Florine Roche
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jan 11: Just recently I was fascinated when I came across this sentence in an article: “New Year’s resolutions are a bit like babies: They’re fun to make but extremely difficult to maintain”.
Come new year and we know there are thousands of people who resolve to lose weight as one of their New Year’s resolutions. With lot of parties and functions around in the beginning of the year it is extremely difficult for people to stay on track on their resolve to eat healthy. As a result, most resolutions fall apart in the very first week. You might be one of those who have the willpower to stay true to your resolutions or if you are one among who want to lose weight no matter what time of the year. Then natural carb diet, that provides lower quantities of sugars and better fats and proteins ,may provide you the results you have been looking for all these years. This diet has become a rage nowadays because there is increased awareness and there are also health benefits beyond weight loss.
Physician Dr Srinivasa Kakkilaya has been a strong exponent of what he terms as ‘natural carb diet’ for all the ills that we are faced with; mainly due to our unhealthy food habits and the sedate lifestyle we have been leading. Dr Kakkilaya says he chanced upon this idea when he was searching for more information on insulin, the hormone that controls growth and manages blood glucose. Along with his wife Dr Balasaraswathy, Dermatologist, he began to evince keen interest in the subject and over the last decade pursued all the research on the subject. They realised that even recent research holds sugar as the major culprit to all the health related evils. Based on such studies and also their own, the couple has been advising dietary restrictions that have worked wonders for many, both in terms of weight loss and health benefits.
There are people who come to Dr Kakkilaya specifically seeking advice on this natural carb diet and vouch for the benefits they accrued by following that diet. Even those cynics who used to say “I tried every diet and nothing worked” are able to shed their weight by cutting carbs.
In an interview to daijiworld.com Dr Kakkilaya delineates the intricate aspects of the diet he prescribes to his clients and how it works.
Q. What prompted youto study and experiment with natural carb diet?
A. I had to give a lecture on insulin and during the preparation I came to know a lot about the impact of our food on insulin. That lecture was the trigger point and both my wife and I began in- depth study of the subject.
Q. How long have you been studying and experimenting on this diet?
A. We have been studying for the last 10 years, having noticed that many modern diseases like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular, cancers, fatty liver, autoimmune, acne, psoriasis etc., are related to high insulin levels or hyperinsulinemia, and these are on the increase. Many of these diseases are actually associated with ageing. But now even people in the 30’s are susceptible to these diseases which is more to do with the kind of food and lifestyle that we are accustomed to. Based on what we studied, we experimented with the diet on ourselves and only later, we could recommend it to those who came to us.
Q. Can you elaborate on why there is a need for such a diet in today’s society?
A. Earlier it was the communicable diseases that we mostly had to fight and we succeeded. Now it is the non-communicable diseases that we have to deal with increasingly. Over the last few years, there has been a drastic change in the quality and quantity of food that we consume. Parents want to give the best to their children and feed them more, saying ‘we did not have this luxury, let our children enjoy’; but this is proving to be detrimental to their wellbeing. As a result people eat in 20 years what our elders ate in 60 years and that is the root cause of all the evils.
Q. Have you given any name for the diet you prescribe?
A. We have not given any specific name to it yet.
Q. Low carb diet which you call as ‘natural carb diet’has become quite a fad these days. What is this diet all about?
A. It is true that more and more people talk about low carb diet because of the awareness and the good results. The diet we prescribe restricts the type and amount of carbohydrates one can eat. We suggest restriction or rather total avoidance of milk and its products, sugar and sweets, including fruits, all processed food, deep fried foods etc., and restricting cereals based on the pre-existing diseases. We advise using virgin oils like coconut or olive oils.
Q. So what kind of food do you recommend to those who want to opt for the diet you prescribe?
A. They can eat all kind of pulses, vegetables, both raw and cooked, nuts, eggs, meat and fish in all forms, except deep fried and green or black tea and black coffee.
Q. Is it the same as the Palio diet popularised by Dr Lorene Cordain?
A. It is somewhat close to it but there are certain differences with regard to the consumption of fructose. Also, we have modified this diet to suit our people, our climate and our lifestyle.
Q. Considering that meat, fish and egg form a major part of this diet what kind of food do you suggest to vegetarians?
A. Vegetarians can also follow the diet with suitable modifications. But their choices may be limited.
Q. Are there any hidden risks?
A. The diet provides all the required nutrients to the body. But one has to adhere to the recommendations strictly.
Q. You hold sugar as the major culprit for most of the ills we face health-wise?
A. In the course of our study we have realised that sugar is not the kind of food to be used by humans. Our population has become addicted to sugar. In fact sugar is 8-times more addicting than cocaine and behaves similar to alcohol on our mind and our body. It does not satisfy our hunger but makes people crave for more. That is why people who are obese often remark that they don’t eat much because they are not satisfied. Non-living food like chocolates, creams etc., will not interact with human system like natural food does. When we eat too much of this lifeless food, our body gets confused and its control system goes haywire. That triggers a host of diseases in the human body.
Q. Do you recommend this diet to all kind of people irrespective of age?
A. It is for everyone, but the grade would depend on the age and associated problems like obesity, diabetes, PCOS, fatty liver, levels of certain hormones etc.
Q. Is it difficult to switch over to a complete natural carb diet considering that we are so accustomed to cereals and legumes?
A. Some kind of motivation is required. In the initial period the person will have a lot of craving. Some of them will also experience mild withdrawal symptoms and children may become cranky. There are people with the mindset who says ‘what is life without sugar’? It is difficult to convince such people about the benefits of the diet. The person who adopts this diet should be motivated to do so.
Q. Do all those who come to you abide by your suggestions and recommendations?
A. It is only 60 per cent who pass the test. 20% vacillate and another 20% give up after initial try.
Q. How soon will the person experience the change in him/her?
A. People lose 4 to 5 kg in the first month and then 3 kg every month. It is a smooth affair and they will feel and look much better by that period.
Q. What are the other benefits apart from weight loss?
A. People feel lighter and more energetic and they remain fresh the entire day. And the diet helps to control blood sugar, blood pressure, lipids, PCOS etc., much better, and often without any medications.
Q. What precautions should be taken by those who opt for this diet?
A. One has to get evaluated for all the pre-existing problems, change or stop the medications suitably and follow the advice meticulously.
Beneficiaries speak:
Bharati Shevgoor, a media personality was advised by her Physician Dr Kakkilaya to adopt this low carb diet with lots of vegetables, sprouted pulses and non-vegetarian food, as she was overweight. She says she was mentally prepared to take the plunge this time as she had failed to do so in an earlier attempt.
I am 54 and my husband is 63 and the doctor told at this age we cannot lose weight by merely exercising. Exercise may help us to be agile. We wanted to regulate what we ingest and that was achieved though the change of diet.
Bharati says she learnt to make tasty dishes with sprouted pulses, replaced rice with cucumber and tomatoes and great difficulty stopped the intake of high-sugar content fruits. She began to consume her favourite cup of coffee without milk and sugar, though she is not diabetic.
Bharati says she gave herself a weekly break as she feels the secret was not in depriving herself the pleasures of eating. More importantly regulation or disciplined food habits is the key to achieve the desired results. “I would eat a little of the ‘forbidden” stuff at social occasions”, she points out. But within no time her craving for food vanished and so did her need of carbs. The change began to bear fruits in no time. She says “I lost 10 kgs in 4 months and I began to feel lighter, younger and energetic. It has been almost a year now and don’t feel the craving anymore or I don’t feel I am on diet.
Bharati uses green gram, or tori (matki), Bagdo and Horse gram and preparesdishes using masala, onions and tomatoes. For breakfast she prepares egg Omelette with lot of vegetables. They consume the sprouted curry for lunch and dinner. In the evening thecouple eats two dosas without oil which is the only carb they consume. She also prepares fish and chicken dishes. Mr Shevgoor had developed diabetes but after adopting this diet he has given up medication. Along with diet the Shevgoors also do brisk walking for 30 minutes.
Praveen Tauro, who is working in media marketing, was 89 kg a few months ago. A common friend of his suggested he go to Dr Kakkilaya and seek his advice to lose weight. He met Dr Kakkilaya on September 5, 2014 and began to follow his diet conscientiously. He shifted to Omelette, pulses, egg burji, fish and meat and green tea. He completely avoids soft drinks, tea or coffee with milk, fruits and fruits juices, milk and milk products, fried food, rice and other cereals. He was 89 kg when he began the diet and lost 12 kg in 40 days. He says he feels more energetic and fresh. The flipside of it is that he had to change his wardrobe completely.