Health24.com recently interviewed Professor Tim Noakes and chef and swimmer Jonno Proudfoot on their new book, The Real Meal Revolution and the role of carbs in disease.
In this video Professor Noakes explains how obesity and diabetes are a consequence of too many carbohydrates in the diet. He says obesity is caused by insulin – and because of the fact that the more carbs we eat, the more insulin we produce, it's important to restrict our carbohydrate intake.
Read: We put the low carb diet to the test
Jonno, a swimmer, explains how he puts on weight when he eats carbs. As far as performance is concerned, carbs make him feel sluggish and tired. About three days after cutting out carbohydrates, he has much more endurance, he says. He also avoids sugary drinks and says you only need fat and water.
Important: Low carb eating is not for everyone, but it certainly works for athletes who struggle to lose their bellies.
If you think taking in a lot of fat is scary, Harvard School of Public Health recently declared that fat is not the cause of heart disease. According to them, and Professor Noakes, only a sub-fraction of cholesterol causes heart disease, and this small part is exacerbated by a high carb diet. That's why low-carb diets are good for the heart.
They say we should avoid the fats we were told were healthy, such as canola oil, sunflower oil and corn oil. These are bad for our health because they are high in omega 6 fatty acids – we should only eat olive oil and coconut oil.
For more information, and to get to grips with this controversial diet, watch Professor Noakes and Jonno Proudfoot discuss carbs, The Real Meal Revolution and the health benefits of their eating plan.