Health In The UK- Where Have We Gone Wrong
What we can learn from the top 3 healthiest countries for health and longevity
- Written by Shani Kaplan
According to Bloomberg's Healthiest Country Index, the UK only ranks 19th in overall health![1] This is particularly low in contrast to its surrounding European countries, which take 6 of the 10 highest spots; the top 3 being Spain, Italy and Iceland. One of the top killers is heart disease and, in the UK, 470 people die each day from it, with more than 120 of those being under 75 years of age.[2]
Alongside that, since 1996, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK has risen from 1.4 million to 4.7 million [3] This could be because the obesity epidemic in the UK is not slowing down; 64% are overweight with the prediction that 1.3 million children and adolescents will be obese by 2030.[4] There are many reasons for our health being so poor, but perhaps the one of most important of these is our food choices.
Although within cosmopolitan high socioeconomic status areas, there is an increase in interest and change in the health sphere (as we are waking up and more aware), the UK at large has not caught up- with the poorer regions of England having 11 percent higher overweight/obesity rates [5]. Let’s have a further look.
The UK- the land of cakes, fish and chips, pasties, roasts with Yorkshire pudding, and a few alcoholic beverages to accompany. It is hard to deny that we have a diet that is extraordinarily high in carbs/sugars and saturated fats. How has the government intervened…
The EatWell Guide and High Carbs
Maybe it’s not really our fault. Our parents have been following the health information that was given to them through the associations in charge of distributing the latest information into guides every few years, most recently in 2016. The problem with this “ideal” nutrition model is seen in the correlation of continued poor health combined with weight gain. Perhaps the biggest issue is the generalisation of the guide, and with it being so generic, the lack of individualisation, as no one person’s needs will be the same. And for most, the guide and its complete overemphasis on grains and high carbs (and lack of promotion of good fats and protein) has been problematic.
When the EatWell Guide was first released, instantaneously companies utilised it with advertisements plastered on the sides of pasta boxes, bread packages, and other food products with 'low fat’, and highlighted the guide’s hefty serving recommendation of carbs.
A study of 100 popular low or non-fat grocery items found that dozens had at least two teaspoons of sugar in a single serving. One in four of these products had more than three teaspoons.[6]
A regular ‘healthy’ diet including orange juice, a skim milk latte and low-fat cereal for breakfast with a sandwich and piece of fruit for lunch, low-fat yoghurt for a snack and finished with a dinner of chicken and rice contains a whopping 90 G of sugar (that is almost 22 teaspoons!). It is easy to see how sugar consumption is more than double what it should be, and among 11-18-year-olds is nearly triple. [7]
This National Obesity Forum picked up on this and started questioning the guide's intention and perhaps whether it was corrupted by commercial influences[8]. Furthermore, Dame Sally Davies, the country’s Chief Medical Officer stated in the 2019 report on childhood obesity that £300m a year is spent on advertising unhealthy food and drink[9] In the western world we have no restriction to access of any packaged foods and portion control is a serious issue.
Dr. Harry says:
"Carbohydrate-excess and over-eating are responsible for so much of the illness being experienced by people in the UK. The so-called ‘healthy food pyramid’ with its base of grains and starchy carbs is more of a foundation for heart disease, cancer and diabetes than it is the basis of a healthy diet. This is hard for people to get their heads around after generations of believing it was the right thing to do.
Carbohydrate consumption, and over-eating, powerfully stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin. Insulin, in turn, stuffs the sugars in the blood into muscle and the liver but when these fuel stores are full, the body has no choice but to store the fuel as fat. And it’s quite indiscriminate about where that fat goes!
Unfortunately, fat stored in the liver and pancreas cause these organs to malfunction, giving rise to fatty liver disease and diabetes, respectively. These can be reversed by radically reducing food intake, cutting carbs, eating more fat and….fasting from time-to-time (more on this another time!)"
Ok, So How should we eat carbs?
Just 1/3 of adults and fewer than 1/5 of children are meeting the 5-a-day vegetable requirements [10]
#1 As vegetables are predominately made up of natural carbs, we should be focusing on them first and foremost. Making sure you are eating all types is important to get all your micronutrients in. Furthermore, fiber is essential for a functioning gut.
High fiber vegetables include legumes, asparagus, aubergine, cauliflower.
For more ideas on how to eat your plants, check out this blog.
#2 Fruit-eat it whole or add to smoothies- but watch your juicing quantities! If you have juice, make sure it is mostly made up of vegetables. Eat 2-3 servings max of fruit, and most of the time aim for the lowest in sugar varieties like berries and apples.
#3 Make sure your portions of grains are a smaller portion of your plate. Load up first on good fats and protein and vegetables. Most importantly, be mindful.
#4 If you have weight to lose, consider reducing your carbs. Low – moderate carbs is 30-150g.
Ok, So How should we eat carbs?
Just 1/3 of adults and fewer than 1/5 of children are meeting the 5-a-day vegetable requirements [10]
#1 As vegetables are predominately made up of natural carbs, we should be focusing on them first and foremost. Making sure you are eating all types is important to get all your micronutrients in. Furthermore, fiber is essential for a functioning gut.
High fiber vegetables include legumes, asparagus, aubergine, cauliflower.
For more ideas on how to eat your plants, check out this blog.
#2 Fruit-eat it whole or add to smoothies- but watch your juicing quantities! If you have juice, make sure it is mostly made up of vegetables. Eat 2-3 servings max of fruit, and most of the time aim for the lowest in sugar varieties like berries and apples.
#3 Make sure your portions of grains are a smaller portion of your plate. Load up first on good fats and protein and vegetables. Most importantly, be mindful.
#4 If you have weight to lose, consider reducing your carbs. Low – moderate carbs are 30-150g.
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Let’s Talk Fats:
Findings published in The BMJ reveal how eating a low carb, higher fat diet increased the metabolisms of overweight participants, allowing them to burn more calories and experience less hunger than those consuming a high carbohydrate, lower-fat diet [11]. There certainly has been a lot of debate in the past few years around carbs. Keto/paleo/ and low carb are all diets that have gained traction and promote an extreme limit, if not complete elimination of carbs.
Fats curb your hunger, are a great energy source and easy to have in smaller portions as they are very satiating and filling.
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating a high-fat low-carb breakfast helped with Type 2 Diabetes by significantly reducing blood sugar levels and controlling their glucose spikes for the day.[12] More and more studies are emerging highlighting the health benefits of the once demonised macronutrient- fat proving that perhaps fat isn’t the bad guy…
Some great sources:
Lots of omega 3&6- fatty fish, eggs, flaxseed, olive oil, avocado, nuts and seed, good quality meat and poultry.
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Let’s Talk Protein:
Protein also keeps you full, helps your body repair and recover (especially after workouts!), and contains many essential amino acids needed by the body.
Some tips:
#1 Aim for at least 0.75 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day
#2 Eat lots of good quality protein and a bit at each meal- think seafood, poultry, and grass-fed/ free-range meats
#3 When choosing a yoghurt, make it good quality, low in sugars and high in protein
#4 If you prefer meat-free have a portion of legumes, tofu/tempeh or vegan protein powder
Let’s Talk Protein:
Protein also keeps you full, helps your body repair and recover (especially after workouts!), and contains many essential amino acids needed by the body.
Some tips:
#1 Aim for at least 0.75 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day
#2 Eat lots of good quality protein and a bit at each meal- think seafood, poultry, and grass-fed/ free-range meats
#3 When choosing a yoghurt, make it good quality, low in sugars and high in protein
#4 If you prefer meat-free have a portion of legumes, tofu/tempeh or vegan protein powder
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What To Note About The Top 3 Healthiest Countries
There are some notable similarities in the diet of the top 3 healthiest countries. All three don’t have/ need much government intervention, and more so follow what their ancestors have always eaten. After all it has kept them living longer and healthier for years.
Let’s explore this:
Spain and Italy – Mostly Mediterranean diet. Lots of fresh oily fish, loads of vegetables and legumes, olive oil, olives, yoghurt, small serve of bread to compliment the meal and a glass of wine.
They also have a strong focus on mealtime. Long lunches and celebrations around food with family and friends. They eat less processed, packaged foods as there is so much fresh produce available.
Iceland- Focus on fresh, wholesome meals. Seafood -omega-3 fatty fish, lamb, local yoghurt Skyr, and quality olive oil. When the short warm season ends, they have produce growing in greenhouses.
The key to all three of them is fresh, seasonal, good quality food with limited processing and packaging.
We hope this blog has helped clear up some questions you had about nutrition!
Be well!
- Truth Origins Team
Shani Kaplan
Shani Kaplan is a contributing writer for Truth Origins. She combines her knowledge gained from working within the fitness/wellness industry in Sydney and London for the last seven years as a Personal Trainer, and class instructor, with her addiction to research due to her BA in Business Marketing. Shani loves martial arts, resistance training, dance and yoga, nutrition, travel, design, photography, and art.
References
[1]Miller, L. and Lu, W. (2019). These Are the World’s Healthiest Nations. [online] Bloomberg.com. Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-24/spain-tops-italy-as-world-s-healthiest-nation-while-u-s-slips [Accessed 23 Oct. 2019].
[2]Bhf.org.uk. (2019). Heart statistics. [online] Available at: https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/our-research/heart-statistics [Accessed 23 Oct. 2019].
[3]Diabetes UK. (2019). Number of people with diabetes reaches 4.7 million. [online] Available at: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/new-stats-people-living-with-diabetes [Accessed 23 Oct. 2019].
[4] World Obesity. (2019). Atlas Of Childhood Obesity. [online] Available at: http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/wof-files/11996_Childhood_Obesity_Atlas_Report_ART_V2.pdf [Accessed 23 Oct. 2019].
[5]NHS Digital. (2019). Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet, England, 2019 - NHS Digital. [online] Available at: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/statistics-on-obesity-physical-activity-and-diet/statistics-on-obesity-physical-activity-and-diet-england-2019 [Accessed 16 Oct. 2019].
[6]Copping, J., Payton, M. and Malnick, E. (2019). Low fat foods stuffed with 'harmful' levels of sugar. [online] Telegraph.co.uk. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/10668189/Low-fat-foods-stuffed-with-harmful-levels-of-sugar.html [Accessed 23 Oct. 2019].
[7] GOV.UK. (2016). The National Diet and Nutrition Survey. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/ndns-results-from-years-5-and-6-combined [Accessed 23 Oct. 2019].
[8] Phcuk.org. (2016). [online] Available at: https://phcuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Eat-Fat-Cut-The-Carbs-and-Avoid-Snacking-To-Reverse-Obesity-and-Type-2-Diabetes-National-Obesity-Forum-Public-Health-Collaboration.pdf [Accessed 16 Oct. 2019].
[9] Assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. (2019). Time to Solve Childhood Obesity. [online] Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/837907/cmo-special-report-childhood-obesity-october-2019.pdf [Accessed 16 Oct. 2019].
[10] NHS Digital. (2018). Health Survey for England 2017 [NS] - NHS Digital. [online] Available at: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/health-survey-for-england/2017 [Accessed 21 Oct. 2019].
[11] Ebbeling Cara B, Feldman Henry A, Klein Gloria L, Wong Julia M W, Bielak Lisa, Steltz Sarah K et al. Effects of a low carbohydrate diet on energy expenditure during weight loss maintenance: randomized trial BMJ 2018; 363 :k4583 Available at https://www.bmj.com/content/363/bmj.k4583.abstract[Accessed 16 Oct. 2019)
[12] University of British Columbia Okanagan campus. "Eggs for breakfast benefits those with diabetes: Low-carb breakfast improves control of blood glucose levels." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 April 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190411101835.htm>.[Accessed 16 Oct. 2019].
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