What is Low Carb High Fat (LCHF)?
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We think it is important for you to understand what Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) means as a nutritional lifestyle change.
Those who stumble on it this way of life have often done so because of a medical condition that maybe has not been resolved with medication, the medical professionals are stumped as to why medication can’t help your diagnosis, they can’t diagnose you, or because you, yourself have done some research and figured out that this way of life will most likely help your condition. See Simone’s Story here.
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The low carb/keto world might feel like a bit of a minefield. It feels conflicting to what we have been told and taught. But quite frankly, what we have been told and taught is outdated and wrong. We are now one of the sickest and fattest nations in the world and it isn’t because we haven’t listened to the Government Guidelines (The Eatwell Guide – or in the LCHF world the Eatbadly Guide. In America it is called the SAD diet Standard American Diet, and I can assure you it is really SAD!).
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There is now growing evidence to suggest that Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), Obesity, Alzheimer, heart disease and many other diseases known as metabolic syndrome are in fact more manageable than the medical world originally thought, but the management isn’t always with medication. It CAN BE done with nutritional and lifestyle changes. That’s not to say you shouldn’t take medication if needs be, in fact when you make any changes to your health you should speak to your doctor about it. We can’t promise they will be happy about it, or dissuade you against it but it is never too late to make positive changes to your health through nutrition and lifestyle.
BUT, these diseases can manifest over many years, luckily the ability to put diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) into remission is surprisingly quick. With a bit of commitment and support it is possible to put T2D into remission! (check out www.phcuk.org for studies on this). With the help of NoFOMO Foods you can get both advice and good nutrition to help you on your way.
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So, what is the Low Carb/Keto dietary approach? Well, it can vary for anyone who is starting out. But for us it is often about encouraging a Real Food Approach. That quite simply means, if it is in a packet with a tonne of ingredients on the back then it is likely not going to support your systems in a healthy way. It is about cutting out/down on the refined sugary foods such as sugar in drinks, fizzy drinks, cakes, biscuits, sweets, sauces etc and reducing the starchy carbohydrates like bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, which keep our blood glucose in a constant up and down state which makes up continually tired and hungry, as well as cause inflammatory responses in your body. For many there is an intolerance to carbohydrates, and in turn this creates an insulin resistance too. LCHF is also about removed the vegetable oils which are highly processed and very damaging to the body. Oils such as canola, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil and the like.
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There are many books, websites and podcasts to help you understand this further - we will do a resource on this.
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LCHF is about understanding that the healthy fats we consume (meat, dairy, olive oils, avocados, coconut oil, eggs etc) are not dangerous and in fact fats along with good quality proteins can help us maintain good health, weight loss, and reduce hunger. Fat and Protein are essential macro nutrients. Meaning we need them to survive (clue is in the word essential). Carbohydrates (in the amounts and processes we are consuming them) are not essential for our life, meaning we can survive without them. There has never been an essential carbohydrate. We have been told we NEED them for energy and for survival, but that simply isn’t true. It is very complex explanation and here at NoFOMO Foods we want to keep it simple, but our body, given the chance will use fat as energy, and produce glucose from other sources of foods as well as from our own organs like the liver, in the absences of carbohydrates. Every day we at NoFOMO are amazed at how our bodies manage the complex tasks of “living”, given the right opportunities. We hear your positive stories of change and that is what keeps our fire burning. We need the right nutrition, stress reduction, restful sleep, good probiotics, some exercise, and a positive mindset. Now we are not suggesting it is easy, and that is must all be changed in one day or even in one week BUT it does take effort and accountability. It can feel overwhelming but with consistent small steps we can all live a long and healthy life.
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If you’d like a Health & Well-being Consultation with Simone for more understanding on the education of LCHF and how to manage your health please fill in the contact form here.
There are varying ranges of reduction in carbohydrate intake and everyone will go at their own pace. Over the years Simone has seen some people will stop eating bread, especially when they realise how damaging it is for them, likewise with pasta or they might reduce the amount they have on their plate. Many people will start with taking table sugar out their hot drinks or having less biscuits. But there are lots of hidden sugars in pack/processed foods, like pasta sauces, or even “healthy” smoothies. Smoothies can sometimes contain as much sugar as a can of coke! Here at NoFOMO Foods we suggest you stay away from juices and smoothies and rather eat the whole fruit.
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Since we are talking about fruit, it is something we need to cover. When Simone worked in the NHS on the National Diabetes Prevention Programme, it was the most common comment people made. “I eat really well, I'm shocked I'm pre-diabetic, I eat loads of fruit!”. We have been told we should get 5-9 pieces of fruit and vegetables a day. But really that should say 2 pieces of low carb fruit (see low carb food list) and the rest should be vegetables (see low carb food list). Fruit can be the reason why some people still have blood glucose issues as well as weight gain, even after removing the refined sugars! Crazy right. There is so much re-education needed.
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Then there are the people who make significant changes quickly. These people will generally put in a lot of planning and time into making the shift. It is not something you can do on a whim. Some people, like Simone who did this back in 2015, by invest in a programme and books, or online courses to help them make sustained changes quickly, keep them accountable and help stay on track. This might work for some, but not for everyone. Check out Simone’s story. She made committed changes for 3 months, and never stopped after that. Cutting out all foods that causes inflammation, sugar spikes, depression, fatigue and chronic pain. Simone managed to cut it all out but did have to make a determined commitment. It all paid off though.
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Then, there might be the “I’ll dip my toes in but I can’t live without {insert carbohydrate addicted food}. These people are the reason NoFOMO Foods was coined. This is a lot of people. Over the years it has become more apparent that carbohydrates or at least processed food have been manufactured to hit the perfect pleasure spot for our brain and body.
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There is a physiological and psychological response to processed foods. Food companies don’t spend millions of pounds on research to hit that pleasure spot for nothing!! As a coach, Simone started to recognise over the years of helping people, that there was so much fear around making nutritional changes.
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Whether is was the common “but we need some carbs” or “but I can’t live without bread, what will I have instead” to “I love my {sweet comfort food}. It was the combination of these common comments AND the fact that Simone truly did not want people to feel deprived when cutting out their favourite comfort foods (therefore fall of their wagon and feel guilty about it) that NoFOMO Foods was created.
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Simone felt passionately about giving this opportunity to others. So, between her and her partner Simon, they decided it was time to invest in creating a brand of high quality, luxury, low carb, sugar-free foods so that people NO longer needed to feel the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO).
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