Wellbeing: A little of what you fancy

Published on Friday 27 November 2009 16:18

It's official – now you can indulge in a few tipples, a naughty chocolate treat or even a sugary fizzy drink, safe in the knowledge that it's actually good for you . . .

AN APPLE a day is all very well, but wouldn't you rather have a bar of smooth, dark chocolate or a glass of wine instead? The Spanish study that this month claimed men who consume ten alcoholic drinks every day could slash their risk of heart disease by half had some of us reaching for the corkscrew with lightning speed.

Obviously health experts were equally fast in warning that consuming that much booze could kill you in other ways. Interestingly, though, the study found that it didn't matter what kind of tipple men chose – wine, beer or spirits all had the same effect. Unfortunately, the results were much less marked among women.

It has also been reported that a daily chocolate fix could keep our wrinkles at bay – now that's the kind of medical breakthrough we can stomach. It seems the flavanols in cocoa counteract the ageing effects of the sun and could even cut the risk of skin cancer.

Historically, cocoa has been used to treat everything from kidney disorders and liver disease to depression and tickly coughs, but scientists now believe the antioxidants in it could also help prevent cancers and heart disease, and increase blood flow to the brain, fighting dementia into the bargain. So scoff at will – but only on good-quality, high cocoa-content chocolate bars.

"The darker the chocolate, the better it is," says nutritionist Louisa Johnston, of Tonic Health in Edinburgh, "because there are less milk solids, sugar and e-numbers in there.

"People give themselves such a hard time about walloping through a whole bar of something, but if the quality of what they're eating is bad they end up craving more of it because it's full of sugar and additives. They feel they have no will power, but it's definitely a chemical thing."

She adds, "I'm a real believer in using as near to the natural form of the product as possible. That way you get the appropriate natural usage of the ingredients and it doesn't leave you feeling as if you need more."

And anyway, a little bit of what you fancy does you good, right? "That whole mentality of 'diet' came out in the 1970s," says Johnston. "It's all about what you can't have as opposed to what you can have. But if you fill your diet with things that are good and vibrant and you get what you need from them, you don't need to feel you're depriving yourself."

That means including other antioxidant-rich foods in your diet such as tomatoes, kiwi fruits, lemons, broccoli, spinach, kale, parsnips, carrots and berries. And, by all means, eat a little dark chocolate, safe in the knowledge that it's keeping you young and beautiful. "Everything in moderation," says Johnston. "If you have balance, the chances are that you'll be less likely to want to go on a chocolate bender."

Fortunately, these are not the only 'sins' that could turn out to be saintly. We already know that a daily glass of red wine could protect our hearts, but it has also been linked to a reduction in gum disease and a slowing down of Alzheimer's. Champagne has its benefits too (apart from the obvious ones, that is). All those bubbles really do release a cocktail of organic chemicals that bestow on the drinker an "uplifting sensory experience". On a more serious note, it has been found to protect the brain against injuries sustained during a stroke and to fight the effects of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

A German study has found that using nicotine patches prior to surgery can help wounds heal faster – even though smoking has the opposite effect. And while cutting back on coffee intake has been on most people's health agenda at one time or another, now you don't have to feel too guilty when you get your morning buzz. That's because it could help lower your risk of diabetes, not to mention easing the onset of cirrhosis of the liver, pancreatitis, kidney stones and gallstones.

But you should still restrict your intake to just three cups a day.

Fizzy drinks have long been blamed for rotting our teeth and making our children hyperactive, but researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University have found that drinking two cans a day can improve your memory by as much as 20 per cent – and could also help prevent Alzheimer's. However, don't bother knocking back the Diet Cokes – the research was based on a sugar content of 25 per cent. In fact, separate research has shown that drinking two or more diet drinks a day could damage your kidneys, so go for full sugar every time.

And next time you're at the multiplex, drinking your giant cup of fizz, don't feel too bad about downing a tub of popcorn with it. Scientists say the cinema snack contains "surprisingly large" levels of polyphenols, antioxidants that can reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Even cream sponges, doughnuts and cupcakes could help you lose weight... but only if you look at them. That's because weight-conscious women who were shown pictures of sweet things became more resolved to eating healthily as a result. Which means you really can have your cake. Even if you're not allowed to eat it.

... and now for the bad news

Some things we think are good for us could actually be harmful.

Healthy eating Obsessing about calories counts and fat content, or cutting out carbs, dairy or wheat all together, is known as orthorexia nervosa. Sufferers tend to be aged over 30, middle-class and well-educated, but could end up malnourished and psychologically damaged as a result of their extreme behaviour.

Positive thinking When those with a serious illness were told nothing further could be done, they were found to be much happier than those who held out hope for a cure. "Hope is an important part of happiness," says Peter Ubel, one of the authors of the Happily Hopeless study. "But there is a dark side of hope. Sometimes, if hope makes people put off getting on with their life, it can get in the way of happiness."

Aspirin A daily pill was once thought to help prevent the risk of heart attack and is taken by millions, but it is now thought to cause more harm than good, increasing the risk of internal bleeding. Doctors are recommending the practice be abandoned.

• This article first appeared in the 29 November edition of Scotland on Sunday