Concerned that some children receive inadequate nourishment, Professor Timothy Noakes has developed a new proposal to help. Known for his championship of high fat low carb diets for weight loss and health, he hopes to lead the way in improving the diets of children from poor communities by highlighting the benefits of animal organs, reported the New Age on July 16.
"Carbohydrates drive hunger. They do not satiate us," he said of his decision to publicize the benefits of all types of animal protein. "The liver, marrow and organs are the healthiest."
As for those who challenge his high fat low carb diet model, Noakes cites research indicating his plan, sometimes called the "Banting diet," is the ideal for weight loss and health. "In the real world, the LCHF [low carbohydrate, high fat] is the only diet that works," he said.
While children in lower income communities typically eat large amounts of inexpensive high carbohydrate foods such as bread and cereal, Noakes is concerned that their high carb low fat diets are unhealthy because they cause blood sugar spikes, reported the Independent Online News on July 16. When it comes to health, he feels carbohydrates are not necessary.
Advocates of low-fat plans "falsely claim that such a carb-heavy eating plan is a ‘balanced diet’ when we don’t need carbs at all and carbs are responsible for many diseases," said Noakes. For a detailed analysis of why so many people, including many physicians, are fat-phobic as well as why low carb diets are the best approach, Noakes recommended "The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet" by investigative journalist Nina Teicholz.
In an exclusive interview, Noakes emphasized that a high carbohydrate diet is hazardous to the health. In addition to his research, he speaks from personal experience. Once he shifted to a high fat low carb diet, he discovered "that my increasing infirmity that I thought was due to increasing age was in fact caused by the high carbohydrate diet that I was eating."
Although he feels the benefits of low carb diets are clear, Noakes says that the decision as to the ratio of fat to protein depends on the dieter's individual health and goals. The main overall key to a long, healthy life: Go low-carb.
"The more fat you eat, and the less protein and carbohydrate, the more ketogenic the diet becomes. I focus on limiting carbs for everyone with insulin resistance. If you have diabetes, then it makes sense to focus on eating more fat and less protein since protein acts as a partial carbohydrate," he added.
But can you really persuade children to eat (shiver) liver? Chef Gordon Ramsay recently put a group of little home cooks to the test on the first season of "MasterChef Junior." The result: "I love liver," said the youthfully exuberant winner.