Keith Littlewood

There is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate. That is not an opinion. That is basic biochemistry. There are essential fats. There are essential proteins. Your body cannot make them, so you need to get them from food. Carbohydrate is not on that list, because your liver can make the glucose you need from fat and protein. That process is called gluconeogenesis. So why were people told to base meals around grains? The 1977 dietary guidelines pushed 6 to 11 servings a day. That was presented as health advice. It also happened to suit a food system built around cheap, storable, profitable products. A population living on meat, eggs, and simple whole food is harder to sell to on repeat. That is worth thinking about. When I cut back on carbohydrates my energy stabilised, my hunger became manageable, and I stopped thinking about food every two hours. That is not what you would expect if you had removed something essential. Your body does not need carbohydrate. It needs enough energy, enough protein, enough fat, and the right signals. What is the most difficult carb for you to give up?

Kai Havertz: "We had a cook in London at the beginning, who came every day and cooked for us. And I have to say, I did not feel good at all. This had the complete opposite effect on me. He said to me because I'm a total sugar freak. "And then we got a nutritionist at Chelsea and he completely went the other policy and said Kai you need the Fanta, you need the Coke, drink one a day. At half-time I get gummy bears, Skittles or something. And he has completely followed the other policy and then I said OK, I'll do it again and that moved the push in my body and I was full of energy again."

How?

If you are eating less, exercising more, and still not losing weight — your calories are not the problem. Your insulin is. Get it tested. Fasting insulin. Not just glucose. Not just A1c. If your doctor won’t order it, find one who will or order it yourself.