For the past few months I have been researching some common beliefs about healthy living, and in the process, I came across the following facts. These are so interesting that I am compelled to share these with my friends and those interested.
Myth 1: To lose “Fat” avoid eating “Fat”
Wrong! Actually, it is just the opposite. One needs to eat more “Fat” to lose “Fat. And while doing so, one needs to diligently avoid eating carbohydrates including raw sugar. Why? The reason: as soon as we eat carbohydrates, a hormone in the body called “insulin” gets triggered, and it drives the excess sugar (produced from carbohydrates) out of the blood, and stores it in the body as “Fat”, thereby making us fat. On the other hand, if we eat “Fat” and very little “carbohydrate”, then “insulin” stays low and none of the “Fat” we eat gets absorbed in the body. In such a situation, the body is fueled by the “Fat” we eat and not by the “Sugar” that is released by the carbohydrates. Hence, to stay slim, “Fat” content in our diet should be as high as 60 to 70%. Please watch this video in which Dr Eric Berg explains how to trigger “Glucagon” — the fat-burning hormone.
Myth 2: To lose “Weight” eat less “Calories”
Wrong! Actually, it is about — “where the calories are coming from”. If it is coming from carbohydrates, then we will find it very difficult to control our weight, unless we starve ourselves — exactly what we do while dieting! But if we eat more “Fat” and very little carbohydrate, then the calories will get used up by the cell mitochondria to produce energy and none will get absorbed in the body as “Fat”. The real problem is the Soda and not the calories in it. As Ivor Cummins and Jeff Gerber in their book “ Eat Rich, Live Long: Mastering the Low-Carb & Keto Spectrum for Weight Loss and Longevity” puts it — “ For fifty years, we’ve all been taught that eating a low-fat diet and burning more calories are the keys to losing weight and getting healthy. This dogma has failed.” Also, watch the video by Dr Eric Berg where he explains that it is not about eating in moderation but eating to prevent the hormone “insulin” getting triggered.
Myth 3: To lose “Weight” eat “Less” with “Increased Frequency”
Wrong! Actually, it is all about eating food rich in “Fat” at a decreased frequency, i.e not more than 3 times a day. Ideally, only 2 times a day. Why? The more frequently we eat (especially snacking), the “insulin” get triggered in the body, and it acts to store even the little carbohydrate as “Fat” in our body. See the video by Dr Eric Berg — “ The Biggest Weight Loss Trap”, where he explains the importance of “intermittent fasting” to prevent “insulin” from getting triggered, thereby driving blood glucose to be stored as “Fat” in our body.
Myth 4: To lose “Weight” eat “Sugar” in Moderation
Wrong! Actually, as soon as sugar enters the blood “fat-burning” process stops, as the first preference of the body is to burn sugar to fuel itself. Why? As sugar cannot be left unused in the body, it is extremely inflammatory. The body has to act to get rid of it immediately by either burning it or storing it in the adipose tissue as “Fat”. Hence, eating sugar even in moderation (small amount) is not allowed if one intends to have a healthy metabolism, as the presence of it no fat can be burned. See Dr Berg’s video “The Most Important Tip on Fat Burning” which explains how small quantum of sugar stops the process of “Fat burning”.
Myth 5: To prevent “Heart Disease” lower “Cholesterol”
Wrong! Actually, Cholesterol has very little to do with promoting heart disease. What does is a diet packed with Carbohydrates and very little Fat. Why? Food rich in Carbohydrates and sugar drives us towards “insulin resistance”. This situation emanates out of the need for the panaceas to secrete higher levels of insulin to regulate sugar levels in our blood. Over time, the cells of our body become resistant to insulin, thereby driving us towards type 2 diabetes. And “diabetes” is the primary cause of “heart disease”. So much so, that the person with atherosclerosis (blockage of arteries) may not even know (unless tested) that he is diabetic. It has been estimated that more than 50% of the current population is either diabetic or pre-diabetic. Shocking! Most do not even come to know as they are not been properly tested. See the video by Ivor Cummins — Predicting Type 2 Diabetes.
Myth 6: To check for “Diabetes” measure “Blood Sugar”
Wrong! Actually, most people with diabetes have initially low blood sugar levels before their sugar levels blow out of the lid. Why? As the sugar level increases, the pancreas secretes more insulin to drive it down. Hence, the first sign of diabetes is increased levels of insulin. Therefore, it is the insulin which should be measured first, but we hardly do. Thus, diabetes remains undetected and when detected it is too late, i.e when even the increased insulin levels are not able to regulate sugar levels in the body. Hence, to check diabetes both fasting glucose and insulin levels should be tested. Now to test for “insulin resistance” multiply these values (sugar levels and insulin levels) and divide by 405. This is called HOMA (Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance).
HOMA < 1.00 (Excellent); HOMA = 1.75 (Average); HOMA >= 2.75 (Insulin Resistance)
See the video by Dr Berg — The Best Test For Insulin Resistance: (HOMA-IR)
Myth 7: All “Chronic Diseases” are driven by our “Genes”
Wrong! Actually, most chronic diseases (including cancer) are of metabolic origin (not genetic as is commonly believed). For example, cancer is caused due to dysfunctional mitochondria which due to a bad metabolism, gets driven towards the ancient pathway (fermentation) to produce energy. Normally, mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell) uses oxygen to produce energy. But with excess carbohydrate, the metabolic function of the body gets disturbed, and the mitochondria start to ferment glucose and glutamine to produce energy in the absence of oxygen. In this situation, the mitochondria epigenetically signal the DNA to open the cell membrane to enable more glucose and glutamine to permeate through it. In this regard, I will like to encourage you to read “ Cancer as a Metabolic Disease: On the Origin, Management, and Prevention of Cancer”, by Thomas Seyfried — a pioneer in this field. Also “ The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter and Miracles” by Bruce Lipton which throws light in the role of epigenetics is causing diseases, including cancer.
Myth 8: To check for “Healthy Metabolism” measure “LDL”
Wrong! Most people with the best metabolism have high LDL (low-density lipoproteins) values. The best measure is the ratio of triglycerides to HDL. This should ideally be close to one. A triglyceride molecule is simple three fat molecules grouped into one glycerol (or sugar-like) molecule. These can be consumed through fat-contained food or can also be created by our liver. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is the master manager of the whole cholesterol and triglyceride transport system. I will encourage you to go through the Cholesterol Code, a page maintained by Dave Feldman, which explains this concept meticulously.
Finally, as per the Pareto principle (20–80 rule), the cause of most diseases is a “low-fat high carbohydrate diet”. As this drive us to “insulin resistance”, thereby destroying our metabolism and laying the foundation of all chronic diseases including cancer. Unfortunately, this aspect of health is lacking focus. As since decades the health regulator has been promoting low fat and high carb diet driven by the Ancel Keys (the famous doctor of the 1960s). The famous 7 countries study (which is often referred to) is based on poor quality data. You can dig into more details in the book “ The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet” by Nina Teicholz. Also, you can watch Prof Tim Noakes the famous South African Professor explain the Medical aspects of the low carbohydrate lifestyle.
All these clearly synergies with our ancient ancestor’s lifestyle. High card-based food was absent from their diet, as they were hunter-gatherers. Hence, our bodies are tuned to consuming only high fat low carb diet. This makes us wonder, how Ancel Keys (and others who followed him later) went so wrong! Looking back at history should have given them enough clue to doubt their findings.
Also, if you want to learn about these concepts hands-on, you can attend the Medicine Free Life course by Dr Pravin Chordia described in my earlier note titled “ Staying Healthy: So Easy Yet Elusive”. The next MFL course of Dr Pravin Chordia is scheduled from 23rd to 26th March 2019 at Sumiran, Barkheda (District Sehore, 50 km from Bhopal).
