February 9th is Shrove Tuesday – otherwise known as Pancake Day. Pancakes were traditionally consumed the day before Lent, as a means of using up rich foods such as sugar, milk and eggs before the 40-day fasting period of Lent.

Many of us attempt to give up a chosen food for this duration each year, either as a mental challenge or as an attempt to improve our health. While this is all well and good, could it be that there are certain foods or drinks we should be giving up for longer than 40 days? Perhaps, for life?

White foods
Rice, pasta and bread are all staple carbohydrates in our diets, but are we eating the wrong type?

It isn’t easy to switch to brown bread after a life lived on white bread – especially because flavour and appearance play a big role in the appeal of white bread. Bran – the outer part of the wheat grain – is a component rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals, which are all lost in the production of white bread as the bran is removed. White flour is also ‘bleached’ with chemicals and some hidden ingredients are added, such as caramel to give a brown look to the bread.

Superior in nutritional value
Brown rice takes longer to cook due to the presence of bran (meaning it is high in fibre) and has a shorter shelf life, which both contribute to it not being as popular. However, the difference in brown and white rice is also down to the removal of bran (and germ), which – along with the ‘polishing’ of white rice – also results in a significant loss of vitamins and minerals. Both brown rice and flour are superior to their white counterparts in nutritional value, which is why it is important to switch.

Alcohol
The chances are many of you have already done ‘Dry January’ in an attempt to reverse the effects of a heavy Christmas period. However, apart from noticing a possible decrease on the weighing scales, have you thought about the other ‘invisible’ positive effects your abstinence from alcohol has had on your body?

While most of us are familiar with the adverse effects of an alcohol-fueled night – headaches, dehydration, lack of sleep to name a few – this toxin is doing more damage than the eye can see. Alcohol inhibits the absorption of nutrients from other sources, meaning that even if your diet is fairly healthy, you may not be getting the most of it if you drink too much. Furthermore, alcohol interferes with normal metabolic processes – including fat burning – which can cause fat to accumulate in the body.

Many benefits of teetotalism
Giving up alcohol even for a month can lower your blood cholesterol and blood glucose, decrease levels of liver fat and help you lose weight. In addition, you are likely to sleep better, be more alert and have higher levels of concentration at work and with day-to-day tasks, which in turn will enhance performance. Improvements in skin conditions, boosted fertility and increased fitness levels are just a few more benefits of being ‘teetotal’. So why not try staying away from alcohol a little longer and see if you can feel the long-term benefits.

Refined sugar
Giving up refined sugar is no mean feat. It is found in almost all packaged food and drinks, processed and fast food, and even your favourite Starbucks Frappuccino. Given the amount we consume as a nation, it’s not surprising that sugar is being labelled more addictive than tobacco and more fattening than fat.

Often we think we’re making good choices at home and, while it’s still probably better than eating out all the time, homemade food can lead you astray. The tablespoon of sweet chilli sauce you add to your stir fry, and the ‘fat-free’ dressing on your salad both contain more than 6g of sugar.

Your body will thank you
There are a plethora of benefits associated with cutting out refined sugar including improved sleep, clearer skin, weight loss, fewer mood swings and a generally better mood, improved immune system, fewer cravings, and a feeling of control. Surely that’s enough to tempt you to remove some, if not all, refined sugar from your diet!

The reality is if you want to cut out refined sugar, you’ll have to find time in your busy schedule to cook or prepare your own food from scratch so you know exactly what is going into your meals. Batch cooking is a good way to save time, and many people in the fitness industry choose one day to prep all their meals for the week in order to save time on week nights. It takes a bit of getting used to after years of grabbing food on the go, but your body will thank you for it.