10 LOW-CARB PRINCIPLES TO LIVE BY

These rules of the game will help you gain control over your cravings improve your general health feel more energetic and lose weight more effectively

You can improve your health by being mindful of these important points

1 Eliminate sugar

Sugar harms your metabolism, contributes to inflammation and can hinder weight loss. It leads to tooth decay, insulin resistance and, further down the line, diseases such as type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Many of us struggle to eliminate it from our diet because sugar triggers a release of dopamine that lights up the brain’s reward centre. The best way to stop is – to stop. Going cold turkey is easier to control and should allow you to lose your taste for it more quickly.

2 Say goodbye to refined grains

The most common are wheat, corn, oats and rice. Besides being high in fat-promoting carbohydrates, grains also interfere with enzymes we need for good digestion. The gluten in grains can damage the lining of your small intestine, which can lead to leaky gut syndrome. Studies have shown that a

no-grain diet can lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, promote weight loss, alleviate acne, end digestive disturbance, promote good heart health, increase fertility and dramatically improve energy levels.

3 Eat real food

Processed food and seed oils can cause weight gain and lower your immunity by disrupting your gut flora. Junk food contains seed oils that cause inflammation, one of the leading causes of chronic illness. Studies show that refined sugar, processed flour, vegetable oils, and other artificial ingredients are linked to heart disease, dementia, neurological problems, respiratory failure, and cancer. Just eat real food. Shop in the fresh produce sections and avoid the rows and rows of packaged products in the centre aisles.

4 Choose quality

Cows are designed to digest grass. This is why they have a four-chambered stomach. When we consume the meat of cows raised on grains or corn as opposed to grass we also ingest the antibiotics and hormones that are used to keep the cows healthy, which in turn damage our microbiome and cause hormonal imbalances. Grain-fed meat is also high in inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids. You might need to rearrange your budget, because grass-fed meat and dairy are more expensive than

Alcohol also has a low nutrient density so you increase your food energy intake but not your nutritional intake, and this adds up very quickly when you over indulge.

conventional products, but it is definitely worth making the change.

5 Keep fruit to a minimum

Fruit should be seen as nature’s sweets and only eaten very occasionally. A freshly squeezed juice may look and taste healthy but it can also contain as much sugar as Coca-Cola. Eating too much fruit can quickly pile on the extra kilos because it is full of fructose. There is also concern that fruit juice is a cause of diabetes and pancreatitis. Rather choose low-sugar fruit such as berries.

6 Be wary of dairy

The purpose of milk is to grow calves into cows, so even the milk from organic, free-range, grass-fed cows contains growth hormones. These bovine hormones mess with the delicate balance of our own hormones, which can lead to weight-loss resistance and acne, especially in women. Some people are intolerant to dairy. Food intolerances can stress the body and cause weight gain. The good news is that because butter is a pure fat, very few people suffer any adverse effects from it. If you find even butter is a problem for you, use ghee, which is usually well tolerated as the whey, which contains all the protein, is removed.

7 Think twice about alcohol

Your body identifies alcohol as a toxin, so your liver works hard to eliminate it as fast as possible by preferentially using it for energy. In essence, while you’re working to remove the alcohol, the use of fat from body fat stores or from dietary fat is halted. Alcohol also has a low nutrient density so you increase your food energy intake but not your nutritional intake, and this adds up very quickly when you over indulge. If your main goal is weight loss, be aware that alcohol will slow down your progress. If you do drink, keep the quantities to a minimum and stick to dry wines and spirits, such as whisky and vodka, and drink lots of water to avoid becoming dehydrated.

8 Don’t eat soya

Soya is not a health food and much of it is genetically modified. Soya beans contain compounds that cause hormonal imbalances in the human body by mimicking the sex hormone oestrogen. Soya is also a heavily sprayed crop.

9 Stop snacking

Snacking between meals keeps blood glucose and insulin levels raised, which isn’t helpful if you want to lose weight. The idea is to keep insulin levels consistently low throughout the day so that fat can be unlocked from our fat cells and used as energy. Aim to eat two or three satiating meals a day with no snacking in between. This also gives your body time to digest your food properly.

10 Find what works for you

We aren’t all the same. What works well for one person might not work as well for another. You need to figure out what version of low-carb works best for you. Is it a ketogenic diet or one slightly higher in carbs? Intermittent fasting or three meals a day? Can you include a little fruit or does that cause sugar cravings? Can you incorporate dairy or does that stall your weight loss? Does alcohol interfere with your willpower and cause you to make poor food choices? You need to put in the work to figure out the answers to these important questions for yourself but, once you do, your journey towards a slimmer and healthier you will be smooth sailing.