Fictitious Verve

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Corn

In the United States, too, it was used to fatten cattle until the drought of 1929 decimated herds and ruined farmers in the Midwest. Faced with the real famine that ensued, the hungry population no longer had beef available, so decided to eat the cattle feed, or what was left of it. And that is how America took to eating ”corn”, a habit that was exported to Europe in the 40s with the post-war American occupation. So we should not now be surprised to discover that maize has a high glycaemic index, given that for centuries it was used to fatten up cattle. But it is interesting to note that processing maize pushes up its glycaemic index still further, giving products like popcorn and cornflakes very high glycaemic potential indeed. So they are extremely fattening. In addition, processed maize contains a substance that destroys niacin; this is a vitamin necessary for growth, and lack of it can also cause metabolic imbalances and abnormal fatigue.

Posted by hardy at 4:22 AM | 0 comments

Monday, February 23, 2009

Sugar

Sugar is the hands-down, outright winner in the bad carbohydrates stakes. It should always carry the skull and crossbones symbol, like other lethal substances. For it is indeed a product that can be positively dangerous when consumed in large quantities as it unfortunately is by most people in our society, and especially by children. Elsewhere I have devoted a whole chapter to sugar, so that you can be convinced once and for all of its evil role in our diet and of its nefarious consequences, not only in terms of excess weight, but also and most importantly because it is implicated in chronic fatigue, diabetes, gastritis, ulcers, dental caries and heart disease.

Posted by hardy at 6:21 PM | 0 comments

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

ALCOHOL

Alcohol is fattening! That is what you believe, because that is what you have been told. You may even have been made to feel guilty by people who have implied that all your unwanted pounds could be put down to alcohol, with no need to look further. Let us try and make an objective assessment. It is true that alcohol is fattening. But much less fattening than sugar, white bread, potatoes or rice. That is why, very soon after you have shed your unwanted pounds, you will be able to reintroduce wine into your diet in reasonable quantity (up to about half a litre of wine a day, about three glasses, for a man, though women should reduce this by a third). The energy provided by alcohol is used by the body as a first resource for immediate needs, and while the body is using this fuel it will not be burning up stored body fat. This means that the alcohol is preventing you losing weight. However, this happens in particular when it is imbibed on an empty stomach. When the stomach is already full, particularly if it is full of proteinlipids (such as meat, fish or cheese), the alcohol is metabolised much less rapidly because it is mixed with these other foods, and so produces little stored fat. What must be categorically given up is the aperitif. If you really feel you have to keep your guests company, have something non-alcoholic like tomato juice or mineral water.

Posted by hardy at 2:17 AM | 0 comments

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Dried beans

Some of you will no doubt be expecting me to condemn beans out of hand, given what I have just said about potato. Well, you will be wrong! In the first edition of this book, it is true, I spared neither the bean nor that noblest of dishes in which it features, the cassoulet. I now make amends for my hastiness. I have since discovered, to my surprise and great satisfaction, the virtues of the haricot bean. From now on, it must be classed as a good carbohydrate by virtue of its very low glycaemic index. In addition, it is high in vegetable fibre (particularly soluble fibres) and in minerals. So it is possible to eat beans in Phase I in the course of a protein-lipid meal.

Posted by hardy at 6:15 AM | 0 comments

Friday, February 6, 2009

BREAD

Ordinary bread, being made with refined flour, is totally devoid of anything of use to the normal human metabolism. Nutritionally, its only contribution is energy in the form of starch. From the digestive point of view, it means nothing but trouble, given that all the elements that would ensure it was well digested have been removed in the course of refining the flour. Moreover, the whiter the bread is, the ”worse” it is, since its whiteness is the result of the flour being very heavily refined. Wholemeal bread, and especially 100% stone ground wholemeal bread, are much more acceptable, being made in the old-fashioned way with unrefined flours containing fibre. They release notably less glucose than white bread and are therefore less ”fattening”. But good though they are, even these types of bread will temporarily be ruled out, at least with main meals. You should, however, eat them normally at breakfast. We will look at this in detail a little later on. If you are worried about giving up bread, let me reassure you right away. If, in common with 95 % of the population, you consume ordinary white bread, you have nothing to lose but your excess pounds by giving it up. On the contrary, you have everything to gain from such a wise decision, refined flour being so bad for your health. On the other hand, if you normally eat only stone ground or other wholemeal bread, made with unrefined flour, you may lose the advantages of the fibre in giving it up.

Posted by hardy at 3:14 PM | 0 comments

Sunday, February 1, 2009

INGESTING A CARBOHYDRATE

When, for example, you eat a piece of bread with butter, the metabolic process is similar to the one described in the previous paragraph. The carbohydrate is broken down into glucose; the blood glucose level rises; the pancreas secretes insulin. However, there is a fundamental difference. In this example the lipid is converted into a fatty acid in the blood. If the pancreas is in perfect condition, the quantity of insulin secreted will be exactly right for the amount of glucose to be dealt with. If, on the other hand, the pancreas is defective, the amount of insulin released may be greater than is needed to deal with the glucose. The result is that a part of the lipid's energy, which would normally simply be eliminated, will in this instance be stored as body fat. So you can now see that it is the condition of the pancreas that determines whether an individual will tend toward plumpness or will be able to eat absolutely anything without putting on an ounce: the person who puts on weight easily has a tendency to hyperinsulinism.

Posted by hardy at 6:12 AM | 0 comments

Sunday, January 25, 2009

INSULIN

Whether or not we accumulate body fat is directly linked to the secretion of insulin, so we will first take a brief look at this. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas and it plays a vital role in human metabolism. Its function is to act on the glucose (i.e. the sugar) in the bloodstream in such a way that the glucose is absorbed into the body's tissues. The glucose can then either be used to satisfy the body's immediate energy needs or, if there is a surplus, it can be stored as body fat. So let us look at a few hypothetical examples to see under what conditions and with what types of food body fat is likely to be produced, and to what extent.

Posted by hardy at 1:10 AM | 0 comments

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