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If there was a drug that might increase your metabolism, assist weight loss, dampen inflammation and result in a happier and longer life, it could fly off the cabinets.
But such a substance exists, explains marketing consultant bariatric surgeon Andrew Jenkinson, and each one among us makes use of it many occasions a day.
“This elixir of life already exists – it is called food,” he says. “But be warned, the door can swing the other way too – this same ‘drug’ can also cause weight gain, obesity, diabetes, inflammation, allergies and misery.
“Like any addictive drug, it can interfere with your reward pathways, make you feel unnaturally high, and lead to addictions and the formation of bad habits – and those bad habits and that unhealthy body become you.”
Despite many people’s obsession with counting calories, Jenkinson, who specialises in weight reduction surgical procedure and laparoscopic procedures in London’s Harley Street, believes calories are much less essential than what meals does to your physique and mind. He’s adamant that if people handled meals as a drug, the place sure foods are thought-about ‘toxic’ and others ‘medicinal’, they might be capable to lead a more healthy life-style much more simply.
“The calories in your food are of secondary importance to your weight and health,” he insists. “It’s what the food does to your body, and just as importantly what it does to your brain, that matters.
“Once you grasp that food works just like a drug, and that the drug can be either medicinal or toxic, your whole outlook on food will change. Armed with this knowledge, you will have the keys to unlock a healthier life, without needing to resort to willpower, because once you understand how food affects you, you will naturally start to crave good food.”
(Pete Dadds/PA)
The surgeon, who has outlined the way in which he believes meals impacts us in his new e-book How to Eat (And Still Lose Weight), explains that completely different parts of meals carry messages which can be interpreted by the physique in the identical method as medicine. “It’s not the calories in the food that directly shift someone’s weight upwards or downwards – it is these signals,” he says.
Once somebody has accepted meals is sort of a drug, they should be taught that are the nice meals ‘drugs’ and that are the dangerous ones, explains Jenkinson. “This changes our whole psyche in relation to food – we take on the identity of someone who lives healthily. This type of change is more fun, can be embraced with enthusiasm and does not rely on willpower alone. “
What to eat less of
According to Dr Andrew Jenkinson
High sugar and refined carbohydrates
Jenkinson explains that leptin, a hormone produced by fat cells, is crucial for maintaining a healthy weight as it increases metabolism and decreases appetite. But people who are obese can develop inflammation, which stops the leptin doing its job, leading to leptin resistance.
Certain foods containing high sugar and refined carbohydrates are what Jenkinson calls leptin busters. “These block healthy leptin signalling, leading to weight gain,” he says. “Leptin busters are any foods containing large amounts of sugar and highly refined carbs, including cakes, pasta and bread.”
Sweetened gentle drinks
Fructose is a naturally-occurring sugar present in fruits, honey and many different plant foods, and it’s usually added to processed foods and sweetened gentle drinks. Jenkinson says if numerous fructose is consumed, it will probably set off a weight acquire sign inside cells.
“This newly-discovered primitive response would normally remain dormant unless very high quantities of fructose are sensed,” he explains. “But these high fructose concentrations are found in processed foods – flicking on the fructose switch and leading to weight gain.”
Fast meals and processed foods
Processed foods are designed to stimulate very highly effective emotions of reward and pleasure when eaten, and this makes our mind need them over extra pure foods, says Jenkinson.
But such foods are stuffed with vegetable oils, he warns. “Although we’ve been reassured by nutritionists that these oils are healthy, they are in fact hazardous to the delicate balance of the important omega fats that bathe our cell walls.
“Too much omega-6, a nutrient found in massive excess in these oils, dilutes the health-giving effect of omega-3’s. Omega-6 causes malfunctioning of our insulin signals, meaning we need more of it, and leading to the same effect as taking in too much sugar.”
He says an excessive amount of omega-6 additionally triggers irritation, which will increase the danger of turning into unwell or creating an inflammatory illness. Foods containing these omega disruptors embody quick foods, crisps, processed foods with an extended shelf life, any meals cooked in vegetable oil (sunflower, canola, rapeseed and so on.), egg yolk, and farm-fed hen and pork.
Food containing synthetic colourings and flavouring
Most colourings, flavourings, emulsifiers and different synthetic meals components “are not, and have never been, food” stresses Jenkinson. “They are chemical elements that have been designed in laboratories for the benefit of food companies.”
He says some have been proven to trigger irritation, extreme allergic reactions and elevated danger of most cancers, and factors out that the majority processed foods comprise them. “So avoid these where possible. They act like a toxic drug.”
What to eat extra of and what to eat much less of
How to Eat (And Still Lose Weight) by Dr Andrew Jenkinson is printed by Penguin Life on January 18, priced £18.99
Fish
Fish is stuffed with omega-3 oils and due to this fact it’s anti-inflammatory and helps weight reduction, says Jenkinson. “Sushi is great – the Japanese, who eat a lot of it, are some of the healthiest people in the world.”
Egg whites
Egg whites are an amazing protein supply, says Jenkinson, who advises people to eat them to be able to cut back the extent of omega-6 present in egg yolks.
Healthy grains
If you’re attempting to reduce weight, take heed to consuming too many carbs within the type of white rice, potatoes and bread, Jenkinson warns, and as an alternative select pulses and beans, quinoa or buckwheat, which don’t spike your insulin ranges.
Leafy greens
Eat contemporary greens, significantly leafy inexperienced and brightly-coloured ones, as these infuse your physique with phytochemicals, that are anti-inflammatory, in addition to antioxidants, Jenkinson advises. “If you take in most of your carbs through vegetables, your weight-control hormone will keep on functioning normally, meaning no weight gain,” he notes.
Berries
Berries are stuffed with phytochemicals and low in fructose sugar. High quantities can set off our physique’s hibernation state, resulting in weight acquire, explains Jenkinson.
Saturated fat
According to Jenkinson, analysis now exhibits it’s superb to eat fatty steaks, purple meat (grass-fed for wholesome omega-3), butter and yoghurt, however keep away from palm oil, which has hyperlinks to coronary heart illness.
“Red meat is not bad for you,” he insists. “It is full of health-giving natural saturated fats. These fats do not spike insulin levels and do not cause obesity.”
Natural spices and salt
Unless you endure with hypertension then salt can be utilized to season meat and fish earlier than cooking, says Jenkinson. “This brings out fantastic flavours in home-prepared foods,” he explains. Keep your pantry stuffed with flavoursome and fragrant spices and herbs to make meals one thing to savour, he advises, including: “Your natural spice rack is a nutritional powerhouse containing minerals, vitamins and those important anti-inflammatory phytochemicals.”
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