hey! nice to meet you!
I just read 'If I eat carbs, I make sure to add as much natural fat as possible', just wondering if there is a scientific reason for it or just your prefrence?
Great question!
Here is the gist of why I’m adding lot of “natural fat” to my diet.
From the beginning:
If you eat too many carbs, your blood sugar will increase. Insulin gets called in to process the blood sugar for energy, however if there’s too much blood sugar, insulin will convert the blood sugar into fat.
This is why low carb diets work. If you don’t eat that many carbs, there’s no way to get any excess blood sugar to get converted into fat.
What are some other ways to lower blood sugar? Eating low glycemic index foods.
The glycemic index is the measure of how fast a food raises your blood sugar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index
Here is the glycemic index for 100+ foods from Harvard University.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htm
I’ve read that Fat slows down the absorption of carbs in the body, so if you look at this chart, look for really high fatty foods. You’ll see some “bad” foods actually have a low glycemic index (55 or less). Also, note the lower fat version of foods actually have a higher glycemic index.
Ice cream, premium (haagen daz, full fat) - 37
M&M peanuts - 33
Chicken Nuggets - 46
Pizza, Super Supreme - 36
Banana cake, made with sugar - 47
So, we’ve been told sugar is bad for us because it’ll raise our blood sugar. Therefore, we think anything sweet is bad. Chocolate, ice cream,…
However as you can see with this chart, the INCREASE of fat in the food lowers the glycemic index.
Based on this logical conclusion, I can take a hamburger bun with a glycemic index of 61 and lower it by adding hamburger meat with a glycemic index of 0, and cheese with a glycemic index of 0. The addition of the fat SHOULD lower the glycemic index. I don’t know for sure because there’s no chart that shows the glycemic index of a cheeseburger.
Ok so that’s the science behind why I’m doing this. There’s also observational evidence this is true. Think of all the “bad” carbs people eat. They are normally associated with fats.
Bread with butter/peanut butter/cheese
Potato with cheese, sour cream, bacon
Cereal with milk
Hamburger bun with cheese/hamburger meat
I haven’t found any formal studies that show this “diet” works. All the studies I’ve seen single out either fats or carbs, and don’t take into account the overall construction of foods.
If you watch Fat Head on netflix/hulu, Tom Naughton loses weight by eating fast food everyday. This is neither a low carb, nor low fat diet, and he still lost weight, and emphasized he was really happy.
I want to emphasize the addition of “natural” fats. Read up on how your favorite oils are made, and you’ll notice that all refined vegetable oils are not made naturally. In general, I cook with animal oils (lard, butter mainly). If I do use vegetable oil, it needs to be cold pressed.
This “diet” might be more closely related to the Atkin’s maintenance phase, which less restriction on carbs. This “diet” has not really been published anywhere, so I’m kind of the guinea pig. However, if I can maintain a healthy weight with this, then it actually is the ultimate diet. Eat whatever you want and still be healthy.
Here are some yummy things I’ve been eating:
Butter Croissants slathered with extra butter
Home made lasagna made with 75%/25% ground beef, and whole milk versions of cheeses
Spaghetti with a block of melted cheese
Crackers with really fatty cheese (brie)
Deep fried breaded chicken (deep fried in lard)
Five Guys Little Bacon Cheeseburger (I can’t finish the normal one)
In and Out Double Double
I hope this answer helps! Please if you have any questions, let me know.
