Quit vegetables and fruits and exercising – that`s the new mantra for losing weight, according to a nutritionist.
Zoe Harcombe has said that everything that people thought was good to stay healthy - fewer calories and more exercise - only packs on the flab.
"It`s a myth. It`s the carbs that pile on the pounds," The New York Post quoted Harcombe as writing in her book `The Obesity Epidemic: What Caused It? How Can We Stop It?`
She said Americans must go back to older dietary rules calling for red meat, fish, eggs, cream and butter, all virtually carbohydrate free.
"You`ve got to go back to sticking a pork chop on the grill," she said.
Here are a few myths she busted in her book:
1. Veggies and fruit are more nutritious than any other food: Greens are good only if they are slathered in butter in order to deliver the fat-soluble vitamins they contain. Sugar in fruit gets stored as fat in the liver.
2. Losing weight is about reducing calories: "If you cut 500 calories from a 2,000-calorie daily diet, you will lose weight at first."
But the body will compensate and turn down its metabolism to reduce energy and use fewer calories.
3. Starchy foods should be the main part of our diet: Pasta, bread and grains turn into sugar in the blood, which is unhealthy. It forces the body to release insulin, which stores fat, in order to get the glucose levels back to normal.
4. We should exercise to combat obesity: "It will only cause you to get hungry, and your body will crave carbohydrates, which causes weight gain."
5. Fat is a definite no-no: "Real fat from natural foods is good. Eat only what nature grows."
"Stop grazing and snacking. Go back to eating three good meals a day and manage your carbs if you want to lose weight," Harcombe said.