WE ARE WHAT WE EAT

[Wendyf]

It's entirely up to you Stanley! Starchy carbs like sugars are addictive...the more you have the more you want. How would you know your system is less carb critical if you don't measure your blood sugar levels?

[Big Kev]

I'm no medical expert but a 'bag of sugar' before bed is not a good idea, diabetic or not. Personally I do have carbs but in the morning, a bowl of porridge with some frozen berries (all microwaved together) will bump my blood glucose levels to around 11 mmol\l in the hour after eating. The general moving around and being awake soon burns this off, I did have a bowl before going to bed once, bg was still in double figures the next morning. I didn't feel any different (bg needs to be around 18 mmol\l or below 4.5 before I feel it physically) so wouldn't have known without testing.

[Stanley]

I'm taking notice!
I jumped on the scales while I was ragged off yesterday and the very slow weight loss continues.....

[Stanley]

I watched Dr Moseley's latest programme last night on the effects of food on the brain and found it very interesting. However, I am completely baffled by the chilli eating contest. Why anyone should subject their body to an ordeal like that beats me. Can anyone enlighten me? What exactly is the point!

[Tizer]

Bravado!

[Stanley]

I would modify that to 'stupid bravado' but perhaps that is tautology.......

[Tizer]

This is an interesting report for several reasons. One is the amount of physical exercise taken by the Tsimane people - Panbiker can probably tell us how their 17,000 steps a day compares with Western exercise. Another is that 72% of their calories come from carbohydrates, 14% from fat and 14% from protein. The report says: Dr Gavin Sandercock, reader in clinical physiology (cardiology) at the University of Essex, said: "This is an excellent study with unique findings. "The Tsimane get 72% of their energy from carbohydrates. "The fact that they have the best indicators of cardiovascular health ever reported is the exact opposite to many recent suggestions that carbohydrates are unhealthy." This mirrors my concerns about the promotion of low-carb diets for people who are not diabetic. I can understand that diabetics can need a low-carb diet but it's not a normal diet for healthy non-diabetics in most human populations worldwide.

'Healthiest hearts in the world' found LINK

[Wendyf]

I dont see how can the health of a remote tribe who don't have access to refined carbohydrates or processed fats relate to the western world.

[PanBiker]

17,000 steps give or take is a tad over 8 miles depending on the length of stride. I have a pedometer app that I put on my phone to see what I did on an average day of invigilation, which involves standing and pacing most of the day. On average with that I vary around the 6,000 mark,which is less than the much vaunted 10,000 a day that you should aim for. That's the equivalent of five miles, in reality depending on your job, most folk wont get anywhere near that. Manual workers get their calorie burn through physical effort without doing the mileage. The 10K target is an encouragement to keep as active as you can of course.

Back to the calories, walking in general will give a different calorie burn depending on terrain, hill walking burns more calories than walking at the same speed on the flat. An average 3 - 4 mile walk round our neck of the woods will burn between 400 and 500 calories, 5 miles over or around the hill 600. Change the terrain massively to a boulder strewn 3 mile climb on a 45-60 degree path up Kinder Scout and the 7.5 mile round trip day on the hill will take 1,250 calories out of you.

[plaques]

I would have thought that in a general sense walking burnt the same amount of calories irrespective of speed. That is unless you are quoting calories per hour. So a fast walk followed by a sit down uses the same calories as a slow walk over the same time period. The plus side may be that 'power' walking gets the lungs and circulation going and is beneficial in that respect.

[Tizer]

Wendy, the Tsimane are not that far removed from the Mediterranean diet and the diet of many people in the Middle and Far East until recent decades. They represent a more extreme version of it. The Mediterranean diet is generally regarded to have about 55% of calories as carbs (range from 40 to 60%) and the important characteristic is a low % of protein calories, especially meat protein. I'm not advocating eating refined/processed foods but I think that reducing the proportion of carbs in the diet is not good for people who are not diabetic. Reducing carb intake by reducing total carbs (i.e. eating less) I would agree with, but not the proportion.

Ian, thanks for putting the figures into something more understandable. I remember a study in the 1980s where they found that a tribe of people in the mountains of somewhere like Chile or Peru had well developed one-way `valves' in the arteries of their legs, rather like heart valves, that helped the pumping of blood.

[PanBiker]

I would have thought that in a general sense walking burnt the same amount of calories irrespective of speed. That is unless you are quoting calories per hour. So a fast walk followed by a sit down uses the same calories as a slow walk over the same time period. The plus side may be that 'power' walking gets the lungs and circulation going and is beneficial in that respect.

A higher overall cardiovascular rate such as walking up a hill as opposed to the same distance on the flat will burn more calories. Recovery from strenuous activity takes longer in which time you are continuing to burn calories at rest. More effort = more burn. Similarly the pace at which you cover the distance will vary the calorie burn. It's why folk are encouraged to use the stairs rather than use a lift or escalator, I can do the stairs at Boundary Mill a lot faster than the escalator anyway.

[Stanley]

From what I have found in my reading on nutrition scientific studies of certain closed tribal or indigenous populations can be valuable in that they give evidence of the flexibility of 'normal' human metabolism. I say normal because I agree with Tiz that we pre-diabetics are an unusual case. It was a study of Inuit who subsisted almost entirely on saturated fat but had low levels of cardiac problems in the 1930s which was one of the milestones in lipid research. However, extreme examples like this can't be transferred to wider society and in that I agree with Wendy. For instance, a 19th century study of (I think) Alpine inhabitants found that the men believed that eating arsenic improved their performance and they got so used to it they could deal with what would be fatal amounts in the wider population.
Ian is right, exercise is vital, not just for calorie burning but in terms of muscle tone and general cardiovascular efficiency. I have never tried to measure it but I know from personal experience that a couple of hours in the shed each day at the bench is good exercise.
My bottom line is that I take note of advice and listen to my body. At the moment high fat/low carb is doing a good job, I am 'better' now than I have been for many years. I measure it by energy levels, ease of breathing, ability to walk without pain and general well-being. (And the waistband of my trousers!) This is probably the best way for any of us.
On another matter, I see that the good Dr Mosley is promoting his '5:2' diet on TV. I begin to wonder about the quality of his advice on nutrition.
On yet another front. have you seen THIS BBC report on disturbing news about the quality of Brazilian meat exports? Yet another argument for buying locally sourced meats from a reputable butcher. What's the betting that most of this cheap meat went to the big industrial processors and the fast-food industry?

[Stanley]

Today is a red letter day! The 28lb bag of dried peas I bought in December 2012 was finally emptied this morning into my ready-use tin! The last lot are as good as they were 4 years ago. I shall order another bag!

[Tizer]

`Mediterranean Diet Reduces Risk of Deadliest Breast Cancer by 40 Percent' LINK
The Netherlands Cohort Study which looked at the effects of diet on cancer was carried out by Maastricht University and funded by the World Cancer Research Fund. The trial tracked over 60,000 women aged from 55 to 69, for a period of 20 years. The results of the study revealed that participants who adhered to a strict Mediterranean diet reduced their risk of developing ER-negative breast cancer by around 40 percent. This is the form of breast cancer with the worst prognosis, so the results are very significant for women's health.

[Stanley]

Yet more evidence of the veracity of our topic title! I am convinced that attention to our food is the most efficient route to good health.

[Tizer]

I saw a newspaper report recently about a lecture presented by the former vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham. He was telling his audience that they shouldn't eat any breakfast because it's bad for the brain and hinders clear thinking. Also he stressed that breakfast was especially bad for children; it lowered their performance at school. The report didn't say whether or not he gave any evidence for these claims or identified any specific research study. It seemed to me like bad advice, especially for kids. When I got to the end of the report I lost all confidence in what he was saying. He said beer was bad for us because it contains starch. It beats me where he got this idea. Brewers strive to make sure there is no residual starch in beer, otherwise the beer won't be clear. And as a brewer you want to convert every molecule of starch to sugar - it's your ultimate source of alcohol. There is a small amount of carbohydrate in beer but it isn't starch and I suspect the former vice-chancellor of the University of Buckingham doesn't know the difference in meaning between the words starch and carbohydrate. Oh, and that carbohydrate is beta-glucan which is soluble dietary fibre and beneficial to our health.

[Stanley]

Thanks for that Tiz. I think he should perhaps stick to things he knows something about! I watch kids buying sweets and 'energy drinks' in the Co-op on their way to school. My friend Helen on the till tells me that she has asked many of them and this is their breakfast..... Despite what the good professor says, a bowl of porridge would be far better for them!

[Tizer]

And you can make a bowl of good porridge in a few minutes in a microwave oven these days!

[Stanley]

That's a matter of opinion Tiz (as to whether it is good or not) but you are right and far cheaper than a quick trip to the shops for breakfast. I see so many people doing it first thing in the morning because there is nothing in the house. The 'Just Eat' campaign is terrible, no wonder more people are ill.
Sending kids out of the house in the morning with empty bellies is abuse in my opinion.

[Wendyf]

Tizer, I remember you saying that the name Verner Wheelock meant something to you. Col is now involved in a support group for diabetics with Verner. He is a bit of blogger, and has recently reported on the success of the LCHF course in Skipton in his blogs.
http://vernerwheelock.com

[Tizer]

Thanks for the blog link, Wendy. I hope Col gets benefit from his group visits.

Stanley, those who like the traditional `overnight' porridge might not like the new version but at least it gets young people eating breakfast!

[Wendyf]

Col is on the support side Tizer, and he gets a bit depressed by the state some people have got into by following the accepted advice. Great to see people instantly getting benefit from a simple change in diet.

[Big Kev]

The staff canteen contractors here have started a new 'healthy' option this week, it was baked aubergine with 2 cheeses in a tomato sauce yesterday. BG was stable after lunch

[Wendyf]

Impressive!