Low Carb Down Under Sydney event October 2019
I recently attended my first Low Carb Down Under event in Sydney, which hosted Gary Taubes, author of Good Calories, Bad calories et al; and Dr David Unwin, ranked 9th GP in the UK, whom has created the sugar equivalents infographics and has experienced Type 2 diabetes remission of 138 patients on lower carbohydrate diets with significant improvements in weight, liver function, lipids and blood pressure.
Dr David Unwin’s work as a GP is quite unconventional in that his clinic is one of the lowest prescribing clinics in the UK, instead, he has educated his patients on food as medicine, in a way that does not measure anything. This work has led to the creation of a series of infographics depicting the equivalent teaspoons of sugar have in them, allowing patients to eat what they want and know how to stay below their sugar limits.
Dr David Unwin presented a great talk, addressing two key approaches needed for success being psychology and physiology.
The physiology aspect he touched on was that whilst it is important to measure blood glucose levels, that Haemoglobin 1AC (HbA1C) measurements tell us how “sugary” a person is within the preceding 125 days. Other things to measure include total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, Cholesterol ratio, and triglycerides.
Start by eliminating table sugar, then make small incremental changes, starting with one meal at a time. Dr David Unwin suggests starting with breakfast, swapping cereal for a cooked breakfast.
As pointed out, starch is glucose molecules holding hands”, which the body breaks apart during digestion, increasing the glycaemic load.
In terms of the psychological aspect, Dr David Unwin presented the G.R.I.N. approach as a driver for behavioural changes in 4 steps.
G - Goals
Focus on your goals or those of people you care about.
When making a goal, ask yourself “What difference in your life would weight loss make?” This creates a greater sense of commitment
R - Resource
People are not blank slates, they have resources, specifically the resources of intelligence and experience. Think about the last time you lost weight and how you did it; identify who cooks in the household and if they will be onboard. Find out what works and workshop solutions to problems you may encounter.
Increment
Start by eliminating table sugar, then make small changes, one meal at a time and decide upon the next small change/increment you are willing to take.
Noticing
Notice what works, and if there is no change, then go back a step and make the next incremental change you make elimination of commonly known allergens and inflammatory foods, such as wheat and dairy. Or, if you notice a food makes you bloated, eliminate it.
Gary Taube’s spoke on the theory of ‘calories in vs calories out’ energy balance theory is “a tautology, not a hypothesis”, that hormones influence fat distribution and carbohydrates drive this. A point that Dr David Unwin concurs with, citing a case of a woman whom burned her hand severely and required a skin graft. The skin was taken from her belly, and later in life, when she gained a lot of weight, the skin originally from her belly also experienced weight gain, independent of the other skin on her hand.
Gary Taubes discussed the fact that fat distribution trends in men being above the waist (belly fat) and that women develop fat below the wait, on their hips. And that during puberty men lose ft and gain muscles whereas women increase their fat stores.
Kind regards,
Penelope Espinoza Hallett, Naturopath
BHsc (C.M.) AdvDip. Nat/N.D, Dip. Aroma, Dip. C.H., Cert. R.M., Cert. R.M., Cert. SBM, mNHAA