What is the Low Carb Healthy Fat Diet?
For questions on Low Carb Healthy Fat book an appointment with Dr Greg Schwarz or our nutritionist Jillaine Williams.
What is a LCHF (Low carb high “healthy” fat) diet?
An LCHF diet means you eat fewer carbohydrates and a higher proportion of healthy fat. Most importantly you minimize your intake of sugar and starches. You can eat other delicious foods until you are satisfied – and still lose weight. A number of recent high-quality scientific studies shows that a low-carb diet makes it easier both to lose weight and to control your blood sugar. And that’s just the beginning.
The basics
Eat: Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables growing above ground and natural fats (like butter).
Avoid: Sugar and starchy foods (like bread, pasta, rice, beans and potatoes).
Eat when you’re hungry until you are satisfied. It’s that simple.
You do not need to count calories or weigh your food. And just forget about industrially produced low fat products.
There are solid scientific reasons why low-carb diets work. When you avoid sugar and starches your blood sugar stabilizes and the levels of insulin, the fat-storing hormone, drop. This increases fat burning and makes you feel more satiated.
Read the nutrition label in the grocery store. No more than 5% of carbohydrates for a food is a good rule of thumb. Avoid if you can:
Sugar: The worst. Soft drinks, candy, juice, sports drinks, chocolate, cakes, buns, pastries, ice cream, breakfast cereals. Preferably avoid sweeteners as well.
Starch: Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, French fries, potato chips, porridge, muesli and so on. Wholegrain products are just less bad. Legumes, such as beans and lentils, are high in carbs. Moderate amounts of root vegetables may be OK (unless you’re eating extremely low carb).
Margarine: Industrially imitated butter with unnaturally high content of omega-6 fat. Has no health benefits, tastes bad. Statistically linked to asthma, allergies and other inflammatory diseases.
Beer: Liquid bread. Full of rapidly absorbed carbs, unfortunately.
Fruit: Very sweet, lots of sugar. Eat once in a while. Treat fruit as a natural form of candy.
Benefits of a LCHF (Low Carb, Healthy Fat) are:
increase weight loss
decrease cravings for refined carbs
allow you to eat a greater amount of food and calories
avert hunger pangs & prevent binge eating
improve and reverse leptin resistance
lower blood pressure
prevent insulin resistance, diabetes, heart disease and gout
improve and reverse weight gain and other symptoms associated with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
raise good HDL levels, lower triglycerides & lower high density LDS particles
prevent fatty liver disease
decrease brain fog, and improve concentration and memory
eliminate blood sugar swings and mood swings and enable optimal blood sugar control
prevent muscle loss
improve dental health
reduce bodily inflammation
prevent heartburn and other GI problems
may prevent and improve neurological diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s
If you would like more information, please call reception on (03) 6224 6717 to book an appointment with Dr Greg Schwarz.