- Photo credit: Be Nice To You – www.benicetoyou.com
The nutritional content of food matters more than counting calories, according to Kate Walker, founder of Be Nice to You. The Birmingham-based dietary adviser has spent the past 30 months developing an outreach website to help online users counter the effects of over-processed foods.
Genetically, the human body has not changed significantly for thousands of years, argues Kate, although: “…our food has changed beyond all recognition…” during the past century. The food diary that she offers to Be Nice To You users is based on nutritional values rather than calorie counts.
In recent months, Kate has worked with a group of 20 clinically diagnosed diabetics on prescribed insulin. During the 12-week programme, some lost weight and some no longer needed the insulin treatment as processed foods were taken out of their diet.
“If there is nothing the body can use in food to rebuild itself, then it will not be satisfied regardless of the calorific intake,” she told ARC2020. The message of the Be Nice To You website is clear: the nutritional value of foods bought raw and cooked at home is greater than processed foods such as ready meals.
Kate is a guest presenter at the BBC local radio station Radio WM, where she discusses health and nutritional issues with listeners across the West Midlands every month.
