At Zing, March is near and dear to our hearts—and not just because we love the first blossoms of spring and the promise of warmer weather! March is also National Nutrition Month, and as Registered Dietitian Nutritionists we love that there’s a month dedicated to such a worthy subject.
To celebrate, we’re interviewing some of our colleagues and asking them for one piece of nutrition advice that stands above all others—starting with our Zing Founder and CEO, David Ingalls!
Q: What’s the one thing you recommend to your clients and loved ones to promote health and wellness?
A: Reduce the consumption of sugar and flour.
There are so many small food and nutrition changes people can incorporate into their lifestyles that will make a lasting difference in their health, but the biggest one I’ve found is minimizing sugar and flour. Both originate from nutritious whole foods—beets and wheatberries respectively. Through extensive refining and processing, these whole foods are reduced to crystalline simple sugars that spike blood sugars and wreak havoc on our metabolism. They are also addictive, much like other crystalline white powders. Worse yet, they deplete our bones and organs of key nutrients. Think about it. All of the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids, fiber and nutrients in the whole food have been stripped out in the refining process. Your body needs all of these nutrients to feed your cells and nourish your tissues. When eating mostly refined foods, your body doesn’t get these key nutrients so it leaches them little by little from your bones and organs. Over years and decades, this slow depletion leads to aging and disease.
I don’t advocate for eliminating white flour and sugar, but think it’s critical to be aware of this process and, more importantly, be aware of the many ways flour and sugar creep into our lives. Soda, bread, pasta, crackers, cakes, cookies, and other refined foods like sugary cereal and white rice don’t give back. They send our bodies into a metabolic blood sugar disruption and deplete our organs of essential nutrients.
How much sugar and flour do you consume? Can you think of ways to substitute other foods and reduce your consumption? Stay tuned for more of our favorite tips & tricks from real nutritionists!
