The fiber dilema...

First off, what is fiber?  Fiber is the parts of vegetables and fruits that cannot be digested.  It is essential for good digestion, helping the body to move food through the digestive tract, reducing serum cholesterol, and protecting against disease.  Fiber is also known as bulk or roughage.

Lots of people associate fiber with carbohydrates and to an extent they are.  However, fiber can be found in many different natural foods.

Lately news has arisen that carbohydrates not fat are causing the obesity epidemic.  And to some extent this is true.  Our diets have moved from natural whole foods, to refined foods lacking in fiber, and nutrients but high in fat (but not the good type), salt and sugar.

We have been taught to fear fat and love low fat products which are full of sugar and salt.

Some people have seen the light and removed sugar and refined carbs from their diets.  Low carb - high fat diets are highly criticized but they are actually a lot healthier than high carb - low fat diets.

Lots of people think that fat causes heart disease, but we KNOW that high carb diets cause metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, heart disease and some cancers... mostly due to being over weight from eating too many refined carbs.

How does that happen?  How do we get fat from something our governments are telling us to make the base of our food pyramid?

When you eat carbs, they produce a spike in blood sugar which causes the pancreas to release insulin to lower the blood sugar levels.  To do this, the hormone insulin sends messages to the liver, muscles and fat cells to take up glucose from the blood, this is then used for energy.

Once the body has enough glucose to be used as energy, excess glucose is stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver (just in case you need to run for a bus).  Once the liver has stored as much glycogen as possible, any left over gets sent to the fat cells where it is stored as triglycerides - or in other words... FAT.

Refined carbs such as white bread, pasta, rice, flour, sugar, honey, agave and maple syrup, etc., cause sharp spikes in blood sugar levels and the insulin-fat storing process described above begins every time you eat refined carbs... think toast at breakfast, bread AND dessert at lunch, sandwiches, soup and bread for dinner... How many carbs do you eat on any given day?

However, a lot of this fat storing process is also down to the TYPE of carbs you are eating.  "Healthy" carbs do exist and it is all down to the amount of fiber they contain.  The higher the fiber the more "healthy" they are.  High fiber grains such as rye are broken down more slowly in the body and have less impact on blood sugar levels, hereby avoiding the dreaded spike and insulin response.

Rye, brown rice, oats, quinoa and Kamut, for example, are also naturally high in essential nutrients such as magnesium, iron, zinc, B vitamins, and manganese.  B vitamins and magnesium are essential for converting the food you eat into energy among other things.

However, restricting your carb intake is essential if you are trying to lose weight.  I recommend restricting grains to TWICE a week... that's TWO MEALS a week and HIGH fiber carbs.  For example rye toast at breakfast and a quinoa cobb salad for lunch on another day.

But fiber isn't only found in grains.  We all need fiber, so when you are thinking about what to eat make sure you have plenty of vegetables on your plate.  High fiber vegetables are:

Artichokes
Peas
Broccoli
Carrots (technically a carbohydrate as they are a root vegetable and higher in sugar)
Beets
Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, turnip greens, Swiss chard, etc

Also, high fiber fruits are:

Raspberries
Pear with the skin
Apple with the skin
Banana
Orange
Strawberries
Dried figs
Raisins

So remember, high fiber is good for you but choose wisely as you could be going high carb instead!

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

The Common Sense Diet

We are bombarded day in and day out by the latest food fads promising immediate weight loss - Get your bikini body!  Lose 10lbs in 10 days!... I even saw one this morning for future grooms to get fit for their wedding in 6 weeks!  The "press" is full of celebrities' "post baby bodies" and how much weight so and so hast managed to lose in the last 5 minutes (with a personal chef and personal trainer)... But let's face it, it is all far from realistic.

But I'll let you in on a secret... THERE IS ONLY ONE MIRACLE DIET.

Yup, that's right just one, and that is the one that's right for you.  The only diet right for everyone (with a few personal tweeks) is a WHOLE FOOD UNPROCESSED DIET.

If you eat fresh produce which is unprocessed and unrefined then you will thrive - on all levels.  You will be healthier, your skin will glow, your hair will shine, your nails will be strong and you will lose weight naturally.

How?  Common Sense.

1.  Don't skip meals.

Research has found that people who eat breakfast eat less during the rest of the day.  This is a highly debated point.  Lots of people are starving first thing in the morning, many others aren't.  So, think of it this way; are you a 3 meals a day person or a 5 meals a day?  Does breakfast mean eating first thing in the morning or 10am?  The exact time for breakfast is different for each person.  Also skipping breakfast or lunch can lead to unstable blood sugar levels and your concentration may suffer.  When this happens people tend to reach for something sweet and processed, gulping down coffee and worse still, energy drinks.

Try and structure your day so you can get time for at least 3 meals and you can concentrate on eating healthily.

2.  To Carb or not to Carb?

There is a lot going on at the moment about carbs being "bad" and they can be especially if they are the white processed type, or if you have gluten intolerance or celiac disease.

What you need to make sure is that you keep your carb intake low and that the TYPE of carbs are as WHOLE as possible.  Whole grains are full of B vitamins, fiber, magnesium and Iron.

Just as many are choosing to eliminate gluten, others also choose to eliminate whole food  groups such as dairy and sugar.  As with carbs I don't recommend excluding certain food groups completely unless due to allergies or intolerances, however dairy should not exceed 5% of the diet and there is NOTHING to be said for processed sugar.

3.  Health Drinks

Water is healthy.  65 - 70% of the human body is water.  You can survive without water for about 3 days (although some have made it to 8-10 days, but I wouldn't recommend trying) and you can survive without food for 3 weeks... but I wouldn't recommend trying that either.  But there is the difference, you can't survive without water for very long at all.  We are considerably under hydrated.  We simply don't drink enough water.  Also hunger pangs can actually be your body beginning to be dehydrated, so if you think you are hungry, drink a glass of water or two and then reevaluate how you are feeling.

Juice is NOT healthy.  It is basically flavored sugar water.  And if you buy juice it will probably have even more sugar added to it.  Fruit has sugar in it (fructose) and it also has lots of fiber.  If you juice fruit you are removing the fiber - which is the really healthy part.  The fiber in fruit helps the body to "slow release" the sugar in the fruit and not spike blood sugar levels.  You have to LOVE fiber!

Energy drinks and sports drinks aren't healthy either.  They are very high in sugar and caffeine (depending on the brand) and a calorie content to rival your calories burned during your workout.

Good old fashioned water which you can flavor with cucumber, mint, basil or rosemary, or on it's own is all you need really.

4.  The Super Food Hype

Too much of a good thing?

Certain foods such as broccoli, blueberries, etc., have been classed as superfoods because they have increased amounts of antioxidants such as vitamin C or phytonutrients such as flavonoids.  These are not a remedy for disease, but eating a wide variety of fresh vegetables and fruits will definitely help keep you healthy.  However, you don't have to stick solely to the "super foods" to me if it's fresh and doesn't have an ingredient label stuck to it, then it's good for you.

Also with the recent hype that fat is good for us, foods such as Greek yogurt, nuts and oils such as coconut oil or extra virgen olive oil are great foods to incorporate into your diet.  Just remember these are very high in calories and need to be eaten in moderation.

5.  Oh so sweet!

There is a lot being said about sugar right now... "Sugar is the new tobacco" for example, and I totally agree.  But honey, agave syrup, maple syrup, etc., are just sugar in a more "natural" state.  Honey is perceived as more healthy as it comes from nature, it is still sugar though and nowadays to be able to find raw honey (which does have other benefits for health) is nye on impossible - most of the honey in our shops is ultra-processed and has been stripped of its beneficial properties.

You can sweeten things with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and coconut which all have a certain sweetness to them without the high content.

6.  READ THE LABEL.

In fact... don't buy anything that has a label.  I was shocked the other day when I asked the butcher at the supermarket if he could mince some chicken for me and he said he couldn't and I had to buy it prepackaged... the ingredient list horrified me.  Unfortunately I can't put the exact image from that packet as it's in Spanish but I have translated it:

Chicken meat 75%, water, soy protein, vegetables (4%), food fiber, dextrin, salt, starches, vegetable extracts, aromas, dextrosa. antioxidants: sodium citrate, sodium ascorbate; conservador: potassium metabilsulfite; colorante: cochineal carmine.

Pretty scary, huh?

7.  Are you eating too much?

As I said in point number 1; are you a 3 or 5 a day eater.  There are people who believe that you MUST eat 5 small meals a day to stop your metabolism dropping.  Others just prefer to eat 3 meals a day.  Do what is right for you and ONLY EAT IF YOU ARE TRULY HUNGRY.

I don't suggest calorie counting as low calorie meals can become extremely boring, but make wise healthy choices.  Have 3 good meals a day, comprised of lots of vegetables and some protein (animal or vegetable), if you get peckish between meals, drink some water and see if you are still hungry.  If so, then chose something healthy, a piece of fruit, or better still some raw veggies.  Even a bit of cheese or some celery with peanut butter!  A handful of raw nuts mid afternoon give a great energy boost if you are feeling sluggish.

But don't eat mindlessly.  Focus on what you are doing, and how what you have chosen is going to nourish your body and mind and help you to continue with your day.  Also eat slowly and chew thoroughly, don't gulp it down in a rush... you will eat more than you need.

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

What are you hungry for?

Apparently we make over 200 decisions about food every day.  I spend all day talking about food - or cooking it!  But listening to my patients means I have a great understanding of how hungry they are.

When you change your eating habits or your diet, you may find that you are more hungry than you used to be.  Or are you really?  

Lots of people say they are constantly hungry and are forever rummaging through the kitchen cupboards for something - anything, to munch on.

This means that there is something wrong with our diet or you mindset about food.  Humans are complex machines made up of many things including hormones... yes, those things that play havoc with your mood, your skin, your hair and yes, how hungry you are.

Ghrelin, a hormone made in the stomach, increases appetite and is high before you eat telling your brain you are hungry and need to eat.  Once you have eaten the level of Ghrelin decreases.

Leptin, another hormone, but this time made by fat cells, decreases appetite telling your brain you don't need any more food and you can stop eating.

However, studies have shown that in people with weight problems and obesity, this brain signaling mechanism doesn't work properly and they have become resistant to the leptin signal and so don't know when to stop eating.  Leptin resistance perpetuates a vicious cycle as the more you eat the more weight you put on and the hungrier you become and so you continue to eat.

But all is not lost.  You can eat properly to stop this happening by analyzing why you are hungry to start with.

Eating too many carbohydrates.  

The governing bodies of many countries would have us all eating huge amounts of carbohydrates, they are after all, the base of the government approved food pyramid.  But what most people consider carbs are actually refined carbs; pasta, bread, rice - all white.  This means they have been stripped of all nutritional properties and are basically just another form of sugar. 

Physiologically, carbs make you more hungry than full.  Yes, they may fill you up longer than other foods, but what actually happens internally means you are hungry again quickly.  When you eat refined carbs, your blood sugar spikes, and the pancreas releases insulin to return your blood sugar level to normal.  This means your brain says "Hey I liked that sugar spike!  Give me more!" and creates a sensation of false hunger so that you will eat more of whatever it was that gave you the sugar spike to start off with.  So, in the end you are eating more than you probably realize.

Whole grains release the sugar over a longer and more sustained period of time which means you don't get the sugar spike, even so, keeping carbs to a minimum is the best option.

None of us eat enough fiber.

Fiber is so important, you really need to get your fiber fix every day - several times!  There are two types of fiber; insoluble fiber, which bulks up your stools and ensures a healthy elimination of waste product, and soluble fiber which dissolves into a gel-like consistency and makes you feel fuller for longer.

Your main source of fiber is vegetables... eat as many as you like and make sure they are what make up most of the food you eat on a daily basis.  Raw vegetables are easy to snack on between meals too making snacking healthy and gut happy.

Also high in fiber are raw nuts and obviously fruit, but you should choose low sugar content fruits.  Apples are an excellent choice as their skin contains pectin which controls blood sugar spikes.

Legumes are also very high in fiber so add some chickpeas to a salad or indulge in a lentil dahl with other veggies.

Chia seeds are a great source of fiber, protein and Omega-3 fats, but they also absorb 10-12 times their weight in water, this means they swell in the stomach and make you feel full.  Add some to your breakfast oatmeal or greek yogurt.

You need more fat.

Everyone is so scared of fat.  It doesn't surprise me, we have been told for years that saturated fat is bad for us and we should keep all fat intake to a minimum.  But this has been disproved.  Fat is a very necessary part of our diet and we need to bring it back for good health.

Fat, like protein, is a very complex nutrient.  It takes longer to break down in your digestive system so it makes you feel fuller for longer, but it can also be used as fuel for the body, so if you lower your carbs and up your fat you'll have enough energy.

Avocados are my personal favorite.  Full of healthy fats you can basically do anything you like with them.  Mash them up on wholegrain toast for breakfast, add them to a salad... you can even make chocolate mousse out of them!

The protein question.

Lots of health personnel say you should eat protein at every meal.  This is where we all think of bacon and eggs at breakfast, chicken and chips for lunch and fish for dinner.   Whereas animal protein is a great source of amino acids which are the building blocks for our bodies, there are other vegetable forms of protein that you can also rely on.  Raw nuts, greek yogurt (not greek STYLE), legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, beans, etc...

So yes, by all means eat protein at every meal, but mix and match.

Take it easy on the fruit.

As I said before, fruit is a good source of fiber, but some fruits are very high in sugar so take it easy on the fruit and if you don't eat fruit every day then don't worry.  Aim for 1-2 pieces per day if you can.

Drink more water.

One of the first symptoms of dehydration is feeling hungry.  So, if you feel hungry at an odd time of day, drink a glass of water before raiding the cookie jar, it might just save you a few extra pounds.

Sleep.

Having a good sleep habit is also important.  Studies have shown that people who work night shifts are often more overweight than those with day jobs.  Being over tired means your brain craves sugar to keep going and you end up eating junk food and sweets.

Obsession.

You might be obsessing over food.  People who change the way they eat for a medical issue or just because they would like to eat more healthily, often become obsessed with what they can and can't eat or how much.  Think 3 meals a day is a good place to start, some people are ok on that, others need 2 snacks a day.  Just make sure what ever you are eating is healthy and nutritious and most of all - ENJOY IT!

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

Going vegetarian for Athletes (and anyone)

Nowadays being a vegetarian or a vegan is pretty normal.  Lots of people are changing their diets to exclude meat and whether it is for health issues or ethical reasons it really doesn't matter - what does matter, is doing it properly so you will be healthy.

It is a decision that should not be taken lightly and needs careful consideration, especially if you are an athlete.  Good nutrition is vitally important to all humans, but if you are an athlete with a serious training schedule, nutrition is even more important.

So, first off ask yourself one basic but vitally important question:

Are you going vegan which means not eating ANY form of animal produce or vegetarian where milk, cheese, yogurt and eggs are still in your diet?

Lots of people who decide to give up animal produce believe that "going vegan or vegetarian" means just that... not eating animal products.  In part this is true, but making sure you have the right amounts and the right types of foods (proteins, carbohydrates, fats) is essential.  After all, Oreos are vegan - it doesn't mean they are good for you!

For athletes, carbohydrates are the quickest form of obtaining energy.  However, in most people carbs are the easiest way to put weight on.  Sports people need lots of energy for training so should consume carbs during and after exercise, and then for the rest of the day eat just protein, fruits and vegetables.

Optimal carb foods are; whole grain bread and whole grain pasta, wild rice, oats, quinoa, etc... NOT refined carbs such as white bread and white rice, white pasta, soft drinks, white flour, etc..

Protein is needed to carry out "repairs" in the body; small muscle tears that happen during intense exercise.  If you are still including eggs and dairy produce in your diet then these are high in protein, especially eggs which are considered the purest form of protein.

However, if you would prefer not to eat these then wonderful forms of vegetarian protein are:

Legumes: chick peas, lentils, mung beans, kidney beans, etc..
Soy products (tofu)
Quorn
Peanut Butter
Nuts and Seeds

So include these as much as possible in your diet to keep your body up to scratch.

Fat is the other form of energy for the body.  Healthy fats are vitally important to health so stock up on avocados, olives, olive oil, nuts and seeds - although high in protein these are also packed with healthy fats.  Avocados have had a lot of bad press as they were believed to be very fattening, this is simply not true, they are full of fiber and healthy fats and provide lots of energy.

Fruit and vegetables are the base to being vegetarian or vegan.  They are packed full of vitamins and minerals.  Eat as many vegetables as you like.  Fruit is packed with fiber and sugar (fructose), so consider these more carb based and always eat the whole fruit never as juice.  Juicing basically turns healthy fruits into sugar water.  The fiber has been stripped from the fruit when juiced, and it is this fiber that protects the body against the typical sugar spike which causes an energy drop shortly after.  The fiber slows the sugar release avoiding the spike.

Lots of vegetarians/vegans are deficient in the following vitamins and minerals:

Calcium
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
Zinc
Iron
Vitamin D
Vitamin B12

B Vitamins as a group are essential so regularly eating legumes and whole grains is a must.  Low fat dairy and eggs are good sources of this vitamin but if you are vegan then it would be a good idea to take a Vitamin B12 supplement.

Calcium is needed for healthy bones and can be found in fortified soy or rice milk, calcium-set tofu, collards, broccoli, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, and dried figs.  Many healthcare professionals will tell you that milk produce is a good source of calcium (milk, yogurts and cheese), however this is not strictly true for a physiological reason.  When you consume milk produce, our bodies become very acidic, however the human body prefers to be alkaline.  So, when faced with a high level of acidity, the body leaches calcium from the bones to reduce the acid level.  Therefore, obtaining calcium from milk produce is extremely difficult.

Zinc can be found in: dark chocolate, watermelon, pumpkin and sesame seeds, peanut butter, spinach, mushrooms and wheatgerm.

Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and a healthy immune system.  In order to make vitamin D we need regular sun exposure but this isn't always enough.  Getting Vitamin D from a vegan diet is very difficult so a supplement would be a good idea.  You can have your Vitamin D levels checked and ask your doctor for a supplement that's right for you.

Iron - this mineral carries oxygen in the blood to the muscles - so vitally important.  Vegetarians need to choose plant foods high in iron such as; legumes, dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and chard.  However, you must combine these with other foods high in Vitamin C: tomatoes, citrus fruits, melon, kiwi, bell peppers, broccoli which all help the body to assimilate the iron in the other foods.

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

My Philosophy

You all know me by now, Lucy Carr aka Social Nutrition.  I try and find interesting subjects to talk about every week which I hope will help you make healthy choices in your life, and/or help you to understand how food affects our bodies.

I have to say, it isn't easy to come up with an article every Thursday, so today I decided to talk to you about me.  What I believe is the way to achieve health and an ideal weight.

My philosophy:

It's all about health NOT about being skinny.  My job is to make you healthy, and if that means you need to lose weight in the process to achieve that goal, then I will make sure that you do.  But I will not take you from a size 2 to a size 0, just because you want to.

You HAVE TO EAT.  To me a diet is not about grilled chicken and lettuce.  To me a diet is about eating healthily for YOUR body and lifestyle and eating as deliciously as possible.

Any PROCESSED "food" is not, in my opinion... Food.  You have to think natural... our digestive tracts have not changed in over 10,000 years what makes you think your body knows what to do with vast amounts of salt and sugar?  This also means NO REFINED CARBOHYDRATES.  The refining process removes all the nutrients from natural foods, you must eat whole foods. So forget the junk food, processed foods and anything with a label - especially if the "ingredients" have a lot of E numbers and names you can't pronounce - that's not food.  Food is meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, legumes, fruit, nuts and seeds.

EXERCISE is a must.  What ever your goal in life is you need to include exercise.  Exercise alone will not help you lose weight, but the winning combination of diet and exercise will.  Also, if you don't need to lose weight you still need exercise.  Exercise is good for the body AND the mind so find a sport you like - even if it's just a brisk walk, and include it into your daily schedule.

Don't count calories... it doesn't help at all.  The body processes calories from different sources in
different ways.  Protein is used for building (growth) and repair, carbs for INSTANT energy, etc...  So depending on what your calorie source is, it will be used in different ways by your body.  The calories from carbs will be stored as glucose in your muscles so that you have energy ready for when you need to... say... run for a bus.  The problem is, not many of us are running for buses lately.  Our sedentary lifestyles and the high content of carbs in our diets means we aren't using up that energy source and so the body stores it as fat... you know, just in case it's needed further down the line.  Now this would be ok if we:

A)  Used up our glucose stores by moving around all the time.

B)  Didn't continue to pour in carbs upon carbs augmenting the already existent stores of glucose.

If you have never learned to cook, learn now.  The best thing you can do for yourself and your family is to cook.  Learn how to feed yourself properly and you can have an amazing time doing just that.  Get the kids in the kitchen and teach them too.  That way, not only will they learn to cook, but they will learn what a healthy diet is, where meals come from, etc..  This is precious knowledge that will keep them healthy on all levels all their lives.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.  Most people groan when they hear this, but it is so true it's frightening.  Food affects every process in the body.  The digestive tract is the only other organ in the body that produces neurotransmitters, so your brain and your stomach are closely connected.  Treat them both well by feeding them what they need.  Nowadays, we are lucky to have more and more information about the affects of food on our bodies.  We know how Alzheimer's and Dementia can be affected by the lack of certain foods or their components or how Coconut Oil can HELP Alzheimer's patients.  More importantly we know that a healthy diet and exercise can prevent the onset of Alzheimer's or Dementia and how those two things can help people suffering from depression.

I think I have said in almost every post I have ever written that obesity causes; metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers to name but a few serious diseases caused by being overweight.  It isn't just about what size you are, it goes way beyond that and once your health is affected then things are more difficult to correct - not impossible, just more difficult.

Now, I treat each person as an individual.  No two people are the same, not even from the same family.  This why I believe so much in food intolerances.  It is easier to help someone and quicker to see the results if the diet is tailor made for that person.  Yes, you can suggest a weight loss program without doing an intolerance test, and if the person does it properly they will lose weight.  But with food intolerance testing we can speed up that process and better that person's health in the process as well as helping them to lose weight.  

Some of my patients don't even need to lose weight and come to me for help with digestive problems, migraines or other health problems.  

Finding out what YOUR body can't process and therefore can't benefit from is very important and by changing your diet, even slightly, we can improve your health on all levels.  Removing the foods that your body can't assimilate leaves a clear pathway for the foods you can, meaning more nutrients are assimilated by the body.

So, what are you waiting for?  It's up to you!

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

Low Fat or Low Carb?

For years and years and years we have been told that fats are deadly.  They apparently cause heart attacks and obesity, especially animal fats.  In 1977 the McGovern report stated that animal fats were not recommended and that vegetable oils and margarines should be used instead.  Well, we all know what that caused... a huge increase in heart disease and obesity.

We now know today, that margarines for instance, are full of deadly trans fats and that eating animal fat doesn't actually do much harm at all.  Also our supermarkets are packed full with products screaming LOW FAT or NO FAT, from the packaging.  These products are usually packed full of sugar instead.  The dietary guidelines (the food pyramid or my plate) recommend basing your diet on grains... this is meant to be interpreted as whole grains, however, most people tend to interpret white bread, pasta, etc.. But which ever way you interpret that information, basing the diet on carbs is just wrong.  However, having said that carbohydrates seem to be getting a raw deal lately with a gluten free diet being in fashion - especially in Hollywood.

So, here I want to specify what a GOOD carbohydrate is - we all know which are the bad ones; white bread, pasta, anything with refined flour in it...  But there are many naturally occurring carbohydrates in healthy foods which are good for you.  But first you have to understand is that carbohydrates are not an essential part of your diet.  If you never ate carbohydrates ever again, you would be healthy.  Unlike fats... there are essential fats such as Omega-3 and essential proteins (amino acids), if you didn't get enough of these then you would not be feeling at all well.

Good Carbohydrates are found almost exclusively in plant foods such as vegetables, beans, whole grains, fruit, nuts and seeds.  This type of carb are important, they include high levels of vitamins and minerals, fiber, and plant compounds that have healing properties called phytonutrients, or phytochemicals.  These are medicinal molecules such as curcumin in turmeric, glucosinolates in broccoli, anthocyanidins in berries and black rice, for example.  However, the focus should be on slow carbs.  Slow carbs are the ones that release their glycemic load slowly into the bloodstream and do not cause spikes in glucose levels which in turn cause insulin to be released by the pancreas.

So, which plants are the best?

Eat as much as you like:

Slow burning, low glycemic vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, spinach, chard, kale, cabbage, bok choy, etc..  You can eat as much of these as you like, in fact your whole diet should be based on them.  Sea weed is another one that is great for you.  Try Kombu, nori, hijiki, and wakame, they are all very high in minerals, protein and healing compounds.

Eat a moderate amount:

Whole grains, and I mean whole; black, brown and red rice, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, and teff are all delicious and all gluten free.  Legumes are fiber-rich, phytonutrient-rich and are not used enough.  You all know what they are, lentils, chickpeas, yellow split peas, soybeans - especially edamame, pinto beans, navy beans, adzuki beans, etc..

Dark berries such as blueberries, cherries, blackberries and raspberries are packed full of phytonutrients.  The richer in color the better they are for you.  Fruits with stones in their center such as peaches, nectarines, plums, etc., these are fiber rich.  Apples and pears are also great.

Fiber stabilizes blood sugar by slowing the absorption of carbohydrates, this is why you should always eat the whole fruit and not just the juice.  The fibre in fruit helps slow the absorption of the sugar.

Limit these carbs:

Starchy, high-glycemic cooked vegetables including winter squashes, peas, potatoes, corn, and all other root vegetables.  These vegetables raise blood sugar quickly and have a high-glycemic load, eat only occasionally.

There are also fruits that are high in sugar such as melons, grapes and pineapple.

All other PROCESSED CARBS should be avoided at all times.

As I said before; fat is essential to our bodies.  Fats make up our cell walls, if you don't get enough or you eat too much of the wrong type, you will not have the right building materials for healthy cell membranes.  Omega-3 fats are perfect for cell regeneration.

Good Fats:

Wild cold-water fish or sustainably raised cold-water fish such as wild salmon, sardines, herring,
halibut, etc.,  Eat avocados and olives these are great sources of monounsaturated fats.  Use extra virgin olive oil, rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant phytochemicals.  However, olive oil should not be used for high temperature cooking.  Walnut oil is another good one for salad dressings.  Coconut oil is one of my personal favorites, it can be used in high temperature cooking and contains lauric acid, a
powerful anti-inflammatory fat.

Grass-fed animals having been raised on a diet of foods natural to their breed have healthier fat profiles than factory farmed animals.

So, eat the right carbs and base your diet on plants and make sure your animal protein is the best type in order to get top quality nutrition.

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 

Cut the sugar

It seems to me that we live in a society where success - be it at work or socially - is measured by how you look.  Are you thin enough?  Is your hair beautifully luscious?  Are you wearing the right designer label?  Do you drive the right car?

We are constantly confronted with top models airbrushed to perfection and headlines screaming out the next best diet that promises miracles in half an hour with no suffering.  Women strive to be a size 0, while teenagers;  boys and girls alike are struggling with Anorexia and Bulimia just to be accepted.

And, of course, there is the other side of the coin... obese and over weight people are turning to dangerous operations such as gastric bands and gastric bypasses to lose weight quickly.  Childhood obesity is on the rise and children are being bullied about their weight.  Obese people have admitted to being socially outcast and I have even spoken to people who have suffered mobbing in their workplace because their boss didn't like "fat" people.

We judge people on their appearance.  We think we can form an opinion of someone just by what they look like.  Well you can’t.  For example, there are many reasons behind obesity, it isn’t just someone eating too much.  Some people have serious psychological problems, others have illnesses which lead them to put on weight such as hypothyroidism, others have to take medication that makes them gain weight…

Stats:

• 1/3 of adults worldwide are now overweight.  The number has QUADRUPLED since 1980 in the developing world.
• In the UK alone 64% of adults are classed as obese.
• A global explosion means that 1.46 billion adults across the globe are obese or over weight (this means they have a Body Mass Index of over 25).
• Obesity = greater risk of heart attacks, strokes, cancer, diabetes and other health related issues.
• At 70% North America has the highest percentage of overweight adults, but regions such as Australasia and Southern Latin America are catching up with 63%.
• North Africa, the Middle East and Latin America saw overweight and obesity rates increase to a level similar to Europe, around 53%.

So why is this happening?

I think a lot of the problem is down to lifestyle choices.  A poor diet and lack of exercise can lead to a whole host of health problems including weight gain, obesity,  and as I said before, heart attacks, cancer, strokes, diabetes, etc..

Then add on that we are constantly bombarded with publicity from fast food companies and soft drink companies who are just dying to sell as much of their product as they can, and promise to make our lives so much easier as we can just pick up the phone and magically a pizza will appear on our doorstep, or Chinese food, or Indian, or… and the list goes on.

ALL fast food, processed food, soft drinks, basically anything with an ingredient label is packed full of vast amounts of sugar and salt.  Both of which contribute vastly to weight gain.

This week, I was reading the press from the UK, on any given day there are various articles about diet, sugar, fat, etc., in fact this week on one day I saw these three headlines:

1. "The hell of giving up sugar (and why it's worth all the agony in the end)..."
2. "Rising obesity levels force NHS to spend extra 5.5 million pounds on adapting hospitals and buying specialist equipment to cope with overweight patients."
3. "Slap a 20% 'health tax' on fizzy drinks.  Experts call for action to slash UK sugar intake."

For years the government “health” bodies have been telling us that fat is the killer.  We have a vast range of low fat and no fat products on the market all meant to magically make us thin - but they don’t.  Ever since Senator George McGovern created the first ever dietary guidelines way back in 1977 we have had a health problem.  At the time saturated fat consumption from animal sources was at an all time high in the States and so were heart attacks.  It was therefore decided that heart attacks were being caused by the consumption of saturated fat.  So the US Government decided that we should all be using vegetable oils and margarines to lower the consumption of saturated animal fat (e.g: butter).  However health problems continued to increase - including heart attacks in a time when saturated fat consumption was at an all time low. 

As it turns out, vegetable margarines which were marketed as the healthy substitute for animal fat, are packed full of trans fats and far more dangerous to your health than eating butter.  One of my first ever posts on this blog was about trans fats… you can read it here.

However we are still on a low fat health kick.  All you have to do is walk around a supermarket and see just how many low fat products there are.  However, what you have to stop and think is that if you remove the fat from something you have to replace it with something else - otherwise it tastes pretty nasty!  So what do they replace it with?  SUGAR AND SALT.

We now know that the real killer is not fat at all and in fact our bodies need fat (in moderation), there are certain vitamins (A, D, E, and K) that are only soluble in the presence of fat.  But still our governments publish food pyramids and food plates that tell us to eat carbs and just a little bit of animal protein - because of the fat content.  Sugar and refined carbs are the real killer - so yes tax that sugar, make people healthier!

Refined sugar has no nutritional value, refined flour has no nutritional value, white rice has no nutritional value…  Sugar and salt do you NO good at all.  Stay natural and stay healthy.

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

Tailor made diets

If you have read The Enzyme Factor by Hiromi Shinya, MD you will understand the importance of enzymes.  If you haven't read it, I suggest you do - as soon as possible!  However, a new gene could hold the answer as to why some people are naturally slimmer than others - especially when it comes to eating carbs.

Researchers have found that a gene that makes a carb-busting compound has a huge influence on weight.  The official name of this gene is AMY1 also nicknamed the Atkins Gene.  This gene makesan enzyme that is found in saliva and begins the breakdown of starchy foods like chips, french fries, rice and pasta to aid with digestion.

The study has shown that people who have more copies of the gene made more of the enzyme and were more likely to be naturally slim.  Normally genes are thought of in pairs, some people will only have one copy of a gene, others will have two, three or even more.  In the case of the AMY1 gene, up to 20 copies are possible.

It is thought that people with fewer copies of the AMY1 gene will probably find it more difficult to
digest carbohydrates - and therefore, will be more likely to put on weight reports the journal Nature Genetics.

Researchers from King's College London and Imperial College London, said that in the future, dietary advice may have to be tailored to a person's digestive system.

Professor Tim Spector, the study's joint lead author, said:

"These findings are very exciting.  The next step is to find out more about the activity of this digestive enzyme and whether this might prove a useful marker or target for the treatment of obesity.

"In the future, a simple blood or saliva test might be used to measure levels of key enzymes such as amylase in the body and therefore shape dietary advice for both overweight and underweight people.

"Treatments are a long way away but this is an important step in realizing that all of us digest and metabolize food differently - and we can move away from 'one-size fits all' diets to more personalized approaches."

Well, where as I find this very encouraging, I, and several others, have been using tailored diets for years.  As Professor Time Spector says, we don't all digest and metabolize the same foods in the same way.  Food intolerances are proof of this, where as an apple might be a healthy food for one person, someone else may have an intolerance to apples meaning this fruit isn't a healthy option for that person.

Food Intolerances (NOT allergies), are often sneered at by the medical profession, but having had extensive experience in this field I am convinced that they play a huge part in a person's health, weight and general well being.

Food intolerances produce inflammation throughout the digestive tract which stops your body digesting essential nutrients, they provoke gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, headaches, weight gain, impossibility to lose weight, and a long list of other ailments which aren't considered illnesses - just annoying.  And it isn't just the usual culprits such as; nuts or gluten, a person can have an intolerance to broccoli or strawberries or even beef - it really does depend on each individual.

A simple food intolerance blood test can determine which foods you are intolerant to.  The rest is easy, eliminating those foods from your diet and incorporating a diet specific to your body and your needs results in:

• Easy weight loss which is easy to maintain
• All digestive issues disappear (gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, etc)
• Better sleep
• More energy
• Headaches disappear

In my experience, I have yet to find a better way to help someone reach optimum health.  It really does work.

Social Nutrition:
You can make an appointment to improve your health with Social Nutrition either in person (Madrid) or online (Skype).  Just send an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com