Carbs are killing you more & more research shows that processed carbs are the closest thing to a man made plague of ill health causative facotrs that we’ve seen so far.
Rather than rehash the research this week take a look at this excellent infographic from The Massive Health blog:
See you next week.
Welcome back – there are six rules to live by contained in this post.
Six rules that will keep the fat off, keep you lean and if you are fat already will help you re-condition your metabolism and get leaner and healthier.
Six rules that if you adopt them will improve your quality of life.
Six rules that if you pass them on to your family and your kids they all will live better, less disease prone lives.
Rule #1: Severely Limit Fructose in Your Diet
I’ve written before about the evils of fructose (http://bodyshapeshiftersonline.com/2011/10/01/fructose-but-not-glucose-knocks-your-metabolism-backwards/) and the evidence against this ghastly additive continues to rise.
You need to realise that we are programmed through evolution to desire sweet and salty foods. This is hardwired into us and what was once a survival mechanism has become an out of control craving. A hunger that food manufacturers use to their advantage.
HFCS – the worst form of sugar for your health & leanness!!
I’ve often said that you can’t out train a bad diet – that exercise alone, no matter how often or how hard, will keep you lean. It is your diet that makes the difference and it is the easiest thing to lose control of.
Simply put ant exercise you do can be undone just by ingesting fructose laden beverages and foods. Soft drinks / soda, fruit drinks and sports drinks – most if not all are full of fructose and make you fat. Vitamin Water for example has 33 grams of sugar in its regular sized bottle, a can of Coca Cola had 27.
The science is not in dispute (again click on & read the above article for the facts)
By now you should be used to reading the labels on any & all processed / packaged foods that you eat. If you don’t then when you start the amount of sugar in the food you routinely eat will shock you. Even worse because it is cheaper to manufacture & use much of this sugar is fructose.
Restricting the amount of fructose in your diet is vitally important for fat loss, lean maintenance and overall health.
There are numerous reasons for this but latch onto this one if no other: eating fat does not make you fat; eating excessive fructose does!
Right message wrong marketing!! Water is the best beverage…not soda.Look at cans of soft drink / soda as you have been taught to view a chunk of fat and you would be on a truer road to wellness. (BTW the fat would be healthier for you!)
Fructose simultaneously promotes fat storage and maintenance by:
Many health experts are now suggesting that we all strive to keep our daily fructose levels – including that from fruit – to under 25 grams per day. Aim for 15 conscious grams from fruit and try to have zero from other sources this way you’ll hit the 25 gram level easier.If you need to drop body fat then you need to aim for 15 grams total.
Rule # 2: Reduce Your Grain Carb Consumption
Like fructose there is an increasing amount of research coming out that says that grain based foods and carbs are bad for us and are another major player in the obesity epidemic.
Some of the common side effects associated with high grain based food intake are:
| Excess body fat | Depression | Abdominal Bloating | High blood pressure |
| Fatigue and frequent sleepiness | Brain fogginess | Low blood sugar | High triglycerides |
If you experience any of these symptoms, then the chances are very good that the excess grain carbohydrates in your diet are to blame.
No where near as healthy as we’ve been brought up to believe…The main reason to cut down if not out grain based foods from your diet is that these foods convert easily into sugar and cause insulin spikes. A few slices of bread has the same effect on blood sugar levels as a Mars bar or two…
Insulin spikes eventually lead to the development of insulin resistance and more fat storage as well as Type II adult onset diabetes, obesity, heart disease and other chronic diseases.
So to be come healthier & leaner reducing your grain based carb consumption is a must!! This means cutting down or preferably OUT:
Your body needs carbs but due to clever & insistent advertising most folk think carbs means grains & cereals when what we need to eat for our carbs are fruit and vegetables.
Our ability to store carb created sugars (as glycogen in the liver & muscles) is limited so excessive carbs, especially those readily converted to sugar get stored as fat.
Grains are at best left to be an optional & rare extra.
Rule # 3: Increase Your Healthy Fat Consumption
Fats are where its at in terms of fuelling your body.
Avoid these – check labels trans fats are everywhere in processed foods…NOT TRANSFATS though – they are dangerous (see http://bodyshapeshiftersonline.com/2011/10/29/the-fat-in-your-diet-is-not-the-fat-on-your-hips-or-belly-or-thighs-or/) See below as well.
Carbs provide sugar and provide quick burning fuel when taken in the right amounts. But for endurance and satiety fat is what your needs.
Once you reduce your sugar load through avoiding grains & fructose then you need to replace them with increased amounts healthy saturated fats. Fats provide you with high quality fuel your body needs and do not cause insulin spikes. However eating a lot of margarine, or vegetable (more correctly seed) oils is asking for trouble as these types of trans fats have been linked to:
| Cancers of various types | Lower immune function: | Obesity |
| Diabetes | Hormonal problems – especially testosterone in males | Heart disease: Trans fats can cause major clogging of your arteries |
Healthy fats are:
| The preferred fuel for your heart | Useful antiviral agents (caprylic acid) | Useful for lowering cholesterol levels (palmitic and stearic acids) |
| Carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and required for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption, and for a host of other biological processes | Effective as an anticaries, antiplaque and anti fungal agents (lauric acid) | Modulators of genetic regulation and prevent cancer (butyric acid) |
Good sources of healthy fats include:
| Olives and Olive oil (for cold dishes) | Coconuts, and coconut oil (for all types of cooking and baking) | Butter, best made from raw grass-fed organic milk |
| Raw Nuts, such as, almonds or pecans | Organic pastured egg yolks | Avocados |
| Grass fed meats | Palm oil | Unheated organic nut oils |
Healthy fatsLastly let’s not forget Omega #’s. Best gotten from dep cold water fish like salmon, mackerel or sardines or from quality Krill supplements Omega 3’s are the closet thing to a winder drug in terms of fats yet discovered.
For more information about omega-3’s please read this Dr. Mercola article. I do not agree with everything he says but he is on the money more often then not!!
Rule # 4: Avoid All “Diet” Foods.
Diet anything is best avoided…It turns out that artificial sweeteners may be linked to weight gain. This appears to be because the artificial sweeteners are less satisfying for your body and may actually increase cravings for the real thing.
If a food says it is diet & contains any of the artificial sweeteners avoid it unless you want stronger sugar cravings…
Rule # 5: Eat lots & lots of Vegetables
Two posts ago we looked at the incredible story of Dr Terry Wahl & how she reversed her MS by eating the equivalent of 6 heaped dinner plates of fruits & vegetables with lean protein everyday.
Her story and more research than you can jump prove that one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your health and drop body fat is to increase your intake of fruits & vegetables.
These are real carbs with real benefits…
There is a lot of talk about the need for these to be organic and there is some truth in this, but if you are currently eating a typical western diet don’t worry about the source so much as worrying about getting more F&V into your diet. (BTW frozen F&V has been shown to have vitamin & mineral profiles as good as if not better than many ‘fresh’ F&V from supermarkets…)
Rule # 6: Exercise often and smartly.
Lift some weights, walk often, sprint once a week, play a sport, do some yoga but move more & sit less whilst challenging your muscles & cardiorespiratory system.
Go back though this blog for programs to use or check out Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence
KBs are a great exercise tool!!Training programs (link to the right a and yes it is an affiliate one!)
The secret to increasing your fat loss is to include some high-intensity, short-burst-type exercises, two to three times per week. Several studies have confirmed that exercising in shorter bursts with rest periods in between burns more fat than exercising continuously for an entire session. Forget hours on exercise bikes or treadmills try metabolic resistance exercise.
| Use a variety of exercises (weight training, cardio, stretching, etc.) | Alternate difficult days with easier days | Exercise outdoors, which helps maintain vitamin D levels and improve mood |
| Partake of Interval training sessions 2 x a week | Lift weights 3 x a week | Walk and run on softer, uneven terrain, such as sand, grass and dirt, possibly barefoot or in your Vibrams. |
| Vary your weight program every 30 or so days | Ensure that you leave enough time for recovery after physical exertion | Include Recreational activities, including dancing and sex |
If you’re like most Western adults, especially those of us over 35 years old then you’re likely carrying at least a few too many pounds / kilos of excess body fat.
If you adopt these 6 rules you’ll lose them and quicker than you imagine.
Give these a go and let me know how you find them!!
See you next week.
Be well.
They lied.
They lied big time.
I’ve written about this earlier – about the reporting only of data that supported a faulty hypothesis and the deliberate ignoring of contrary info.
Watch the vid – it explaines all:
You have every right to be angry…
See you next week.
Welcome back!!
Thanks for putting up with lack of ‘on blog’ updates – it turns out one of the apps on the site had corrupted…Now we’re back with a new look & feel and some big plans for 2012.
This week I want to draw your attention to one of the most important TED (Technology Entertainment & Design) talks ever. This 17 minute Video could literally change your life for the better.
(TED, if you don’t know, is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate “ideas worth spreading”. Essentially it is a platform for the world’s best thinkers, scientists, artists and humanists to share ideas and thoughts. Since June 2006, the talks have been offered for free viewing online, TED.com. Check it out.)
Regular readers will be familiar with my (researched!) beliefs about the damage that our Western Diet does to our bodies. Whilst my focus has been on fat loss, reconditioning your metabolism and getting lean an underlying theme has been becoming smarter in the way we live & eat so our overall health improves.
Our bodies have an almost limitless ability to survive adverse conditions and adapt o changing environments. Our internal environment can become damaged through improper nutrition and a poor lifestyle and yet despite decades of abuse our bodies can heal themselves if given the right support.
I know of no better example of this than the story of Dr Terry Wahl.
A noted, active Doctor & Academician she was struck with MS in the early 2000’s and underwent the normal, prescribed therapies available. Her condition, like every MS sufferer continued to worsen despite her best efforts. She became wheel chair bound and watched as her body slowly deteriorated.
Then she fought back! Through her own research she not only found a way to halt the progress of the disease but she reversed many of its effects.
Watch the video for a truly inspiring and more importantly scientifically documented story of courage and cure.
Watched it? Inspiring and somehow frightening as well. What are we and have been doing to ourselves and our children for all of these years? It almost doesn’t bear thinking about.
Simply put good health and longer health and dare I say a fit and lean body is within all of our reaches. As Dr Wahl says eating the way she describes may cost a bit more but it is much cheaper than the seemingly inevitable hospitalisation, drug therapy and health care that awaits too many of us in our later years as our poor diet catches up with us.
The idea of food as a drug is not new and has been around for centuries but rarely has there been as compelling a case for the truth of this as DR Wahl’s example. When the latest pharmaceutical drugs failed she turned to food for a cure and found one in no uncertain terms.
DR Wahl went from Wheel chair to Bike riding in 12 months
It’s true – over80% percent of our health & vitality comes from our diet.
We are truly what we eat.
Dr Wahl’s case proves that eating a more nutrient dense diet of whole foods can indeed reverse a debilitating neurological disease that conventional medicine and drugs have not been able to so far.
The implications here are enormous – we could, perhaps, through better diet actually undo decades of dietary abuse and get rid of what we currently accept as the ‘diseases of old age’ – arthritis, Type II diabetes and more besides…
In Dr. Terry Wahl’s case she specifically designed her diet to combat the effects of MS, but her results are so astonishing perhaps eating this way will achieve the same results for other chronic conditions? Research continues.
Dr Wahl’s diet was aimed at being rich in the B group vitamin (B1, B9, and B12), Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Sulphur, Iodine and antioxidants. These nutrients were researched by Dr. Wahl as being essential to proper myelin formation, nervous system action and mitochondrial health.
Whole foods - good carbs & no grains!
Here are the main foods Dr Wahl includes in her diet – the ones that are responsible for reversing her MS disease:
Despite using some supplements at the beginning of her radical self-treatment Dr Wahl decided eventually to get all of the essential vitamins and minerals needs met through whole foods. She came to believe (as many nutritionists do) that whole foods contain many co-factors which assist in the assimilation and uptake of the nutrients contained in the food. Co-factors that supplements don’t have.
No grains!! Very Paleo style!!
In fact Dr Wahl’s diet is very close to a Paleo (AKA Caveman) diet. It is also dead in line with the one I have been talking about here – high vegetable and fruit with quality protein and no highly processed carbs.
In reality the diet Dr. Terry Wahl tailored for herself to deal with her MS is very similar to the diet that promotes an overall lean, fit and healthy body.
So eat better, move more and avoid processed crap and you will be going a long way to not only becoming leaner but the chances are that you’ll also be on the road to undoing decades of damage from our Western diet.
Don’t forget to leave a comment, Tweet this or even drop by the Face Book page.
See you next week.