My favourite photograph of our freshly painted "Body and Soul" ( Hede-Bazouges France July 2015),
assuring readers that we are happy and healthy in our floating home.
(click on above line for the melody)
I am in my 75th year, maybe too late for any change in my diet; but I am impressed by both the scientific evidence published by the BMJ (and other journals) and by a dramatic change ("volte-face") in what has been medical, doctrinal advice over the last 50 years or so; This is for those of us who are anxious about their fitness, fear of diabetes type (2) or simply being over weight.
This change (over-simplified!) now recommends the following:
Eating fat is good, not bad. ( excluding " transfats" as in cookies etc)
Eating carbohydrates (sugar+) is bad, not good (the body makes its own carbs from fats and proteins by a process called gluconeogenesis).
(Click on the each of the above to elaborate)
What I thought was sound practice, but now isn't
(click the line above for a very convincing site)
These sites above are helpful and I am persuaded that previous official medical advice since the 1970's has been terribly wrong. They also confirm my understanding that the number of calories found in what I am eating is not, and never has been, the root cause of gaining weight.
I am a triumphant witness to the exposure of this fallacy, preached by those "cockey" calorie counters who have had it so wrong for so long. Try this site below.
For the obsessive calorie counting person
Ok, so we cut the carbs......
However, the difficult areas of my lifestyle are:
- My liking for beer, cashew/pea nuts, bread of any sort, potatoes and other root vegetables. Certain fruits, salty and sweet biscuits, cakes and crisps.
But I am delighted with the allowances made for:
- Red or dry white wine, dry champagne, gin, whisky and brandy ! (Well, who'd 'ave thought it?) but in moderation of course!
- Porridge oats and - yoghurt ( oh heaven! I love this for breakfast)
(upon writing this, my January "booze-fast", now 26 days old, has made a difference in my general feeling of well-being and has already delivered a stonking 5kg to-boot from my body and soul!)
The question now is; what should I do with the 48x50cl cans of Boddingtons Bitter? (at a mere 3.5% abv); and the large bottle of Russian brandy? - (in a glass bottle shaped like a kalashnikov Gun and now lying in the boot of the car) - all awaiting the 1st Feb and for my loving attention!... Mmmmm....
It isn't going to be plain sailing y'know, is it?
Just listen to this lecture by a Dr. Sarah Hallberg and take heart - click below.
Hallberg on something exciting about over-weight and diabetes 2
and then
What happens to alcohol inside the body (Male)
The benefits of good water to drink
TheTruthAbout-20160205-TheTruthAboutDiabetesDebate
(Click on the BBC podcast above)
Some future plans for our summer cruising season
(click on the above for our ideas for the summer cruising)