To Carb or not to Carb?

[Kat246]

My question is, Public Health Collaboration promote Real Food, low carbs and not rely too much on counting calories, saying not all calories are equal. There is also debate on the NHS LiveWell Plate, and should this be updated with regards to fat and carbs. PHC have their own healthy plate guidance. Just wondering what everyones thoughts were?

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

I agree with the PHC. Changes to the Eatwell Guide (as it's now called) are long overdue.

[Kat246 in reply to moreless]

Yes Moreless, apologies, it is the Eat well Plate now. I do agree that changes are long overdue. Ive been watching some of the PHC conferences and debates, very interesting stuff, and a lot of it backed up with scientific evidence. it makes sense.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Kat246]

The Eatwell Guide replaced the Eatwell Plate in March 2016.

It doesn't make sense to promote one diet for people with diabetes and the opposite for people without. It seems glaringly obvious that the one based on starchy carbs and miniscule amounts of fat is responsible for the disease in the first place

[Kat246 in reply to moreless]

totally agree. It was all coming clear to me when reading about insulin, what it does, what its for and how it spikes with refined carbs! Scary stuff.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Kat246]

Exactly, but we're lucky, we've seen the light, it's the thousands that don't know and that will end up with type 2 diabetes, NAFLD and other awful diseases that I feel sorry for.

[Kat246 in reply to moreless]

Yes, let’s hope more people get curious as to why low fat low cal etc etc isn’t working and the population is increasingly overweight. I was reading someone’s comments on here that lead me to the PHC. So glad I found it. It was like a lightbulb moment

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Kat246]

The trouble is, we assume we're being given good advice and blame the lack of results on our own shortcomings.

It's only when we come to a place like this, that we realise thousands can't all be greedy and lazy and that there has to be something intrinsically wrong with the advice we're being subjected to.

[Kat246 in reply to moreless]

Well said.

[S11m in reply to moreless]

Different diets suit different people... Keto is ideal if you have cancer or acute diabetes, but Moderate Carb, or Low-Carbohydrate, High-Fat is good for most of us. See: "How low Carbohydrate?":

healthunlocked.com/fasting-...

[BerlinBetty Visitor]

Well I see you're quoting from 'Hamlet', and of course this was what Shakespeare really meant about the nature of Hamlet's depression: too many Danish pastries and so he was wearing black in a desperate attempt to achieve that spare, minimalist look...

[Kat246 in reply to BerlinBetty]

😂 made me chuckle. Did they have black leggings and Spanx back then?

[BerlinBetty Visitor in reply to Kat246]

Gawd I hope not in view of all the extra pastry result...

Poor lad our Hamlet. His Dad gave him an impossible task, then criticised him for not being able to see it through. Sometimes, you just have to have that apple turnover to get over a critical world.

Bb x

[S11m]

Yes - the Low-Carbohydrate, High-Fat (LCHF) diet in combination with Intermittent Fasting (IF) helps weight loss, and gives many other benefits - and does not rely on calorie counting.

healthunlocked.com/fasting-...

[Kat246]

I agree. I’ve tried all diets, and found low carb, no breakfast healthy eating and no counting cals works for me. Everyone is unique, and find their own plan in the end, the trick is finding something that becomes a way of life and works

[TheAwfulToad Visitor]

I think it's a pity that people wage holy wars over this one as if it's a genuine either-or scenario. It's a bit more subtle than that.

The basic problem is that the high-carb low-fat diet has been proven not to work - and often causes all sorts of problems (eg., cravings and obsessive behaviour). The theory that "it's all about calories in vs. calories out" makes certain predictions, and those predictions don't work in real life. Statistically, 97%+ of people who try calorie-controlled low-fat diets fail within three years. That result is reliably reproducible. The theory is therefore wrong.

We knew this all along. Human metabolism has been pretty well understood for nearly 100 years. We now know a great deal about the control systems that manage energy use and energy storage. We even know the precise mechanics of insulin resistance (go and look it up; it's one of those things that's so incredible that it makes you think "how on earth did they find that out?"). We know why a relentless onslaught of carbs makes people fat.

The thing is, this doesn't necessarily mean that carbs are evil. It's just that most people are eating way, way too many carbs, and not nearly enough fat. They're snacking on junk with slogans like "heart healthy!" on them. They've been convinced that this is a "healthy balanced diet" by people who really ought to know better.

Dr David Unwin is having incredible success with his diabetic patients with some extremely simple advice: drop the low-fat products, avoid "white carbs", and just eat proper food. It turns out that humans really are omnivores. They can cope with almost any diet.

Almost. High-carb low-fat is guaranteed to make you fat and ill. People are following the government advice to the letter, and we've never had so many people with diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and a whole raft of other bizarre syndromes (eg., PCOS) that were historically rare - and indeed still are, in places where "dietician" is not considered a career. If the advice actually worked, we wouldn't have half the population taking statins and metformin.

I think it's quite telling that all of the arguments against LCHF are strawman arguments; that is, it's painted to be something it isn't, so that it can be ridiculed. The reality is that most people eating this way are just eating good old-fashioned meals, minus the stodge. And they're getting slim and healthy by doing it.

[Kat246 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Well said, Hopefully, the NHS will update or re-consider the advice they hand out. Theres never been so many obesity related illnesses. Slimming products and Sales of the ''new healthy slim you'' are making millions out of peoples desperation, and occasionally creating eating disorders because people blame themselves for the failed unsustainable diet plan When I was a child, obesity was rare. We ate seasonal foods, and treats were for weekends. We had Carbs, but they were not as refined or injected into almost everything we put in our mouths.

[Ascelus 22kg Restart Jan 2024]

Hi Kat and All

I am a veteran eat less and l will lose weight. Reading all your articles has led me off site reading other articles and it is a minefield out there. How on earth are we mere mortals supposed to deal with all the differing information we are constantly bombarded with. You have converted me into a dietary information seeker. I never realised for instance that peanut butter,my favourite on toast is thirty nine percent more fattening than peanuts and that cooked sweet potatoes are more fattening than raw ones. Thanks for lighting the candle. Now to stoke the fire. Have a good day everybody.x

[Kat246 in reply to Ascelus]

Its never ending.. dont you just love the science bit of it all!.

[focused1 Maintainer 13kg]

My DIY lifestyle works for me . Porridge in a morning fills me till lunch . A 1250 cal day via MFP as a macro guide helps me maintain. Zumba at night stops me binge eating . If it works and my general health is ok . I take no meds then this is what I am sticking to also if I go out I have a decent main course where I choose what I like . I believe that the strict regime of these controlled foods cannot be sustained. Most that keep off what they have lost tend to eat mindful variety of most foods.

[Kat246 in reply to focused1]

yes, its whatever works for peoples way of life, and eating proper wholesome food, cut out the snacking/ low cal/diet food andrefined junk, and moving a bit more.

[focused1 Maintainer 13kg]

When put like that it is so simple .

[alohalu Restart Jan 2024]

Not all carbs are made equal!!!

Even white bread can vary from the very cheep version of bread found in supermarkets, to a high quality sourdough tradicional baker's bread.

I'm from Spain and I grew up getting up early every morning to get 2 baguettes from the bakers, that we will consume between 4 people, EVERY DAY.

And yes, those weren't the only carbs, there were also lots of rice, potatoes, legumes... But these were always cooked from scratch and from fresh high quality ingredients.

No one in my family has ever been overweight. In fact, I'm the only one who has started putting on weight (still not overweight) and it has nothing to do with food, I eat exactly the same, but I walk and move way less, because the weather it's too horrible to go out...

Many countries base their diets in a high percentage of carbs and their obesity rates are way way lower than the UK: worldpopulationreview.com/c...

So maybe, instead of demonising all carbs, start thinking on moving a bit more and cook your food from scratch from good fresh ingredients instead of frozen and packed stuff.

I find incredible socking the amount of crips, chocolates and soda that people (even children!) consume on a regular basis. And let's not forget about frozen chips, prepared meals, takeaways... Have you thought that maybe these are the carbs that you should ditch??