An over-50 Generation Xer sees life through a new lens: Kathy’s Window is where Kathy shares her thoughts on the world through a new lens. From growing up in the 70s and 80s to having three Generation-Z kids, and going through certain experiences in her life, she now sees the world in a different way. Ideas that were considered the norm in the 70s, 80s and 90s are now no longer socially relevant or acceptable. Kathy explores the new ideas through the lens of someone who has been on both sides of the ‘glass’.
IN the 70s, 80s and 90s, it was common for people to go on low-fat diets to either lose weight or because dietary fat was considered the cause of heart disease and other chronic diseases. Then, low-carb diets became the popular choice of dieting when the Paleo Diet became popular after Loren Cordain’s book, The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat, came out in 2002. In recent years, the Keto Diet has gained great popularity, but it was originally developed to treat children and infants with severe epilepsy under medical supervision. Now, low-carb is considered the ‘magic bullet’ to weight loss and health.
Low-carb was actually on the scene decades ago but not as popular, eg, with the Atkins Diet. The original Banting Diet was ‘started’ by a man in 1862 who was prescribed a low-fat diet for weight loss – William Banting – and due to his ‘success’, he created a leaflet describing the diet – the supposed first diet book. The Banting Diet was popularised in South Africa by Tim Noakes, and he adopted it in his own way – called the Noakes Diet. He founded the Noakes Foundation in 2012 to help promote the diet. His subsequent popular book, The Real Meal Revolution, describes the diet in detail.
Also read: Kathy’s Window: Why the Body Mass Index (BMI) is bull and racist
The idea of low-carb diets is to lower your intake of carbohydrates and increase the intake of dietary fat and protein in order for the body to burn fat from our cells for fuel, causing a person to lose weight. The idea is that our modern diet causes our bodies to have too much glucose in the blood caused by eating carbs. By forcing the body to make its own glucose in the liver, which it takes from the protein cells (found in the muscles), using fat, it causes the body to access its fat stores for energy. But note – it’s also accessing your muscles!
(In some people, they do have too much glucose in their blood due to Type I or Type II Diabetes. Type I is when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin which helps take the glucose into our cells for energy. Type II Diabetes starts off with insulin resistance where the body isn’t responding as well to insulin so the glucose isn’t being transported into the cells properly and remains in the blood. This puts a strain on the body and eventually the pancreas. There is treatment for these conditions, but healthy people have no problem digesting carbohydrates and integrating glucose into their cells. And Diabetes can be treated without going on a low-carb diet.)
As I spoke about in my first Kathy’s Window article, I was fatphobic, and now, I’m fat, I went on the Paleo Diet for two and a half years, hoping to lose weight and gain health. I lost weight temporarily and lost the health I did have at the same time. Eventually, my body became tired of working so hard to produce its own glucose. Low-carb didn’t work well for me. It possibly does work for some people, but I personally think that it’s not sustainable long-term. Here are my reasons:
1. Glucose is the body’s main source of fuel/energy – especially the brain. In fact, it’s the only source of energy for our brain and nervous system. Nothing else works – it’s the basic building block. Glucose is also the most important source of energy for our blood cells and kidneys. A high-protein diet also puts a strain on the kidneys. When glucose is readily available, the body doesn’t have to work as hard or cut into the muscles to get what it needs to survive and thrive.
2. Complex carbohydrates are essential for healthy digestion – it’s all about what carbohydrates you eat. If you are eating complex carbohydrates, which are found in fruit and vegetables and whole grains, your body takes longer to break them down in the digestive system. And that’s actually a good thing as it stabilises blood sugar, helps the good bacteria thrive in your gut and gives you fibre to make your digestive system work smoothly. If that is happening, serotonin – the feel-good chemical – is being produced – yes, serotonin is made in your intestines, not your brain. So, carbs lift your mood! And actually help calm you down. If you’re battling to sleep at night, consider eating more carbs with your evening meal. You’ll be amazed at how relaxed it makes you.
Also read: Kathy’s Window: Shopping for clothes when you’re fat – without spiralling
3. Cutting carbs makes you eat too many foods that are not good for you when out of balance. When you cut carbs, you get hungry. So, you reach for an excess of animal-based products, which are good in moderation as they provide a great nutrient base, but if making up the bulk of your meal, they can be high in cholesterol and if not of good quality, growth hormones and antibiotics are found in the meat and dairy. When you’re desperately hungry and low-carb food isn’t available, you also tend to reach for fast foods or sugary snacks which don’t sustain you long-term.
4. It’s not sustainable long-term. Eating low-carb can be difficult and expensive – animal products and high-fat products are more expensive than whole grains and filling veggies like potatoes and sweet potatoes, etc. You will probably end up getting hungry after a while, and your weight loss will plateau. When your body isn’t getting enough fuel and is struggling to take from your muscle stores, it will slow your metabolism down to conserve energy. Therefore, you will stop losing weight and even start putting on weight. That’s what happened to me on the Paleo Diet – after the nine-month mark, I began to feel debilitating fatigue and developed other issues, plus I started to put on weight again. Unfortunately, I only realised what was wrong after two and a half years because I’d been sold the low-carb ‘magic bullet’.
I hope this will encourage you to do a bit of research before you embark on a low-carb diet, and if you are struggling with being on one, help you reconsider if it is best for you. If in doubt, consult with a dietitian or nutritionist.
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