Using Carbs to Lose Weight with Dr. Sarah Ballantyne

Medical Myths, Legends & Fairytales

Between the latest online fads and the crazy media headlines, it’s easier than ever to get confused about your health. If you want to make better decisions about your health today so you can feel better and live longer, you’ve come to the right place.

Do you feel fearful of carbohydrates? Essential nutrients have been demonized by many popular diets which have only resulted in confusion and frustration for too many. Our conversation today centers around the role of insulin in both health and disease.

I’m joined today by repeat podcast guest Dr. Sarah Ballantyne to discuss the importance of keeping essential nutrients in your diet, regardless of what the latest fads are trying to convince you to do. We know that the link between diet and health is much more complicated than just limiting calories in/calories out, or tracking net carbohydrates, and today we’re going to take a look at the whole picture of overall health. Dr. Sarah offers a sensible and doable approach to losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and you might be surprised to hear that it has more to do with fiber, sleep, and laughter than you thought possible.

Key Takeaways:

[1:12] Today’s topic is essential nutrients and the effects they have on your optimal health.

[2:17] Dr. C introduces Sarah Ballantyne, a health educator who shares the journey that led her to lose 120 pounds but still didn’t solve her health problems.

[7:12] Dr. Sarah reveals the one health struggle that emerged as a result of aggressively losing weight and why her health deteriorated despite losing so many pounds.

[10:46] Why the number on the scale can’t be the only metric you need to use to define your overall health.

[13:30] A look at the carbohydrate-insulin model hypothesis and how it relates to weight loss and calorie intake.

[19:13] Are there truly no essential carbohydrates? Dr. Sarah says absolutely not and explains the reasons why.

[24:58] The importance of keeping sugar in broccoli and root vegetables separate from white sugar when categorizing carbohydrates.

[28:08] Insulin resistance and inflammation and how both reflect on lifestyle factors like sleep rather than diet choices.

[32:42] The impact that lack of sleep has on cognitive function, memory, and ability to collaborate, along with increased diseases and decreased cancer survivability.

[37:10] Why you shouldn't avoid eating fruit just because it has sugar in it, and why you can't support a diverse gut microbiome with a fibre supplement.

[42:15] The dangers of adding any one type of fiber to your diet and the benefits of hosting a wide variety of microbiomes to your gut.

[46:20] Essential vs. non-essential nutrients and additional factors that have to be considered in order to achieve optimal health.

[52:49] A comparison of the effects of fat and meat intake compared to carbohydrate intake on overall health.

[58:57] Do you have a topic you’d like me to cover? Contact me on Facebook or Instagram using #medicalmyths.

To learn more:

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