threaten our sugar-busting resolve on a daily basis.

It's stressful but not too difficult when we are being 'policed' on a minute to minute basis as the celebrities were at the farm but it's a great deal harder when we are left to our own devices!

What was not discussed in any great depth was the ruinous effect stress can have on our eating habits. You are having a bad day, bad days prompt stress and ongoing stress prompts elevated levels of the hormone, cortisol which not only increases our appetite (particularly for sugary, starchy foods) but also encourages the body to store fat. Bad news all round!

However, the good news is that it's not all about exercising iron-discipline and willpower - there are ways to keep cortisol levels in check and manage the often desperate need to hoover down a Krispy Creme doughnut (or in Mark's case a tub of M&Ms!) Here are few very important and helpful pointers:

ALWAYS HAVE HEALTHY SNACKS WITHIN REACH. Sugar-free nut and seed bars, a small tub of hummus and some raw vegetable sticks, fresh fruit with hard cheese, miso soup sachets, a 'fat ' coffee (click here for recipe), a cooked chicken drumstick and half an avocado, a small tub of natural cottage cheese and a handful of baby tomatoes, a couple of oatcakes with nut butter, a boiled egg and a slice of cooked ham, a mixed bean salad, a protein-rich smoothie (click here for recipes) or a small bar of very dark chocolate and a handful of berries.

WORK OUT WHEN YOUR ENERGY DIPS GENERALLY OCCUR. There is often a pattern (for some it's mid morning, for others it's late evening but the most common is mid afternoon). The secret is to be ahead of the game and have a snack 10 to 20 minutes before you know it's likely to occur. Once you get into this habit, you will be amazed at how little you actually need to eat to get back on track.

GET MORE MAGNESIUM INTO YOUR DAY. This essential mineral is a real winner when it comes to controlling stress-induced cortisol elevation. Aim to include some of the following magnesium-rich foods in as many of your meals and snacks as you can throughout the day: spinach, chard, pumpkin seeds, natural yoghurt, almonds, back beans, avocado, figs, dark chocolate, bananas, salmon, cashew nuts, goats cheese.

EXERCISE DAILY. Endless studies reveal that one of the best ways to manage stress and blunt elevated cortisol levels is regular exercise - and it doesn't have to involve copious hours of pounding the pavements or hitting the gym. Just 20-30 minutes a day of whatever type of exercise suits your timetable (walking, jogging, running, cycling, trampolining, dancing, exercise videos etc) makes an impressive difference.

GET A GOOD SLEEP PATTERN GOING. Possibly the biggest threat when it comes to stress-control and blood sugar management is lack of sleep on an ongoing basis so we have to do everything we can to get our recommended 7-8 hours per night. Easy in theory but monumentally-difficult in practice! Try this for a week: go to bed at around the same time every night (11pm latest), make the room as dark as possible (or wear a sleep mask), don't watch TV or have any form of reader, mobile phone, tablet or laptop in the vicinity, focus on going straight to sleep (really concentrating on your breathing helps to clear you mind), set your alarm for the same wake-up time every day, get up as soon as it goes off (don't press the snooze button) and immediately open the curtains to let whatever daylight is evident into the room. What you are trying to achieve here is to ensure that you work, as much as is possible with your natural circadian rhythm where the body benefits from the practice of sleeping when it is dark and being awake during daylight hours.

CONSIDER A SUPPLEMENT IF SUGAR CRAVINGS STILL REGULARLY INVADE. I have already mentioned the importance of good levels of magnesium in your diet but the mineral, chromium also contributes to normal blood glucose balance so if you are struggling with ongoing stress and fighting the need for sugar, try a good quality blood sugar control complex. I like Biocare's Sucroguard www.biocare.co.uk which is a blend of key nutrients involved in managing glucose levels and ensuring that cells are provided with energy.  

What did you think to Sugar Free Farm? Let me know using the hashtag #SugarFreeFarm