Quit sugar, eat more fat, and get leaner and healthier.
Adapting to a sugar-free diet that is far lower in carbohydrates than today’s obesity-promoting “normal” diet means that sugar must be replaced with something else. That “something” is healthy fats.
It seems rather counterintuitive to eat fat to prevent obesity and lose weight as it goes against the dietary recommendations of health authorities and governments. This advice is to make carbohydrates 50 percent of our diet and limit the amount of saturated fat we eat.
That advice is now being put to the test and could turn out to be the “direct cause” of the obesity epidemic.
We encounter them everywhere – in supermarkets, at kiosks, in cafés and restaurants: sugary foods and drinks. There are tempting candy bars; there are cans of carbonated drinks; Cakes and rolls are apparently everywhere.
Even staple foods like bread, pasta and potatoes hide their sugar content. That’s because these foods are “complex” carbohydrates that are easily broken down in the blood into the monosaccharide sugar glucose. When you’re not active, the body turns these energy-rich sugars into fatty tissue under the skin.
Additionally, since many of us eat “processed” convenience foods, we become overloaded with another monosaccharide sugar called fructose. This particular sugar is much worse for health than glucose because it is not used for energy. Instead, it goes straight to the liver, where it’s converted into dangerous “visceral” fat around your internal organs.
Worse, fructose is now considered just as bad as excessive alcohol when it comes to liver damage. The increase in liver damage in the population seems to be due to excessive fructose intake. Fructose is added to processed foods for flavoring and other purposes too numerous to mention.
In fact, in countries like the UK, net alcohol consumption has actually declined over the last two decades – but liver damage is on the rise.
The good news is that with the “low-carb, healthy-fat diet,” we can start the fight against obesity now. Healthy fats are now the new secret weapon against sugar cravings.
There are many reputable studies showing that fats are actually very healthy for us.
The change in diet from carbohydrates to fats is difficult for most to understand and implement. Because snacking on nuts or yoghurt cups all day does not help you lose weight, as these foods contain many calories.
The low-carb, healthy-fat diet was designed to keep carbohydrate intake low for people who want to lose weight. This is set at a maximum of 50 grams of carbohydrates per day for sedentary people and up to 120 grams for active people.
If weight loss is not an issue but eating healthier is important, eating 120 grams of carbohydrates per day is fine.
Here’s an example of a “low-carb, healthy-fat” meal to give you an idea of the types of foods in this new eating plan:
- protein: Poultry, fish, meat (beef, pork, lamb, game, etc.): 100-150 grams per meal.
- vegetables: as many varieties and as much as necessary.
- eggs: up to three per day. The egg size is irrelevant.
- fats: a large handful of nuts (sorry, no peanuts unless unsalted) or 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil; 30-50 grams of cheese; 3 tablespoons full-fat yogurt; 3 tablespoons cream.
- fruit: only berries such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries. 80 grams per day. (Apple and pear pulp contain fructose.)
- carbohydrates: none if you want to lose weight. However, if you’re fairly active, a fist-sized serving of cooked, dense vegetables per day is acceptable. Options include: sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips, lentils, quinoa, or buckwheat.
By the way, this diet plan allows you to have a “Full English” fry-up! A couple of eggs fried in butter or coconut oil, two or three slices of bacon, a sausage that is at least 80 percent meat, tomatoes, and a flat mushroom are a perfect start to the day.
That sounds like a great way to start the fight against obesity.
Thanks to George Blays
