New Findings on an old debate: low fat vs low carb diet

wmonique2 · Post by **wmonique2** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 3:18 am

Tex,

You maybe right after all

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/healt ... ealth&_r=0

Monique

nerdhume · Post by **nerdhume** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 4:02 am

I did the 20/20 diet for about 20 years :-) (at least 20 grams of fiber and less than 20 grams of fat per day). Ate tons of veggies & fruits. Imagine my shock when all that changed because of MC

The is a link off that article to Framingham Risk Scores:
http://cvdrisk.nhlbi.nih.gov/

My risk is 2% and actually less than that because it wouldn't let me enter an HDL over 100 and mine is 106.

seeljanerun · Post by **seeljanerun** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 4:56 am

Hooray!!!

I'm glad a major news source is giving this study press. Government nutritional advice in this country is largely based on dogma and politics; and despite continually emerging evidence seemingly over the last 50 years or so, they have not been able to admit they were wrong to demonize saturated fats and encourage high intake of carbohydrates.

Some really great books on the subject are Gary Taube's Good Calories, Bad Calories http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad ... 1400033462 (definitely not an easy read if you are struggling with brain fog; I had to keep re-reading parts; but it is highly informative and densely researched) as well as Denise Minger's Death by Food Pyramid http://www.amazon.com/Death-Food-Pyrami ... ise+minger

Also, I just received Jimmy Moore's Keto Clarity, which discusses implementing a ketogenic diet for health and/or weight loss, but I haven't gotten a chance to start reading yet. I listen to his podcasts occassionaly though, so I think the book should be good. http://www.amazon.com/Keto-Clarity-Defi ... to+clarity

Further, I think it has been mentioned before, but Dr. Terry Wahls's book, The Wahl's protocol, is also a good resource.

Personally, I do much better with a higher fat and protein diet; I eat around 80g of carbs a day or less. Almost all sugars, grains, and flours make me have to run to the bathroom, so I've come to this diet out of necessity; but, I have discovered the added benefits of essentially no sugar/junk food cravings (after a long history of binge-eating), being able to go long periods when necessary between meals without getting grumpy, as well as having excellent blood sugar control. I have never been in a position to need to lose weight, so I can't really attest to that side of it, but with the high satiety level of meals and promotion of a more stable blood sugar, I think it's safe to say it would certainly help a lot of people lose weight.

Obviously every one is different and how you eat should also reflect your life goals (some people just can't survive without bread at every meal or their body actually handles carbohydrates quite well), but I do think "low-carb dieting" should be presented to the public as a sound method of eating for health, rather than as something trendy or potentially dangerous.

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 5:32 am

This is not news to me. I have been eating a low carb, moderate protein, high fat diet for most of the past decade. I eat no grains, no sweeteners, no processed food, my only fruit is some berries. I eat between 30-50 grams of carbs a day, usually closer to 30. I now weigh 100 pounds less than I weighed a little over a decade ago. The last 30 pounds came off over the last 2 years without any focus on weight loss. In fact I threw out my scale about 5 years ago because I did not want to obsess about weight and having a scale around can cause me to do that. For me, even more important than the weight loss is the improvement in my intestinal health which came about only after I did the Enterolab testing and removed the other offending foods from my diet, the ones that we causing MC symptoms, many of which would be fine under any low carb plan. I can't eggs, chicken, beef, dairy or soy along with all grains and corn.

A friend of mine just posted this study on Facebook and a vegan friend of hers is telling her it is bogus. I stay out of these foods wars. I know what works for me. I have read all the books, including Dr Bernstein's "Diabetes Solution", Taubs and Wahls and many other paleo books. I am a convert to the low carb paleo approach. It certainly is what works for me.

Jean

wmonique2 · Post by **wmonique2** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 7:51 am

Jean,

MC is not allowing me to follow a diet low on carbs (mostly rice and potatoes) because I am limited in my intake of fruits and vegetables. My enemy is fiber so I peel my fruits and the few vegies I can eat. Like you I have diabetes (type 1 for 40 years). MC changed what I eat. When I have fibrous vegetables and fruits I cramp like crazy post BM's and it is a great source of pain for me.

How do you do it? I guess you can have all the leafy and fibrous vegies you want. I have about 90 grams of carbs a day divided between meals and snacks.

In the last 3 months I increased my protein to include pork, ground turkey etc and to my disappointment my total cholesterol jumped up to 245. I was stunned!

Regards,

Monique

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 8:04 am

No, fiber is my enemy too but fat is not so my diet is about 70-75% fat, 20-25% protein (mostly ground meat) and the rest carbs. My fat comes mostly from the meat I eat plus coconut oil. I can eat more green veggies than I used to (for while I ate no fiber, to control d) but I still have to watch it and I eat only a few berries, no other fruit. I don't worry about cholesterol, don't even have it checked. My doctor now even goes along with that. It's what works for me given my set of blood sugar/intestinal/weight issues. I eat mostly ground meat plus some organ meat (heart and liver for the nutritional value) because it is less expensive, especially since I eat grass fed organic etc etc etc. Like I have never been diagnosed with MC, I have never been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, but I measure my own blood sugar and have not doubt that if I didn't eat the way I do my blood sugar levels would qualify me for a diagnosis And then there is my paternal grandmother who I remember only as a woman who had 2 legs amputated and my aunt with one leg amputated. It keep me on the straight and narrow blood sugar wise.

Jean

Post by **tex** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 9:21 am

Monique wrote:Tex,

You maybe right after all

Mais bien sur, mon cher.

Tex

Marcia K · Post by **Marcia K** » Tue Sep 02, 2014 11:12 am

How MC has changed all of our habits. I was always a big raw vegetable eater. The more the better. Now getting used to cooking my vegetables to death takes some getting used to. I really missed the seasonal fruits this summer (my first summer with LC) but life goes on. I didn't eat much meat before, now that's how I exist! I'm so grateful to have this group to share my journey. Have a great day everyone. After waiting since June for summer to start in PA and after closing my pool last week, it feels like summer today. Woo hoo! (I love the heat!)

Marcia