Fats or Carbs? Which is the real culprit?
One major risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes is being overweight. If you are prone to carrying a little bit of extra pounds around your waist, eating fat could actually help you to lose weight.
Diabetes specialist, Dr Sarah Brewer, said: "There is a carbohydrate epidemic in the Western world and we are paying the price with obesity and type 2 diabetes." Note the word she uses, carbohydrates, not fats. In fact, the doctor elaborated by saying that "carbohydrates need to be balanced with the other two main constituents of a healthy diet: fats and protein". Dr Brewer emphasised that healthy fats "should not be avoided" adding that, ”Not enough unsaturated fats in our diet can lead to poor mental and physical health,” aside from challenging (as opposed to encouraging) weight gain.
Examples of unsaturated includes:
Olive oil
Rapeseed oil
Avocados
Almonds, Brazil nuts, peanuts
Mackerel, salmon, sardines, trout, herring, kippers.
New research, on attitudes towards fats in the UK revealed that 50% of 2,017 participants were unaware good fats are essential for health. More surprisingly, they also believed that good fats make you put on weight when in actual fact, it is carbohydrates. This is because many carbohydrate-based snacks can be low in nutrient density and high in available sugars. This can cause a spike in blood glucose levels, whereas a snack low in carbohydrates and high in fat could help to suppress hunger.
The body is very efficient at burning fat within the diet and can help us feel fuller for longer. Swapping your high carbohydrate snack for one which has healthy fats and is nutrient dense is a step in the right direction.
According to the NHS change4life model, the amount of sugar a person should eat in a day depends on how old they are. Children aged four to six years old should be limited to a maximum of 19g per day. Seven to 10-year-olds should have no more than 24g, and children aged 11 and over should have 30g or less. Meanwhile the NHS recommends adults have no more than 30g of free sugars a day.
Popular snacks contain a surprising amount of sugar and even a single can of Coca Cola (35g of sugar) or one Mars bar (33g) contains more than the maximum amount of sugar a child should have over a whole day. A bowl of Frosties contains 24g of sugar, meaning a 10-year-old who has Frosties for breakfast has probably reached their limit for the day before they even leave the house.
Children and adults who eat too much sugar risk damaging their teeth, putting on fat and becoming overweight, and getting type 2 diabetes which increases the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Extracts taken from Chanel Georgina from https://www.express.co.uk