Your Prescription For A Healthy Weight – Fat Is In And Carbs Are Out!

Two years ago, I stumbled over a book that has drastically changed my perspective on healthy diet and has allowed me to help hundreds of patients start to recover from diabetes and obesity. That book was “Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution,” published in 1972. Dr. Atkins promoted a diet high in fat and low in carbohydrate. Carbohydrates, found in wheat-based foods, corn, winter squash, potatoes, rice, sugar, etc. are a type of MACROnutrient that supply our body with energy. Protein and fat are the other two MACROnutrients that we consume in our food. Not eating carbohydrates causes the body to metabolize the fat your body is storing into ketones, which are used by your cells for energy. The fat metabolism results in weight loss. Years later, emerging research suggests that as long as high intakes of meat are avoided (eating less than 10-12 oz per day) and lots of leafy greens and other low carb veggies like broccoli are consumed, a low carb lifestyle may be a sustainable short to intermediate term strategy to help with weight loss and blood sugar control.

Take Helen, a 60 year old woman who I met for the first time in the spring of 2016. She came to my office for her first “get-to-know-you” type appointment and seeing that she was overweight, I asked her if she was diabetic. She said absolutely not but I sent her for blood work just to be sure. Her blood work showed she was not only diabetic but her sugars were very poorly controlled. When I told her the diagnosis, she said “I don’t want to be on any medication! What can I do?!” We discussed the diabetes management guidelines laid out by Diabetes Canada but having had success with a low carb prescription with similar previous patients, I gave her the MetabolicHealth Minute advice that follows, which she accepted emphatically. At a follow-up appointment 2 months later, she had lost 30 lbs and her blood sugar had completely normalized without any medication or a single calorie counted!

Your MetabolicHealth Minute

Here’s all you need to know to start your recovery from diabetes and obesity:

Those who are not obese or diabetic will also benefit from avoiding sugar and highly refined carbohydrates but need NOT follow a low carb lifestyle.

AVOID THE FOLLOWING FOODS:

Eat far less bread, buns, bagels, breakfast cereal, muffins, pasta, potatoes, and rice, especially if they are white.

Don’t eat foods with added sugar. Yogurt is an example of a healthy food that many food processors turn into a junk food by adding sugar to it. Read labels and avoid sugar.

Don’t drink any sweet beverages like pop, juice, specialty coffees, cappuccinos, or iced beverages.

Minimize your alcohol consumption.

JUST SAY NO THANK YOU TO DESSERTS. Eat desserts very sparingly, the way they were intended to be consumed. When desired, consider using sugar substitutes, which are safe in moderation. You CAN eat dessert if it’s a birthday, anniversary, special holiday, or your mother-in-law made it for you!

I have seen patients lose many pounds over the last few years by following the simple MetabolicHealth Minute advice. But this advice does not replace the individualized care and direction provided by your doctor or nurse practitioner. Please consult your healthcare provider prior to making any significant lifestyle changes, especially if you are taking blood sugar lowering medication.

It is important to know that the lifestyle prescription discussed above is not the standard of care promoted by Diabetes Canada, which, in its 2013 Clinical Practice Guidelines, advocates for “the percentage of total daily energy from carbohydrates to be no less than 45% to prevent high intakes of fat, as this is associated with reduced risk of chronic disease for adults.”

See MetabolicHealth.ca for supporting research, testimonials, and most importantly, recipes!

~ Dr. Dax Biondi, MSc, MD, CCFP

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *