Welcome to LIVING LA VIDA LOW CARB. This is for any of my friends or pupils who are interested in learning about a PROPER HUMAN DIET, LOW CARB NUTRITION LIFESTYLE – and improving their METABOLIC HELATH. Here you will find nutrition tips, recipes, ideas etc as well as links to interesting articles and the exciting new emerging science about how our diets impact our overall health. All information is FREE and there is nothing to ‘sign’ up for. If you do want to find out more – or need some extra help – see my Health Coaching page. You can also join the FREE group on Facebook.
DISCLAIMER: This page and information on it is given freely – but I urge you to do your own research. Look beyond the big studies sponsored by the food giants, educate yourself about how our diets and lifestyles have changed over the last 50-60 years leading to a massive rise in obesity, ill health and metabolic diseases. If you are on medication or already have a metabolic condition – such as T2 Diabetes or high blood pressure – please talk to your doctor as although I am a qualified Nutrition Network Advisor (https://nutrition-network.org/) and an Approved Practitioner for www.healthresults.com and an Ambassador for the Public Health Collaboration (https://phcuk.org/) any changes to your diet if you do have any metabolic issues needs to be done with your GP’s knowledge.
See below to find out more about the LCHF diet and Living La Vida Low Carb – or if you would like to chat or have questions – call: 07811 823467
So – first of all what is METABOLIC HEALTH?
METABOLISM & METABOLIC HEALTH
Metabolism is basically the chemical reactions in the body’s cells that change the food we eat into energy. Our bodies need this energy to do everything and there are THOUSANDS of metabolic reactions happening all the time inside us, all regulated by our bodies to keep us healthy. The body works hard to keep everything in balance – a process called ‘homeostasis’.
Everything we do affects this process of homeostasis, from what we eat and how we move, to how we sleep and even how we think. If we look after ourselves, eat real foods, exercise and get adequate sleep the body finds it easy to stay in balance, but if we eat lots of highly processed, sugary foods and we don’t get enough sleep or do much exercise – this can upset the balance and have a negative impact on our metabolic health.
Metabolic health is generally defined by the following measures:
Blood sugar levels
Waistline circumference measurement
Blood Pressure reading
HDL Cholesterol level
Blood Triglycerides
Poor metabolic health is linked to a whole range of NCD’s (non-communicable diseases – diseases you can’t ‘catch’ off other people) – these are the “lifestyle conditions”, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, strokes, some cancers and even Alzheimer’s that have become far too common over the last 50 years. Currently the way we ‘treat’ these diseases is by pharmaceutical drugs – but none of these drugs actually ‘cure’ the diseases – they just relieve some of the symptoms.
But – did you know that these lifestyle conditions are largely preventable? LEARN MORE: https://www.healthresults.com/blogs/articles/the-secret-to-health
Your body is INCREDIBLE! If you listen – it can tell you what it NEEDS (not to be confused with what you WANT!)
Your body can’t actually TELL you what foods it needs to stay healthy & nourished – but if you’re IN TUNE and LISTENING to it – it will do its’ best to tell you! This is called eating intuitively. Us humans have eaten like this for thousands of years – knowing what to eat and how much to eat – has been essential to our survival as a species.
The trouble is – with food available 24/7 – and much of it ultra processed – we have lost this ability to ‘listen’ to our bodies. But the good news is – you can re-learn this vital skill! Notice when you are hungry. And eat foods that satisfy that hunger. A packet of crisps, a Mars bar or a sugary snack won’t! But foods rich in proteins and fats will make you feel fuller – so you hopefully won’t crave that sugar fix. Eating real food also keeps your blood sugars balanced too, so you don’t get that ’crash’ that you get after eating something that is carby or sugary.
Remember – ALL starchy carbohydrates are converted to sugar (glucose) by the body. Starchy carbohydrates are foods like PASTA, POTATOES, RICE and BREAD…all these will cause a spike in your blood sugars.
Filling up on lots of healthy REAL foods – will not only help add more protein to your diet (which will make you physically feel more full and satisfy your hunger) but it will also help emotionally and psychologically.
And the secret to all this? JUST EAT REAL FOOD!
THE 2023 NHS INITIATIVE
Why are they using BMI to measure ‘healthy weight’?
Why are they telling us to eat less red meat and eat ‘plant-based’ proteins instead?
Why are they recommending low fat spreads, and dairy?
Why are they promoting seed oils?
Why are they using Calorie Counting as a weight loss tool?
Why are virtually ALL the so-called healthy supper recipes high in starchy foods like rice, pasta, potatoes,?
Why do virtually ALL the so-called healthy breakfasts include toast?
Why are so many of the so-called healthy snacks high in sugar and/or carbs?
If we have been following these guidelines – and in fact MOST people do eat the way the NHS recommends – we aren’t all pigging out on fast foods, chips, sweets and chocolates everyday – how come so many people are struggling with being overweight? How come over 60% of the population is now ‘obese’?
And why has there been a huge increase in the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, particularly in people under 40?
Could it be that this so-called healthy way of eating isn’t so healthy after all? Something isn’t right…
Historically, eating sweets or cakes at celebrations isn’t a new thing. Virtually all cultures use some form of sweet ‘treats’ to celebrate. The problem is that back when these traditions started, sugar and sweet things were both expensive and hard to come by. Today sugar is cheap and it’s literally everywhere!
We all know that too much sugar is bad for us. We all know that sugar does not contain any nutrients and it’s not an essential ingredient in our diets. But our whole lives are now saturated with sugar. We bring chocolates to people who are in hospital recovering from an operation or an illness – does this sound like a good idea? Wouldn’t it be better to bring them high quality, nutritionally dense foods that will aid their recovery?
As children, we were rewarded by our parents and carers for good behaviour with sugar. I even bribed my son when he was small with copious amounts of sugar in the form of Haribos or Penguin biscuits if he was a ‘good boy’. I would promise him all kinds of sweets or cookies if he did his homework or went to bed on time without making a fuss!
My parents rewarded me in the same way – but probably not as frequently as I did my own children and after all this reward training, is it no wonder our brains see sugar as celebratory??
If you are addicted to sweet things, it’s actually not your fault. The blame lies with the food industry that knows that sugar is addictive. Highly processed foods are actually DESIGNED to addict you.
Knowledge is power though. Now you know why – you can take steps to BREAK this cycle. More to follow!
DO THIS ONE THING
There is just one thing that you can do to improve your metabolic health right now. And it’s EASY! Just avoid eating ultra processed, refined foods. Anything with unpronounceable ingredients, a low nutritional content, full of seed oils, high in carbs and loaded with sugar – is not food. It probably was once, but it’s been added to, fortified and processed so that it’s now basically a bunch of chemicals masquerading as food.
Eating literally ‘rubbish’ like this makes you ill. Apart from spiking your blood sugars and upsetting ‘homeostatis’, a diet with a high proportion of ultra processed foods will ensure you stay malnourished, it does not satisfy your hunger either, so you just eat more… it’s a hiding to nowhere. Ultra processed foods are largely responsible for the obesity epidemic we are currently experiencing.
The solution is to eat REAL FOOD… Real foods are nutritious, packed full of vitamins & minerals and low in carbohydrate.
Choose single ingredient, identifiable foods, such as fish, meat and eggs, vegetables etc – choose foods that are as close to their natural state as possible…foods with minimal processing. Real foods are absolutely delicious! They nourish, support and satisfy your body.
CALORIES IN versus CALORIES OUT
First of all – this model assumes we are all built like steam engines or cars. We have been told that if your daily calorie requirement is 2,000 and you regularly consume 3,000 – then the excess calories will make you gain weight. And, if you consume LESS than the 2,000, it therefore stands to reason that you’ll lose weight. Makes sense, right? Nope! We also use the words ‘BURN’ calories. Like we are ovens and we ‘burn’ the food we eat! But we are humans – the most complex organism on the earth – and our bodies don’t work like that. The human body does not count or burn calories. We metabolise food – and we metabolise foods differently – depending on what kind of foods we eat
In addition to this – all calories are not equal and therefore they are not metabolised equally either! AND to further complicate this model – some people metabolise the SAME food differently.
Simpl; put – 100 calories of broccoli or kale is NOT the same 100 calories of chocolate or donuts! I know you know this – so why are virtually ALL diets based on this calories in/out idea? And why do these type of ‘diets’ have a HUGE failure rate? I know you can lose weight with eating less… but who wants to eat LESS for the rest of their lives? I eat LOADS of food! I LOVE eating!
If you don’t believe me – check out my favourite “Tell it like it is” Doctor – Dr. Ken Berry. Watch this video – it’s like ten minutes. He actually says, ‘Counting calories is stupid!’ He’s very funny!
Dr Berry says we don’t actually want to lose ‘weight’ we want to lose FAT – we don’t want to lose bone density or muscle – which would be seen on the scales as weight loss – we want to lose FAT. And then – ditch those processed carbs, eat REAL foods, follow a low carb diet and watch that FAT fall away – but more importantly – you’ll actually be supporting your body to become more metabolically healthy, increasing your longevity, decreasing you chances of many chronic NCD’s – AND you can eat cheese again!
Could you be STRESS EATING?
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