HOLLOW OUT YOUR BREAD ROLLS

THE ideal brain-fog-clearing diet keeps junk food and carbohydrate intake low. Bloodsugar rushes and crashes can leave us feeling foggy, listless, anxious and depressed.

Worse, a high-carb diet can lead to a condition called insulin resistance (where your cells don’t respond as they should to the metabolic demands of the hormone insulin) which has been linked to memory problems and dementia.

So replace high-sugar, quickrelease carbs with ‘complex’ slow-burn carbohydrates such as whole grains and vegetables that contain mood-boosting amino acids. Try these swaps...

OPT for an ‘open sandwich’ with plenty of nutritious filling on a slice of wholemeal bread.

AT THE sandwich shop, ask for your bread roll to be hollowed out to cut carb intake.

CHOOSE thin crust pizza rather than carb-heavy deep dish, share a pizza with friends and fill-up on salad first.

EAT veg raw or lightly cooked to maximise the fibre’s bloodsugar-blocking capabilities

ENJOY wholemeal pasta (occasionally) but only undercooked. ‘Al dente’ it takes longer to digest and keeps your blood sugar levels stable.

DRINK black tea with your lunch (it reduces the amount of glucose that is absorbed into the gut).

USE large crisp lettuce leaves in place of bread for sandwiches and wraps.

MASH a tin of butter beans (packed with fibre and nutrients) instead of potato.

SWITCH white bread, rolls, pitta and wraps for wholemeal, for more natural fibre.

SWAP spaghetti for courgetti ( spiralised courgette) or change to no-carb noodles.

USE cinnamon (with its antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties) in your coffee.