THE problem…

40 years ago it was decided, despite a total lack of robust scientific evidence, that we should eat a low fat diet. Apparently, saturated fat was a killer accounting for the increase in heart disease and should be replaced in the diet by “healthy” fats and carbohydrates.

Over the last 40 years adult obesity has risen from 3% to 25%.

Obese children were practically unheard of in 1975 and now 9% of children are obese by the age of 5.

Since 1980 the incidence of Type II Diabetes has risen from 1.42% to 6.1%.

The human body breaks carbohydrates down into glucose and Type II diabetes is a disease of raised glucose in the blood. There is a growing school of thought (fuelled by an ever-increasing body of anecdotal evidence) which supports the notion that a lower consumption of carbohydrates would be a better dietary model in place of the current high carbohydrate one.

Insulin is secreted by the pancreas in response to glucose entering the bloodstream. It is the presence of insulin that enables the glucose to enter the cells to be either burned as fuel or stored as fat. But not only is excess glucose stored as fat but the constantly raised level of insulin causes the cells, over time, to become insulin resistant which necessitates the pancreas to secrete ever-increasing amounts of insulin in response to the continuing high levels of blood glucose. Eventually the pancreas cannot produce sufficient levels of insulin to cope with the continued high levels of blood glucose causing symptoms of Diabetes.

But the Government and other influential bodies continue to advocate a diet based on carbohydrates while the media, on the one hand glorifies decadent and unhealthy food while on the other bombards us with the results of an endless stream of dubiously financed scientific studies. These studies throw up conflicting advice about what, how and when we should be eating and exercising and the end result is a constant flow of fad diets and utter confusion.

My personal theory about food and exercise is far more complicated than that of most. Many commentators promote a fairly one-dimensional cause for the obesity crisis, whether it’s high carbs, junk food, sedentary lifestyles, microbial imbalances etc. but I believe that there are in reality a number of factors working togther to cause of our current health crisis and that the solution is far from simple. I believe that the following statements are true:

1. The proportion of Carbohydrates in our diet is way too high.

2. We naturally crave carbohydrate as it is our body’s quickest source of energy (glycogen). Refined carbohydrates are quicker still so the craving for these is even stronger.

3. Refined carbohydrates are abundant which has only been the case in recent history. They are all around us which makes the cravings constant and very hard to resist.

4. To reduce our chances of being distracted from our urge to devour these refined carbs we are bombarded with marketing messages from junk food producers enticing us to eat more sugar laden foods.

5. Any exercise is good but progess and more specifically long term weight loss will not be achieved without the self-discipline to take yourself out of your comfort zone and to resist the lure of consuming excess calories from refined carbohydrates.

I would like to help cut through some of this confusion by questioning some of the information that we receive regarding food and by promoting a diet of simple recipes that can be easily prepared at home even if your life is crazily busy and there are kids involved. Also to provide receipe ideas to help diabetics reduce their carbohydrate intake and to uncover products that are not as healthy as we all think.