Healthy Lifestyle Eating (Some Additional Advices to keep in Mind):

Healthy Lifestyle Eating (Some Additional Advice to Keep in Mind)

Recommended Daily Sugar Intake:

Doctors Frédéric Saldmann and David Servan-Schreiber explain the dangers of excessive sugar intake in their books. They emphasize that what truly matters are our long-term habits, not occasional indulgences.

The following information is intended to raise awareness and help form a mental picture to manage sugar consumption with more flexibility and mindfulness.

Refined sugar (like Beet-rude sugar), along with other forms of sugar and contributing factors, is significantly linked to increased cancer risk. The risk varies depending on the quantity consumed and the time of day it’s eaten.

General Guidelines:

According to studies, the maximum daily sugar intake that may trigger cancer development is approximately:

• Men: 50 grams per day
• Women: 40 grams per day

This threshold applies to developed countries such as France, where the standard of living and healthcare is relatively high. Crossing these levels increases the risk of cancer and other chronic conditions.

In other countries, such as Canada, the recommended maximum is even lower:

• Men: 25 grams per day
• Women: 20 grams per day

Dr. Servan-Schreiber also recommends avoiding sugar altogether or consuming as little as possible because “sugar calls for more sugar.” Eating sweets often increases your craving and daily intake. The more sugar you eat, the hungrier you may feel the next day.

A simple experiment: visit any local grocery store and examine treats. Most contain very high amounts of sugar. For instance, a can of Coca-Cola contains around 45 grams of sugar—equivalent to 12 sugar cubes. That single can surpasses the daily limit.

Understanding sugar quantities around us can help create a “mental threshold.” This is useful when attending parties or celebrations. Knowing these limits helps you visualize how much sugar is in each item, and you may start checking ingredients on labels. Apps like Yuka can help estimate sugar content by scanning product bar-codes.

This awareness helps highlight that most of the foods we buy are already too sweet. Occasional indulgence is fine, but we must remain cautious depending on our environment and lifestyle.

Sweeteners:

Some sweeteners are used as sugar substitutes, but not all are safe. Aspartame, for instance, is classified as a possible carcinogen. While certain alternatives can reduce sugar intake, they may not necessarily be healthier depending on the studies.

Also note: Sugar is everywhere—used like salt for food preservation. Even canned green beans may contain added sugar, which still contributes to your daily intake.

Timing Matters:

The time of day sugar is consumed significantly impacts the body. Morning sugar intake causes higher glycaemic spikes due to post-fasting reactions. The best time to consume sweets is around 4 PM, or at least after lunch.

Dark chocolate can be a good treat option—it has a lower impact on blood sugar spikes.

Cancer and Cell:

All humans have a mix of healthy and potentially defective cells. Any person—regardless of age—can develop cancer due to genetics, lifestyle, or cellular mutation. However, nutrition and habits play a critical role in reducing risks.

Vitamin Intake:

According to multiple sources (Links), it’s better to eat a diverse diet than to focus on quantity.

To understand your vitamin intake, start by reviewing the recommended daily allowances (RDAs) for each vitamin. While supplements can help, they are not always the best option. A varied, nutrient-rich diet is more sustainable and often more effective. (Example: Pulses are a good source of Vitamin B.)

Try to Include Vegetables in Each Meal:

Cancer Research UK recommends the following meal structure:

• 50% vegetables (especially green ones like spinach, broccoli, green beans)
• 25% protein (note: plant-based proteins are generally less bioavailable than animal proteins)
• 25% grains/carbohydrates (e.g., rice, potatoes, pulses, quinoa, buckwheat)

Grains are often overlooked but are essential for vitamin intake, digestive health, and liver function.

Tip: Eating pulses twice a week can significantly boost your intake of Vitamin B and improve well-being.

Trouble Preparing Veggies?

Use very good cookware:

Preparing Big Casserole Every 2 or 3 days and “Re Warm” veggies for each meal having constantly some Veggies Ready on the side of the plate.

Cookware Safety:

Avoid non-stick Teflon pans, especially if they are scratched. Poor-quality Teflon can release PFAS, which are harmful chemicals.

Veggie Prep Tools:

Vegetables like spinach and broccoli are easy to prepare. Hard-skinned varieties (e.g. Butter-nut squash) require proper tools.

Using Gloves for Veggie Prep:

Sometimes, people avoid vegetables due to contamination concerns or tactile discomfort. Wearing gloves can help, especially when dealing with sensitive skin or contaminated environments.

Choose food-safe gloves carefully. Avoid gloves with Talc or PFAS, which may absorb into the skin through sweat. A double-layer glove system (e.g. Mary Gold brand Type) allows the inner layer to be machine-washed.

Replace gloves when damaged, as tears expose your skin to the same risks as bare hands.

Seasonal Eating: Salad in Summer, Citrus in Winter

Salads (with oil and vinegar) aid digestion and liver function. However, vinegar acidity may irritate mucus linings and cause minor headaches. Rebalance by increasing Omega-3 (e.g. chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, linseed) or healthy animal fats (e.g. butter, cheese).

Vary oils and vinegars to access a range of nutrients. If you’re sensitive to acidity, top up your Omega-3s with seeds, seaweed, or oily fish.

Always wash salad thoroughly. Add a drop of vinegar to the wash water—it reduces bacterial contamination.

Dr. Jean-Marie Bourre recommends always pairing salad with oil and vinegar. It’s essential for proper digestion.

Use dishwasher-safe salad spinners (PFAS-free) to dry greens quickly. Owning two spinners helps ensure one is always clean and ready to use.

Eat salad at least once per day—ideally at lunch. In winter, reduce quantity or switch to chicory and include citrus fruits (like oranges). However, citrus can increase acidity, making digestion harder.

Important: Salad is among the most pesticide-contaminated vegetables. Buy organic whenever possible.

Upgrade Your Salad or Soup:

Include Sprouted seeds to increase vitamin variety.to skins can irritate sensitive guts, and high potassium levels can be problematic with salty foods.

Add Cherry tomatoes (naturally rich in Vitamin D)
(Note: Tomato skin can irritate the gut, and tomatoes are high in potassium. Avoid them if you consume salty food or adjust your hydration.)

Reducing Meat Consumption:

If you’re considering reducing meat, take it slow. I advise you to keep meat and only reduce consumption slowly (To see how it goes).Start to learn how to cook. Do not cut meat out suddenly. Find reliable protein alternatives.

Be cautious with Soy, which has a Maximum intake recommendation per day/week. Many protein alternatives are Highly processed and poorly balanced. Continue scanning products with the Yuka app to stay informed.

Stay active by knowing your limits and what works for you. by remembering we are post covid it’s not the moment to reduce your plate Vitamine diversity.

Struggling to Cook Every Day:

If daily cooking feels overwhelming, try making it fun. Play music in the kitchen—it lifts your mood and helps the time feel well spent.

You can even set up a second-hand Hi-Fi system in your kitchen—5.1 Dolby Digital Sound that can make cooking more fun.