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. Q
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.