Cut Out Sugar and Eat Saturated Fats to Fight Obesity - Part 3

Quit sugar, eat more fat, and become slimmer and healthier.

Adapting to a sugar-free diet that has far fewer carbohydrates than today's obesity-boosting 'normal' diets means having to substitute sugars with something else. That 'something' is healthy fats.

It might seem to be rather counter-intuitive to eat fats in order to prevent obesity and lose weight because it goes against dietary advice issued by health bodies and governments. That advice is to make carbohydrates 50 per cent of our diets and to limit the amount of saturated fats that we eat.

This advice is now under scrutiny, and may turn out to be the 'direct cause' of the obesity epidemic.

Everywhere you go - in supermarkets, at newsstands, in cafés and restaurants - we encounter them: sugar-loaded food and drink. There are tempting chocolate bars; there are cans of fizzy drinks; there are cakes and buns seemingly everywhere.

Even staple foods such as bread, pasta, and potatoes hide their sugar content. That is because these foods are 'complex' carbohydrates, which readily break down to become the monosaccharide sugar glucose in the blood. If you are not active, the body converts this high-energy sugar into fatty tissue under the skin.

Also, because many of us eat convenience 'processed' foods, we become loaded with another monosaccharide sugar called fructose. This particular sugar is much worse than glucose for health because it does not get used up as energy. Instead, it goes straight to the liver where it is converted into dangerous 'visceral' fat around internal organs.

Even worse, fructose is now understood to be just as bad as excess alcohol is in damaging the liver.

The rise in liver damage among populations appears to be attributed to excessive fructose intake. Fructose is added to processed foods for flavouring and other purposes too numerous to mention.

Indeed, in countries such as the UK, net alcohol consumption has actually fallen over the past two decades - yet liver damage is rising.

The good news is that with the 'low carbohydrate, healthy fat' diet we can now begin the fight back against obesity. Healthy fats are now the new secret weapon against sugar cravings. There are many respected studies showing that fats are indeed very healthy for us.

The dietary change from carbohydrates to fats is what most people find difficult to understand as well as to implement. This is because snacking on nuts or tubs of yogurt all day will not help to lose weight because these foods contain many calories.

The 'low carbohydrate, healthy fat' diet is designed to keep carbohydrate intake low for those wanting to lose weight. This is set at a maximum of 50 grams a day of carbohydrates for sedentary people, and up to 120 grams for active people.

If weight loss is not of concern but eating healthier is, consuming 120 grams of carbohydrates each day will be fine.

Here is an example of a 'low carbohydrate, healthy fat' meal, so that you can get an idea of the kinds of foods in this new diet plan:

Protein: poultry, fish, meat (beef, pork, lamb, venison, etc): 100-150 grams per meal.

Vegetables: as many varieties and as much as is needed.

Eggs: up to three each day. Egg size is irrelevant.

Fats: a large handful of nuts (not peanuts unfortunately, unless unsalted), or 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon of butter or coconut oil; 30-50 grams of cheese; 3 tablespoons of full fat yogurt; 3 tablespoons of cream.

Fruits: only berries such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries. 80 grams per day. (Apple and pear pulp contains fructose.)

Carbohydrates: none if you want to lose weight. However, if you are fairly active, a fist-size portion of cooked, dense vegetables per day is acceptable. Options are: sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, lentils, quinoa, or buckwheat.

By the way, this diet plan allows you have a 'Full English' fry-up! A couple of eggs fried in butter or coconut oil, two or three slices of bacon, one sausage made of at least 80 per-cent meat, tomatoes, and a flat mushroom, make a perfect meal to start the day.

That sounds like a good way to begin the fight back against obesity.

by George Blays

Source

Cut Out Sugar and Eat Saturated Fats to Fight Obesity - Part 2

Quit sugar, Eat more Fat, and Become Slimmer and Healthier.

The healthiest and probably the easiest way to lose weight and help fight the obesity crisis is to take up a diet that is 'low in sugary carbohydrates and high in healthy fats'.

As mentioned in Part 1, this way of eating is against the dietary advice from government health departments and dietitians. However, the 'high natural fat, low sugar' diet is a medically accepted regimen that is attracting the backing of health experts worldwide.

In fact, this new diet has a very large social media following. It has many respected medical experts stating that it is the 'only' healthy way to lose weight, fight obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

For example, the U.S. dietitian Dr Gary Taubes argues that tackling obesity is not about eating less, but 'what' is consumed. He is emphatic that a low carbohydrate, high fat diet is the answer.

Actually, a similar diet based on limited sugary carbohydrates was popularised by the British undertaker William Banting in the nineteenth century. He himself was obese, and the change of diet worked wonders for him. The Banting diet spread throughout Europe, and in Scandinavia banta remains the main verb for 'to be on a diet'.

The new but similar 'low carbohydrate, high fat' diet is not a short-term 'miracle fat and weight loss' programme. It is a long-term way to eat healthily. 

In some cases, obese people have reported losing up to a stone in weight in four weeks. Amazingly, they did not count calories, and hardly ever felt hungry. The suppression of hunger is thought to be due to the way that the body processes foods in different ways.

For instance, with a diet that predominantly consists of starchy and sugary carbohydrates, these are converted into glucose that the body uses as its primary energy source. Any excess sugar becomes fat and is stored for future use.

However, if carbohydrates are severely restricted in the diet, the body then has to use fuel other than glucose for energy. This is usually from stored fat in the body and from any fats in food eaten. In fact, there is little physiological requirement for carbohydrates, and none whatsoever for sugars.

Experts say that the key part of a 'low carbohydrate, high fat' diet is to limit total carbohydrates to a maximum of 50 grams each day. That will free the body from sugar addiction and help with weight loss in a natural way.

The trouble is that cutting right down on carbohydrates is not easy. However, when healthy fats are eaten, cravings are reduced because the stomach feels full.

Active people who are on their feet most of the day can actually eat up to 120 grams of carbohydrates a day and still benefit because they burn off the extra glucose. Unfortunately for those with a sweet tooth, these figures for carbohydrate intake apply only to those from whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, pulses, and nuts. These foods contain carbohydrates that are full of nutrients that metabolise slowly.

Sweet foods with sucrose and fructose, or those made of starch like potatoes, are forbidden. The best thing however is that the number of calories in food do not count in 'low carbohydrate, high fat' diets. Who likes counting them anyway? The balance of nutrients and healthy fats prevents craving.

Sugar addicts will not find the switch over easy. They are advised to concentrate on portion control for proteins and fats, and gradually reduce the intake of starchy vegetables such as potatoes and parsnips.

In the end, one has to reappraise old notions about nutrition.

Continued in Part 3.

Source