Nothing sweet about it

American health expert Dr Phil Maffetone talks about the importance of a sugar-free and healthy diet

When American health expert Dr Phil Maffetone mentions that it is all right to eat eggs, the audience in Kochi responds with, ‘Sir, you mean just the white?”

Maffetone says, “The yolk is just as healthy as the white. It has many essential fats. Last year, the federal government admitted that all parts of the egg are okay. How long will it take for the rest of the world to understand it? And as for me, I often eat six eggs in a day.”

Dr Phil Maffetone (Photo | Shekhar Yadav)
Dr Phil Maffetone (Photo | Shekhar Yadav)

Apart from propagating eating eggs, Maffetone has been running a campaign, for the past four decades, about the dangerous side-effects of sugar. He says our diet has too much sugar in it.

“Besides the sugar that we see on the table and put in our tea or coffee, there are large quantities in packaged foods, sports drinks, refined wheat and flour that are used to make bread and cereals. Sugar turns into fat and goes into storage in our body. The over-fat epidemic is due to sugar consumption,” he says, adding MRI scans of the brain shows that sugar addiction is similar to cocaine addiction. “Unfortunately, people are sugar dependent. When I urge people to avoid sugar, they look shocked, nervous and uncomfortable.”

Asked why governments have failed to move against the sugar industry, he says, “Governments are influenced by powerful lobbyists from the industry. It will take them another 15 years to do what they did with tobacco.”

In his own way, Maffetone is taking the fight against sugar by highlighting an ideal diet. He says there are only two cuisines in the world. “One made of natural foods, which is healthy, and another consists of junk.”

Junk food prevents the body from using fat for its energy needs.

“And that’s because sugar overproduces insulin. And insulin reduces fat burn. However, the more fat we use, the healthier and fit we are. It prevents chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease.”

A healthy diet includes some natural carbohydrates, adequate proteins and a good amount of natural fats such as coconut oil and ghee.

Good food should also be balanced by regular exercise. Running is ideal to stay fit, he says. “I would recommend running barefoot. The muscles will respond, by being more balanced,
which will make the joints move better.”

With the new suggestions, the runners of the ‘Soles of Cochin’ enjoyed their interaction with the expert. President Ramesh Kanjilimadhom says, “The words that Phil’s words have inspired the runners of our club.”

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