This blog post is based on insights from Dr. Arun Kumar’s discussion with Dr. Pal on the YouTube podcast “Gut Feeling.” Dr. Arun Kumar is the author of “Aarokiyam or Plate” (Health is in the Plate),
What if I told you that by the time a doctor diagnoses you with type 2 diabetes at age 30, the disease has already been ravaging your body for 20 years—since you were a child?
According to Dr. Arun Kumar, a pioneer in metabolic health and low-carbohydrate education, the root of modern metabolic disorders isn’t high blood sugar itself, but the body’s silent overproduction of insulin in response to insulin resistance. This condition, called hyperinsulinemia, begins its damage decades before your first abnormal blood sugar reading.
In a revealing conversation with Dr. Pal on the podcast Gut Feeling, Dr. Arun unpacked why conditions like PCOS, fatty liver, and type 2 diabetes are exploding in children as young as five—and why the solution lies not in counting calories, but in strategically managing your insulin through a Low-Carb, Healthy-Fat (LCHF) lifestyle.
The Real Culprit Isn’t High Blood Sugar—It’s Hyperinsulinemia
Most people believe diabetes begins when blood sugar levels spike. But Dr. Arun explains a crucial distinction: “It is not the insulin resistance which is the problem. Because of insulin resistance, the body is producing too much insulin. That too much insulin is going and damaging every organ.”
Here’s what happens inside your body:
- When cells become resistant to insulin, the pancreas panics and pumps out 5x the normal amount (30-50 units instead of 10) to keep blood sugar looking “normal”
- This excess insulin acts like a toxic hormone, damaging ovaries (causing PCOS), converting food directly to fat (causing obesity), and depositing triglycerides in the liver (causing fatty liver)
- By the time your HbA1c crosses 6.5%, your pancreas has already been screaming for help for decades
“Whenever a person develops diabetes, I always used to say the disease had started 20 years back when the person was in childhood,” Dr. Arun notes. “Some black patches would have formed in his neck or axilla.”
The Childhood Warning Sign Every Parent Misses (Acanthosis Nigricans)
Those “black patches”— velvety, darkened skin on the back of the neck or underarms—aren’t dirt or genetic skin discoloration. They’re called acanthosis nigricans, and they’re the first visible sign of insulin resistance.
The shocking reality:
- These patches appear as early as 5 years old
- They indicate the child is already hyperinsulinemic (producing excess insulin)
- That 10-year-old with neck patches? They’re statistically likely to develop type 2 diabetes by age 30
Why parents miss it: When parents bring children for coughs and colds, doctors often ignore these markers. “When I say your child has black patches—the child might develop diabetes—next time they won’t come to me,” Dr. Arun explains. Parents switch doctors, seeking ones who only treat the immediate symptom.
| Sign of Insulin Resistance | Common Misconception | What It Actually Means |
| Dark neck/armpit patches | “Needs better soap” or “genetic skin issue” | Pancreas is overworking; prediabetes has begun |
| Constant hunger/cravings | “Growing child needs more food” | Cells can’t access energy due to insulin resistance |
| Rapid weight gain | “Baby fat” or “prosperous growth” | Excess insulin storing food as fat, not energy |
| Fatigue after meals | “Needs more carbs for energy” | Blood sugar crash from insulin spike |
How Modern Eating Patterns Are Breaking Our Metabolism
The Snacking Epidemic
Remember when school meant one lunch period? Today’s children face a barrage of mandated eating: snack period one, snack period two, lunch, and a post-school “meal” at 4 PM.
“Every 2 hours they are loading,” Dr. Arun observes. “We used to take three meals. They are having four meals and three to four snacks.”
This constant grazing keeps insulin perpetually elevated, never allowing the pancreas to rest. For an insulin-resistant child, this is like trying to fill a bucket with a hole in it—the energy never reaches the cells, instead converting immediately to fat while the child remains exhausted and hungry.
Distraction Eating and Force-Feeding
The “child not eating” paradox drives many parents to distraction feeding—placing a tablet or phone in front of a child while shoveling food into their mouth. “They don’t know to enjoy the food. They don’t know to chew,” Dr. Arun warns.
This practice destroys the body’s natural hunger cues. As Dr. Pal notes, parents complain, “The child is not eating properly,” yet the child weighs 30 kg at age 5. “From when is the child not eating? From birth? Then how did your child reach 10 kg or 12 kg?”
The truth: Force-feeding creates picky eaters who cannot recognize satiety, setting them up for metabolic dysfunction before they can even spell “diabetes.”
The LCHF Solution: Protecting Your Insulin Like a Treasure
Both Dr. Arun and Dr. Pal emphasize protecting insulin rather than just managing blood sugar. The solution? A Low-Carb, Healthy-Fat (LCHF) approach combined with time-restricted eating.
Why LCHF works:
- Carbohydrates trigger the highest insulin spikes
- Proteins trigger moderate insulin (but essential for satiety)
- Fats trigger minimal insulin (and don’t clog arteries as previously believed)
“People should understand that high triglycerides is due to conversion of excess glucose into fat by excess insulin,” Dr. Arun clarifies. “When we reduce the carbs, reduce the insulin, there is not much glucose to get converted into triglycerides.”
Strict vs. Moderate Low-Carb: Choose Your Strategy
| Approach | Daily Carbs | Best For | Grain Allowance |
| Strict LCHF/Keto | <50g | Severe diabetes (HbA1c >8), advanced PCOS, Grade 3 fatty liver | Zero grain meals; carbs only from vegetables and nuts |
| Moderate LCHF | 100-150g | Prediabetes, obesity, prevention | One grain-based meal per day (200g rice OR 2-3 rotis) |
For vegetarians: Focus on paneer, mushrooms, soy (safe in Indian quantities), eggs, and groundnuts (25g protein per 100g).
Time-Restricted Eating: Giving Your Pancreas a Night Off
Dr. Pal’s method of avoiding late-night eating aligns perfectly with LCHF principles. “According to the circadian rhythm, insulin effectiveness goes down after sunset,” Dr. Arun confirms.
The “Two Plates of Biryani” Test:
Dr. Pal posed a critical question: If someone eats within a 10 AM–6 PM window but consumes two full plates of biryani (loaded with carbs), will intermittent fasting work?
“Not that much,” Dr. Arun replied. “What we eat during the eating window matters.”
Practical guidelines:
- Consolidate meals: Move from 6 eating occasions to 2-3
- Front-load carbs: If eating grains, have them for breakfast or lunch, never dinner
- Evening protein: A protein-only dinner (eggs, paneer, meat with vegetables) technically gives insulin the same rest as fasting
- Stop by 6 or 7 PM: Allow insulin to reset overnight for 100% effectiveness the next morning
Practical Implementation for Indian Families
For Adults: The One-Grain-Meal Rule
In a moderate low-carb approach (sustainable for most families):
- Breakfast: Skip the idlis and rotis. Try 40g nuts or a 2-egg omelet with vegetables
- Lunch: Your one grain meal—200-250g rice OR 2-3 rotis, loaded with vegetables and protein
- Dinner: Zero grains. Protein (paneer/chicken/eggs) + large vegetable portion + healthy fats (ghee/coconut oil)
“If you want to eat healthy fat, eat it as a whole food,” Dr. Arun advises. “Eat nuts, eat eggs, eat meat. Why do you want to add too much oil on top of that?”
For Kids: Creative Nutrition Without Force
The Birthday Party Reality: With weekend birthday parties serving pizza and cake every three days, total restriction backfires. Instead:
- Limit, don’t ban: “Once a month” or “First Sunday of the month” rules
- Homemade swaps: Fruit custard with nuts instead of biscuits; vegetable cutlets (shallow fried) instead of chips
- Colorful plates: Children eat with their eyes first. A bowl of sambar rice with carrot, beans, and ghee is more appealing than beige porridge
“If the parent is health conscious, the likelihood of the kid [being healthy]—that is where the start is,” Dr. Arun emphasizes.
Debunking Myths: Oils, Soy, and Saturated Fat
Palm Oil:
Not the villain it’s made out to be. Refined palm olein contains 45% monounsaturated fat (same as olive oil) and only 40% saturated fat. “Politically, it has replaced indigenous oils, but scientifically, it’s not that dangerous,” Dr. Arun clarifies. The real enemy? High omega-6 seed oils (sunflower, safflower) that are pro-inflammatory.
Soy:
Safe for Indian consumption. “The amount of phytoestrogens in the quantity we take for food is too low to cause hormonal disruption,” Dr. Arun states. Plus, most expensive protein powders use soy isolate anyway.
Ghee and Coconut Oil:
Vindicated. Despite being 92% saturated fat (coconut) or high in saturated fat (ghee), they improve HDL (good cholesterol) and don’t cause the damage previously attributed to hydrogenated fats like vanaspati.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.1. Can kids really develop type 2 diabetes at age 5?
Yes. Dr. Arun recently diagnosed a 5-year-old with HbA1c of 8 (diabetic range) and 40kg weight. Previously considered impossible, childhood type 2 diabetes is now appearing due to early-onset obesity and hyperinsulinemia.
Q.2. Is low-carb safe for children who aren’t overweight?
Absolutely. LCHF is about metabolic health, not just weight loss. A 50kg woman with PCOS can reverse her condition without losing weight by managing insulin, not calories.
Q.3. How do I handle my child’s sugar cravings without being too strict?
Understand that sweet cravings are evolutionary (sweet = not poisonous in nature). Redirect to whole food sweets: dates, fruits, dry fruits, homemade nut laddus. Avoid “healthy homemade chips”—they’re still frequent insulin spikers.
Q.4. Will eating fat make my cholesterol worse?
No. Dietary fat doesn’t raise triglycerides—carbohydrates do. When you reduce carbs and insulin, triglycerides drop from 600-700 to under 200, even while eating ghee, coconut oil, and eggs.
Q.5. What’s the difference between strict and moderate low-carb?
Strict (<50g carbs/day) reverses severe disease quickly but requires eliminating grains entirely. Moderate (100-150g) allows one grain meal daily and is sustainable long-term for prevention and mild metabolic issues.
Conclusion: The Insulin-First Approach
The metabolic disease epidemic isn’t about willpower or “eating less, moving more.” It’s about insulin timing and levels. Whether you’re a parent noticing black patches on your child’s neck, a 30-year-old with prediabetes, or someone struggling with PCOS, the solution remains consistent: Protect your insulin through LCHF nutrition and time-restricted eating.
Start by consolidating your meals, eliminating late-night eating, and reducing grains to once daily. Your pancreas—and your future self—will thank you.
Credit Section:
This blog post is based on insights from Dr. Arun Kumar’s discussion with Dr. Pal on the YouTube podcast “Gut Feeling.” Dr. Arun Kumar is the author of “Aarokiyam or Plate” (Health is in the Plate), available in Tamil with an English version coming soon. You can find his comprehensive guides on low-carbohydrate living and metabolic health on his YouTube channel.
