I have just come back from attending an inspiring conference on benefits of having lower carbohydrates in our diet. The conference was held at The Sheraton Mirage on the Gold Coast with international speakers including doctors, specialist, scientists, an immunologist, radiologist, dietitians and an investigate journalist all delivering their latest research and findings. While there has been a lot of controversy over the past 20 years about having a lower carbohydrate diet there has been a lot of well researched scientific studies recently that have shown benefits.
For me, some of the key highlights of the conference were discussions on inflammation and insulin resistance. In Australia, approximately 60 – 70% of the population may be insulin resistance and not know it. Both of these conditions may contribute to some of the problems seen today, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary diseases, fatty liver and arthritis. Research shows having higher blood sugar levels correlates with higher levels of inflammation.
Some of the causes of inflammation and insulin resistance can be attributed to such factors as
• Poor diet – high in sugar, processed foods and vegetable oils which then triggers hunger cravings, fatigue and brain fog
• Visceral Obesity – overweight and all that fat around the middle
• Lack of exercise
• Poor sleep
• Stress
• Gut health
• Too much alcohol
• Smoking
Why wait until you have an issue with a disease before doing something about it? We need to do everything we can TODAY to prevent these problems.
Making healthier dietary changes like limiting sugar and reducing carbohydrates, consuming less processed foods, less processed refined vegetable oils and increasing our intake of healthy fats (such as olive oil, avocado oil, nuts and seeds) and increasing our fibre intake from non -starchy vegetables.
Achieving one small change is a step closer to one’s good health!
If you would like further information and guidance please contact me.
