Hey TOFI people, you may be thin but are you really healthy?
Potato starch cakes with organic sheep creme fraiche with small portion blueberries (naturally low in fructose).
There are a growing number of people who are thin on the outside. However, inside, is a completely different matter! Their slim exterior can hide Internal visceral fat, especially on the liver. The condition is known as NAFLD (Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease). A build up of this fat can actually lead to type 2 diabetes, increased blood pressure, raised tri-gylcerides or difficulty losing weight etc.
They are all potential indications that you may not be so slim inside and you may have increased risk of a heart attack. A calcium scan could also possibly show calcification of the arteries!
This was the case of Irish entrepreneur and businessman David Bobbett. Despite being slim and passing all his blood tests with flying colours; cholesterol, triglycerides etc, he found out that he had the arteries of an 80yr old and had an increased risk of a heart attack.
The Good News is that it is possible to reduce heart attack risk significantly with diet change.
Check out his story in the charity he set up to raise awareness of the real indicators of heart disease:
WidowMaker film on the Irish Heart Disease Awareness Website
Shockingly, children are also suffering as a result of internal visceral fat! So, what is causing it and what can be done?
In summary, according to Dr Robert Lustig, visceral fat – NAFLD-Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. leads to insulin resistance & consistently raised blood glucose levels and can cause type 2 diabetes and calcification.
Of course you can also have Fatty Liver Disease from alcohol but we assume your kids are not drinking alcohol:-)
According to Lustig, the main drivers of NAFLD are:
- Fructose including excess fruit and sugar (50% fructose),
- Oxidised seed oils such as sunflower, rapeseed, colza etc found in processed foods
- Excess Branched Chain Amino Acids from non-organic protein sources
4 simple steps to reverse the condition:
- Swap high glucose foods for resistant starch e.g. pastry for re-heated potatoes
- Swap seed oils for good fats; Olive Oil, organic animal fats, olive oil etc
- Reduce fructose and sugar (sugar is 50% fructose)
- Reduce protein from non-organic sources
One of the easiest things to do is swap high glucose foods (cakes, bread, pastry) for resistant starch. Resistant Starch has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and feed the beneficial gut bacteria.
Foods high in resistant starch;
- Cooked rice or sweet potatoes, cooled and re-heated, this increases resistant starch.
- Potato or corn starch- check out NOSH ROCKS easy Brazilian cheese bread recipe
- Organic, gluten free oats- cooked, cooled and reheated
- Legumes such as lentils and beans- ensure they are soaked overnight and thoroughly cooked like our ancestors did!
So, if you want to make an improvement in your health, what is the harm in tantalising your tastebuds with some delicious new recipes and ingredients. NOSH ROCKS- be your most amazing self with great Food!