A Carbohydrate is a Carbohydrate - or is it?

I said last week that I would explain about different sugars... I found the perfect explanation in the book Fat Chance, by Robert H. Lustig M.D.  Seeing as no one can explain it as perfectly as Dr. Lustig, I decided to leave it in his own words, but you will have to bear with me as it is a bit long.

"All carbohydrates are not created equal.  Just as there are different gradations of fats, there are different gradations of carbohydrates based on their metabolism.  To illustrate how this works, consider the following exercise involving the metabolism of three different carbohydrates of equal caloric value (120 calories): glucose, ethanol (grain alcohol), and fructose.

Glucose

Despite its absolute necessity for life, dietary glucose isn't perfect.  When it exists in nature without fructose, it's called "starch", and it truly does supply "empty calories", energy for either storage or burning.  But the Atkins, Paleo, and caloric-restriction adherents will all tell you that the glucose molecule has three metabolic downsides, all of which do damage over time and necessitate the limitation of its consumption.  To demonstrate this, let's consume 120 calories of glucose (e.g., one-half cup cooked white rice).  Twenty percent, or 24 calories, will enter the liver, whereas the rest will be metabolized by other organs in the body.  Here's what happens:

1. Glucose metabolism is insulin-dependent.  Consuming glucose raises the glucose level in the bloodstream, stimulating insulin release, which promotes energy storage into fat cells and causes weight gain.
2. The overwhelming majority of glucose in the liver will be directed toward forming glycogen, or liver starch, which is not harmful to the liver cell.  This also will keep the liver from releasing glucose into the blood, preventing diabetes.
3. A small amount of glucose will be metabolized by the liver mitochondria for energy.
4. Any excess glucose in the liver that is not shunted to glycogen and not metabolized by  the mitochondria for energy will instead be converted to triglycerides.  High triglyceride levels in the blood can promote development of cardiovascular disease.
5. Glucose can bind to proteins in the cell, which causes two problems:
• When glucose binds to proteins throughout the body, the proteins become less flexible, contributing to the aging process and causing organ dysfunction.
• Every time a glucose molecule binds to a protein, it releases a reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can cause tissue damage if not immediately mopped up by an antioxidant in the peroxisome.

Like all things, glucose in excess can be bad for you - especially when it lacks fiber, which limits the insulin response.  However, you would have to consume a lot of it and over a long period of time for glucose to have these detrimental effects.  In general, large amounts of glucose (starches such as pasta, white bread, rice, etc.) will cause you to gain pounds but it won't make you sick.  Rather, if over time you gain too much weight from glucose, the visceral fat that is formed will eventually take its toll on your health.  But when you consume the same number of calories as either ethanol or fructose, you get much more of a bang to your liver (more like a hand grenade), and it takes its toll much faster.

Ethanol (Grain Alcohol)

Ethanol is a naturally occurring by-product of carbohydrate metabolism, called fermentation.  Upon ingestion of 120 calories of ethanol (e.g., a 1.5 ounce shot of 80-proof hard spirits), 10 percent (12 calories) is metabolized within the stomach and intestine (called the first-pass effect) and 10 percent is metabolized by the brain and other organs.  The metabolism in the brain is what leads to the alcohol's intoxicating effects.  Approximately 96 calories reach the liver - four times more than with glucose.  And that's important, as the detrimental effects are dose-dependent.

1. After ethanol enters the liver in high dosages, it can promote ROS formation and cell damage.
2. In contrast to glucose, which went to glycogen, the ethanol goes straight to the mitochondria.
3. Any excess gets turned into fat by a process called de novo (new) lipogenesis (fat-making).  The lipid buildup can lead to liver insulin resistance and inflammation.
4. If this process continues, it can eventually cause alcoholic liver disease.  This is a surefire prescription for slow death or, at best, a liver transplant.
5. Alternatively, the lipid can exit the liver and take up residence in skeletal muscle, where it also induces insulin resistance and can cause heart disease.
6. Lastly, ethanol enhances its own consumption, by acting on the brain's reward pathway.  When this goes out of control, addiction sets in.

Thus, for the same number of calories, ethanol is more likely than glucose to cause chronic disease.

Fructose

Fructose is never found alone in nature.  Rather, it is always partnered with its more benign sister molecule, glucose.  They both have the same chemical composition (C6H12O6), but they are hardly the same.  Fructose is much worse.  Let's start with the Maillard, or "browning", reaction.  This is the same reaction that turns hemoglobin in your red blood cells into hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), the lab test that doctors follow to determine how high a diabetic patient's blood sugar has risen over time...

... There are dozens of studies that now implicate fructose as a major player in causing metabolic syndrome.  In fact, it's metabolized a lot like ethanol.  Let's now consume 120 calories of sucrose (60g of glucose, 60 of fructose) - for example, an 8 ounce glass of orange juice.  (As I mentioned before, juice is just as bad as soda, if not worse.)  The 60 calories of glucose do the same 20-80 split, so 12 calories of glucose will enter the liver.  But, unlike with glucose, which can be metabolized by all organs, the liver is the primary site of fructose metabolism (although the kidney has the capacity to metabolize a few calories in rare cases).  Give or take, the whole 60 calories of fructose end up in the liver.  So, the liver gets a 72-calories dose, triple the amount as with glucose alone.

The unique metabolism of fructose can induce each of the phenomena associated with metabolic syndrome:

1. Triple the dose means the liver needs triple the energy to metabolize this combo versus glucose alone, depleting the liver cell of adenosine triphosphate (or ATP, the vital chemical that conveys energy within cells).  ATP depletion leads to the generation of the waste product uric acid.  Uric acid causes gout and increases blood pressure.
2. The fructose does not go to glycogen.  It goes straight to the mitochondria.  Excess acetyl-CoA is formed, exceeding the mitochondria's ability to metabolize it.
3. The excess acetyl-CoA leaves the mitochondria and gets metabolized into fat, which can promote heart disease.
4. Fructose activates a liver enzyme, which is the bridge between liver metabolism and inflammation.  This inactivates a key messenger of insulin action, leading to liver insulin resistance.
5. The lack of insulin effect in the liver means that there is no method to keep the glucose down, so the blood glucose rises, which can eventually lead to diabetes.
6. The liver insulin resistance means the pancreas has to release extra insulin, which can force extra energy into fat cells, leading to obesity.  And the fat cells that fill up most are the visceral fat, the bad kind associated with metabolic disease.
7. The high insulin can also drive the growth of many cancers.
8. The high insulin blocks leptin signaling, giving the hypothalamus the false sense of "starvation", and causing you to eat more.
9. Fructose may also contribute to breakdown of the intestinal barrier.  Normally the intestine prevents bacteria from entering the bloodstream.  This intestinal breakdown may lead to a breach in the walls of the intestine.  The result is a "leaky gut", which could increase the body's exposure to inflammation and more ROS.  This worsens insulin resistance and drives the insulin levels even higher.
10. Fructose undergoes the Maillard (browning) reaction 7 times faster than glucose, which can damage cells directly.  Although the experiments are in their infancy, preliminary results suggest that in a susceptible environment, fructose can accelerate aging and the development of cancer.
11. The data on fructose and dementia in humans are currently correlative and indirect.  However, the data on insulin resistance and dementia show clear causation.  African Americans and Latinos are the biggest fructose consumers and those with the highest waist circumference (a marker for insulin resistance).  Coincidentally, they also have the highest risk for dementia."

I hope this information helps you to make wiser choices in your diet.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Obese people are in denial...

According to a recent study "OBESE PEOPLE ARE IN DENIAL OVER HOW MUCH SUGAR THEY EAT".  Apparently a huge gap exists between how much fat people think they consume and what they really consume.

Researchers claim to have found the strongest link yet between sugar and obesity, they noted that people with a sweet tooth were more likely to be overweight.  A team of scientists from the universities of Reading, Cambridge and Arizona State compared the sugar intake of 1,700 people living in Norfolk, UK.

In order to do this, they used two methods: self-reported consumption, where the participants report what they think they have consumed, and sugar levels in urine samples - recognized as a more accurate and objective test.

After 3 years the participants had their Body Mass Index (BMI) calculated.

The results found that the participants who actually consumed the most sugar, as measured using the urine test, were 54% more likely to be overweight than those who ate less sugar.

You may not find this surprising, however, the obese participants tended to misrepresent how much sugar they were consuming.  Those who SAID they were eating the most sugar were actually 44% less likely to be obese than those who claimed to be consuming the lowest amounts.

So, why do people have a different perception of what they eat to what they REALLY DO EAT?  I think there are at least two factors involved here:

1. Back in December 2014 I wrote a post about Mindless Eaters.  Whether you have a weight problem or not, we all tend to forget a large amount of what we eat during the day.  The only way to fully understand how much we really eat and drink is to write it down at the same moment.  If you wait until the end of the day and rely on memory you will have forgotten a fair chunk of it.
2. Hidden sugars.  Most people (with or without weight issues) are fairly oblivious to how much sugar is in their diet.  Sugars come in many disguises and lots of people tend to associate sugar with sweet things like chocolate, cakes and biscuits.  However, refined carbohydrates such as white rice, pasta, and white bread are high in sugar and have a devastating affect on health.  There are also high amounts of sugar in processed foods, junk food, even FAT-FREE foods where sugar is added to compensate the lack of flavor once the fat is removed.

It is only recently that scientists have discovered that fat doesn't make us fat but sugar does.  The evidence has been staring us in the face for decades but lobbying from the sugar industry has been quite successful at diverting out attention.

So, I think it is unfair to say that "OBESE PEOPLE ARE IN DENIAL", I think we are ALL in denial about how much sugar we REALLY consume on a daily basis.

Why not do a little test of your own.  For one week, before going to bed write down what you have eaten and drunk during the day.  Then they following week, do the same BUT writing it down as soon as you eat and drink something and then compare the two.  Also analyze WHAT you have eaten and drunk during the day for sugar content.

Next week, I will explain how our bodies react to different sugars and why it is so toxic.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

A recipe from Social Nutrition

I found this recipe in an article about low calorie eating.  It sounded great so I decided to try it.  It was a great hit with my family - even the kids loved it.  So, I decided to share it with you.  From the article, I think the author of the recipe is Justine Pattison.

Pork Loin with Fennel - 329 calories per serving.

Ingredients:

1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp flaked salt
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1.3kg lean rindless loin of pork (rolled and tied)
Olive oil for frying
2 large fennel bulbs (about 250g each) cut lengthways into wedges
200ml white wine
250ml pork stock (I actually used chicken stock as I didn't have pork)
2 eating apples
2 tbsp double cream
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/Gas Mark 6.  Put the fennel seeds, flaked salt, peppercorns and finely chopped rosemary into a pestle and mortar and crush until coarse.  Rub the herb mixture all over the meat.

Heat a large, fairly shallow flame-proof and oven proof casserole dish and add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Fry the pork to brown on all sides - about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.  Add the fennel wedges to the casserole dish and cook for 3  minutes or until lightly browned on all sides.  Add the wine and the stock and stir well to remove any meaty bits stuck to the bottom.  Return the meat to the pan, placing it on top of the fennel.  Let it bubble for about 30 seconds.  Put the pan in the oven and cook for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut and core the apples and cut each into 8 wedges.  Remove the dish from the oven and scatter the apples around the meat.  Cook for a further 20-30 minutes or until the pork is cooked through.

Transfer the pork to a board to rest for about 5 minutes and put the fennel and apple into a warmed serving dish.  Put the casserole over a medium heat, stir in the cream and season to taste.

Simmer for a few seconds then strain into a jug and serve with the pork.

I served it with steamed broccoli and string beans as well as the fennel and apple.  Truly delicious and the pork was very tasty and juicy.

NEGATIVE calorie foods

You probably think I've gone crazy, but there are foods that are called NEGATIVE CALORIE FOODS.  Simply put, it means your body burns more calories while eating them than they actually contain.

If you are trying to lose weight, you can binge on these without feeling guilty.

Here are the top 10 guilt-free foods that burn more calories than they contain:

1.  Cucumbers
     Calorie content:  100g contains 16 calories

Cucumbers are mostly made up of water, but they are also a great source of Vitamin C.  They also reduce high levels of inflammation in the body and contain essential amino acids which our bodies need but can not make themselves.  Due to the ascorbic acid and caffeic acid they contain, eating cucumbers helps prevent water retention.

2.  Asparagus
     Calore content:  100g contains 20 calories

Asparagus are great for detoxing as they contain diuretic nutrients that help remove toxins, they can also help boost your metabolic rate.

As well as their amazing weight loss properties, asparagus are also rich in folate which makes it an ideal food for pregnant women as folate can reduce the risk of life-threatening conditions.  They also contain anti-inflammatory antioxidants.

3.  Cauliflower
     Calorie content:  100g contains 25 calories

Cauliflower is enjoying a huge health come back at the moment.  It's being used to make healthier versions of pizza bases, mash potato and even rice.  The great thing about cauliflower is that it is fat free, has vitamin C and has a strong flavor.  It is also an excellent source of fiber and Vitamin K.

You can eat it raw or lightly steam it for a few minutes so that it is still crunchy, it will take you longer to chew it giving your body time to realize it's full.

4.  Celery
     Calorie content:  100g contains 16 calories

This has been a staple diet food for decades, approximately 75% of a single celery stick is water.  The other 25% is fiber.  The high water content means that you will burn more calories eating it than it actually contains.  Celery is also rich in sodium and potassium so a great addition to your post-workout juice.

5.  Lean low calorie meats.

     Lean Pork:  100g contains 145 calories
     Turkey Leg:  100g contains 144 calories
     Chicken Breast:  100g contains 172 calories

These are not strictly negative calorie foods, however lean meats such as these are great sources of protein, which make the digestive system work harder, temporarily boosting your resting metabolic rate which helps you burn more calories.

Your body uses more energy to digest meat proteins than it does to digest carbohydrates, which is why high-protein diets work so well.

They are also a good source of energy, and they make you feel fuller for longer, successfully curbing your appetite so you en up eating less.

6.  Tomatoes
     Calorie content:  100g contains 18 calories

Wonderful tomatoes full of flavor and lycopene and Vitamin C, as well as being low in calories their health benefits increase when cooked.

Scientists have found that cooked tomatoes can have the same benefits as statins for patients fighting high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

The secret is in the lycopene, a compound found in high levels that gives tomatoes their bright red color.  Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant essential for good health as it helps lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes.  The lycopene is found jus beneath the skin of the tomato, so don't peel them!

7.  Papaya
     Calorie content:  100g contains 43 calories

Papayas aren't just low in calories they are also rich in Vitamin C and contain 15 times more of the antioxidant beta-cryptoxanthin, thought to reduce the risk of poly-arthritis (where the condition affects several joints at the same time).

Their fiber content helps combat constipation and keeps cholesterol levels in check.

8.  Chili
     Calorie content:  100g contains 40 calories

Full of capsaicina, chilies have the ability to boost your metabolic rate which makes the body burn more calories immediately after eating them.  This also means they will curb your appetite.

I quite often add chili flakes to sautéed vegetables.  Cut 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 1 large courgette and 1 red onion into strips.  Sauté in olive oil over a high heat, add salt and black pepper and chili flakes.  This is great on its own or served as a side dish to roast pork.

9.  Apples
     Calorie content:  100g contains 52 calories

ONLY THE GREEN ONES!  Forget red apples and choose Granny Smiths.  While they aren't strictly a negative calorie food, green apples are rich in dietary fiber which makes you fell full for longer, reduces hunger and therefore motivates weight loss.

10.  Coffee
       Calorie content of plain brewed black coffee: 2 calories

I cup of black coffee drunk on its own gives you ZERO calories.

Forget the milk, sugar or syrup that just make the calorie content soar and don't give you any nutritional benefit.  Coffee is also thermogenic and therefore stimulates the burning of fat for energy.  Coffee can also reduce your cravings as it can change the level of hormones in your digestive system that alert you whether you are hungry or full, the caffeine also boosts your metabolic rate.

However, drink in moderation, it is a stimulant that can put a strain on your heart and make you nervous.

A healthy diet for weight loss should not be based solely on NEGATIVE CALORIES foods.  However, they can be a tasty and healthy addition to a diet plan.  For example, add loads of asparagus to your lean meats, snack between meals if you are hungry, on cucumber and/ or celery.  Eat papaya for breakfast with your cup of black coffee.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Operation Bikini

Yes, it's that time of year again.  The weather is getting slightly warmer and the days slightly longer... all pointing to the nearing of summer.  I don't know about you, but I still suffer a fair amount of anxiety when I start wondering if I am going to be able to fit into last summer's clothes or have the winter munchies taken their toll on my figure.

Or at least that's how I used to feel before creating the F.I.T Method.

The beauty of the F.I.T Method is that once you try it and you see the results in the first 4 days, you learn to eat properly for your body and you will be at a healthy weight for life.  There will be no more dreaded seasonal wardrobe changes and you will be able to enjoy your food and have great health and a fabulous body too!

There is so much information about what is the optimum diet for weight loss while maintaining health and a lot of that information is conflictive.  There are those who believe in a high carb diet and others in low carb... the Atkins, the South Beach, the Paleo... if fats are harmful or healthful... it can be very confusing.  It seems to me that every week there is a new article contradicting the previous week's information.  So I totally understand the confusion most of us have to deal with.

However, there is one thing that is clear to me and that is that none of us is the same.  We are all unique individuals and what may work for one person does not necessarily work for another.

The F.I.T Method is perfect because it takes the whole person into account.  It discovers which foods YOUR body can not tolerate, but it also takes into account your lifestyle.

When your body can not tolerate certain foods inflammation of the digestive tract occurs and this causes a lot of problems:

• Gases
• Feeling full when you've eaten little
• Fatigue
• Weight gain and the impossibility to lose weight
• Headaches
• Constipation
• Diarrhea

To name but a few.  You may think that these are just normal complaints that we all suffer from, but the truth is that when you sort our your intolerances you don't just lose weight, you get healthier.

We all suffer from intolerances, we just don't realize it.  I have never seen two people with the same intolerances - even from the same family.  What's more, the foods you are intolerant too tend to be thought of as "healthy" foods.  You could be intolerant to any number of foods, from 1 to 20 something - that depends on you.

All the foods I test for are deemed healthy:  vegetables, fruits, cereals, meats, fish and poultry.  This doesn't mean you will be intolerant to something from each category.  However, what I do see is that the main intolerances are:

• Dairy
• Cereals
• Nuts

Some people may be intolerant to one or two animal proteins but most aren't.  To see someone with several intolerances to animal protein is rare.

When you find out what you are intolerant to and exclude those foods from your diet, you will be amazed at the changes in your life.  Weight loss happens NATURALLY with almost no effort at all, but you also have more energy, you sleep better, headaches disappear and those annoying afternoon gases also disappear.  It it truly amazing.

So, when you are thinking of losing weight to look fabulous on the beach this summer, why not think long term instead.  With the F.I.T. Method you will lose weight, feel great and you won't put it back on - unless you want to!

So give me a call or send me an email, I can help you get that great beach body all year round!



I can help you improve your health.  
If you would like to make an appointment with me or ask for more information about the treatment, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com or a Whatsapp to 699.995.611

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