Part 1 - What's wrong with the Eatwell Plate?

Over the last few months I have been investigating why incidences of diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and other diseases have been increasing rather than decreasing.

The UK Food Standards Agency recently moved away from the food pyramid to the eatwell plate and this plate is based on five food groups:-

- carbohydrates: i.e. bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods
- fruit and vegetables
- milk and dairy foods
- meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein

- foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar

According to the FSA "The eatwell plate is a visual representation of how different foods contribute towards a healthy balanced diet. The plate model has been tested extensively with consumers and health professionals".

If you have been following this 'tried and tested' model, in theory, you should be feeling great. You should be the shape and size you want to be, you should have all the energy you need and you should be feeling like you can do anything. But I'm guessing you don't feel like that right?

The plate is well meaning particularly for those who need a little guidance on where to start where healthy eating is concerned. But it has been designed by health professionals who have a scientific mind and have based the plate on science rather than what ACTUAL works. You see, when I examined the eatwell plate, I realise that traditional diets of primitive populations don't conform to this model and neither does mine.

The plate is flawed in several ways and I'll give you one example. You'll see there is a segment that contains foods high in fat and/ or sugar.

Fair enough, we all like to indulge don't we? However, nothing is mentioned of refined carbs, which by the way is a form of sugar. When you hear the word sugar, one tends to think of the white stuff. But sugar comes in all shapes and sizes plus its devoid of any nutrients.

Secondly, our minds have been brainwashed into thinking fat is bad. Fat isn't bad...in fact, the right type of fat is what your body needs and there is plenty of research out there to prove that. There is NO research however...none whatsoever, that shows fat makes you fat or increases the chances of high cholesterol. Indeed, the opposite is true. If you avoid eating f.at, you are more likely to become insulin resistant (leading to diabetes) and become prone to high blood pressure, not to mention the increase in cholesterol. Although the scientific community are aware of this, they still promote fat free as the way go go.

Furthermore, we need fat for fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E, K plus the antioxidant CoQ10. If you eat a low fat or virtually no fat diet you are not doing yourself any favours.

To be truly healthy, eating REAL food is the way to go. Unrefined, whole foods are what your body needs for energy, weight loss and optimum health. Anything less than that just makes you feel like crap.