13 Nutrition Lies That Made The World Sick & Fat

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13 Nutrition Lies That Made The World Sick & Fat

This topic contains 24 replies, has 16 voices, and was last updated by  NellyBligh 9 years, 7 months ago.

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  • this article has the links 2 each scientific research article if u click on their numbers in parenthesis links only on site @ bottom of article

    1. Eggs Are Bad For Your Health

    Eggs are so incredibly nutritious that they’re often called “nature’s multivitamin.”

    The nutrients in them are enough to turn a single cell into an entire baby chicken.

    However, eggs have been demonized in the past because they contain a large amount of cholesterol, which was believed to increase the risk of heart disease.

    But the truth is that despite being high in cholesterol, eggs don’t really raise the bad cholesterol in the blood. In fact, eggs primarily raise the “good” cholesterol (1, 2, 3, 4).

    Despite all the warnings about eggs in the past few decades, studies show that they are NOT associated with heart disease (5, 6, 7).

    If anything, eggs are pretty much a perfect food for humans. They’re loaded with protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and unique antioxidants that protect the eyes (8, 9).

    They are also an excellent source of Choline, a nutrient that is very important for the health of the brain and about 90% of people aren’t getting enough of (10, 11).

    Despite being a “high fat” food, eating eggs for breakfast is proven to cause significant weight loss compared to a breakfast of bagels (12, 13).

    2. A Calorie is a Calorie

    It is often said that the only thing that matters for weight loss is “calories in, calories out.”

    The truth is that calories matter… but the types of foods we eat are just as important.

    That is because different foods go through different metabolic pathways in the body (14).

    Additionally, the foods we eat can directly impact the hormones that regulate when and how much we eat, as well as the amount of calories we burn.

    Here are two examples of why a calorie is NOT a calorie:

    Protein: Eating protein can boost the metabolic rate and reduce appetite compared to the same amount of calories from fat and carbs. It can also increase your muscle mass, which burns calories around the clock (15, 16).
    Fructose vs glucose: Fructose can stimulate the appetite compared to the same number of calories from glucose (17, 18).
    Even though calories are important, saying that they are all that matters when it comes to weight (or health for that matter) is completely wrong.

    Bottom Line: All calories are not created equal. Different foods go through different metabolic pathways and have varying effects on hunger, hormones and health.

    3. Saturated Fat is Unhealthy

    For many decades, people have believed that eating saturated fat can increase the risk of heart disease.

    In fact, this idea has been the cornerstone of mainstream nutrition recommendations.

    However, studies published in the past few decades prove that saturated fat is completely harmless.

    A massive study published in 2010 looked at data from a total of 21 studies that included 347,747 individuals. They found absolutely no association between saturated fat consumption and the risk of heart disease (19).

    Multiple other studies confirm these findings… saturated fat really has nothing to do with heart disease. The “war” on fat was based on an unproven theory that somehow became common knowledge (20, 21).

    The truth is that saturated fat raises HDL (the “good”) cholesterol. It also changes the LDL cholesterol from small, dense LDL (very, very bad) to Large LDL, which is benign (22, 23, 24, 25, 26).

    There is literally no reason to fear butter, meat or coconut oil… these foods are perfectly healthy!

    Bottom Line: New studies show that saturated fat does not increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. It raises the good cholesterol and changes the “bad” cholesterol to a benign subtype.

    4. Eating a Lot of Protein is Bad For Your Health

    Many people believe that eating a lot of protein can damage your bones.

    While it is true that increased protein can increase calcium excretion from the bones in the short term, the long term studies show the exact opposite effect.

    In fact, eating more protein is consistently associated with improved bone density and a lower risk of fracture in old age (27, 28, 29).

    This is one example of where blindly following conventional nutrition advice will lead to the exact opposite result.

    Another myth is that protein increases strain on the kidneys and contributes to kidney failure.

    The reality is a bit more complicated than that. Although it is true that people with established kidney disease should reduce protein intake, studies in healthy individuals show that protein is perfectly safe (30, 31).

    In healthy individuals, protein actually reduces two of the main risk factors for kidney disease… which are diabetes and high blood pressure (32, 33, 34).

    Eating a high protein diet has many other benefits, including increased muscle mass, reduced body fat and a lower risk of diseases like cardiovascular disease (35, 36, 37).

    Bottom Line: Studies show that protein has positive effects on bone health in the long run and does not raise the risk of kidney disease in healthy individuals. Eating a high protein diet has many important health benefits.

    5. Everyone Should be Eating “Heart-Healthy” Whole Wheat

    Commonly mistaken as a health food, evidence is mounting that wheat can contribute to various health problems.

    Yes… this includes “heart-healthy” whole wheat.

    Wheat is the biggest source of gluten in the diet. New studies are showing that a significant percentage of the population may be sensitive to it (38, 39, 40).

    In sensitive individuals, gluten can contribute to various symptoms like digestive issues, pain, bloating, stool inconsistency, fatigue and may damage the lining of the intestine (41, 42, 43, 44).

    There are also some controlled trials associating wheat gluten with various disorders of the brain, including schizophrenia, autism and cerebellar ataxia (45, 46, 47).

    Not only that… but a controlled trial in humans showed that whole wheat increased various risk factors for cardiovascular disease in as little as 12 weeks (48).

    Even though whole wheat is “less unhealthy” than refined wheat, the best choice would be to skip the wheat altogether.

    Bottom Line: Wheat is the biggest source of gluten in the diet. Many studies are showing that wheat, including whole wheat, can contribute to various health problems.

    6. Coffee is Bad for You

    Coffee has gotten a bad reputation in the past.

    It is true that coffee can mildly elevate blood pressure in the short term (49).

    However, long term studies show that coffee may actually reduce your risk of some serious diseases.

    Coffee drinkers:

    Have up to a 67% lower risk of Type II diabetes (50, 51).
    Are at a much lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s (52, 53).
    Have up to an 80% lower risk of liver diseases like cirrhosis (54, 55).
    Caffeine also helps to mobilize fatty acids from the fat tissues, boost metabolism and increase exercise performance by an average of 11-12% (56, 57, 58).

    Many studies have examined the effects of caffeine on the brain, showing that it can improve mood, memory, reaction time, vigilance and overall brain function (59).

    You may be surprised to hear that coffee is also loaded with antioxidants. In fact, it is the biggest source of antioxidants in the modern diet, outranking both fruits and vegetables, combined (60, 61).

    If you’re sensitive to caffeine or it tends to disrupt your sleep, then green tea has many of the same health benefits but a smaller amount of caffeine.

    Bottom Line: Coffee contains very large amounts of antioxidants. Studies show that coffee drinkers are at a much lower risk of developing many serious diseases.

    7. Meat is Bad For You

    Blaming new health problems on old foods has never made sense to me.

    One example of that is meat… which humans have been eating throughout evolution, for millions of years.

    For some very strange reason, many people are now blaming meat for diseases like heart disease and type II diabetes, which are relatively new.

    This doesn’t make much sense at all and the studies don’t support it.

    While it is true that processed meat is associated with all sorts of diseases, the same is not true for unprocessed red meat.

    A massive review from 2010 that looked at data from 20 studies with a total of 1,218,380 individuals revealed that unprocessed red meat had no significant association with either cardiovascular disease or type II diabetes (62).

    Other studies that included hundreds of thousands of people agree with this… processed meat is bad, but unprocessed red meat is harmless (63).

    Even though some observational studies have found a link between meat consumption and cancer, review studies that look at the data as a whole show that the effect is weak and inconsistent (64, 65).

    If there really is an association between red meat and cancer (which has NOT been proven) then it is most likely caused by excessive cooking, not the meat itself. For this reason, it may be important to avoid burning your meat (66).

    Also, let’s not forget that meat is incredibly nutritious. It is loaded with vitamins, minerals, quality proteins, healthy fats and various lesser known nutrients that are important for the body and brain (67).

    Bottom Line: Studies show that unprocessed red meat does not raise your risk of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. There is a very weak association with cancer, but most likely caused by excessive cooking and not the meat itself.

    8. The Healthiest Diet is a Low-Fat, High-Carb Diet

    Since the year 1977, the health authorities have told everyone to eat a low-fat, high-carb diet.

    This was originally based on political decisions and low quality studies that have since been thoroughly debunked.

    Interestingly, the obesity epidemic started at almost the exact same time the low-fat guidelines first came out.

    Since then, several massive studies have examined the health effects of the low-fat diet.

    In the Women’s Health Initiative, the biggest study on diet ever conducted, 48,835 women were randomized to either a low-fat diet or continued to eat the standard western diet.

    After a study period of 7.5 years, the low-fat group weighed only 0.4 kg (1 lb) less and there was no decrease in cardiovascular disease or cancer (68, 69, 70).

    Other studies agree with these findings… this diet is notoriously ineffective (71, 72).

    Even though it may work for healthy and active individuals… for people with obesity, metabolic syndrome or diabetes, the low-fat diet can be downright harmful.

    Bottom Line: The low-fat, high-carb diet recommended by the mainstream nutrition organizations is a miserable failure and has been repeatedly proven to be ineffective.

    9. Refined Seed- and Vegetable Oils Are Healthy

    Some studies show that polyunsaturated fats lower your risk of heart disease.

    For this reason, many have recommended that we increase our consumption of vegetable oils like soybean oil, sunflower oil and corn oil.

    However, it is important to realize that there are different types of polyunsaturated fats, mainly Omega-3s and Omega-6s.

    While we get Omega-3s from fish and grass-fed animals, the main sources of Omega-6 fatty acids are processed seed- and vegetable oils.

    The thing is… we need to get Omega-3s and Omega-6s in a certain balance. Most people are eating too little Omega-3 and way too much Omega-6 (73, 74).

    Studies show that excess Omega-6 fatty acids can increase inflammation in the body, which is known to play a causal role in many serious diseases (75, 76).

    Most importantly, seed- and vegetable oils are associated with a significantly increased risk of heart disease… the biggest killer in the world (77, 78, 79, 80, 81).

    If you want to lower your risk of disease, eat your Omega-3s but avoid the refined seed- and vegetable oils.

    It’s important to keep in mind that this does NOT apply to other plant oils like coconut oil and olive oil, which are low in Omega-6 and extremely healthy.

    Bottom Line: Excess consumption of refined seed- and vegetable oils can increase inflammation in the body and dramatically raise your risk of cardiovascular disease.

    10. Low-Carb Diets Are Ineffective and Downright Harmful

    Low-carb diets have been popular for several decades.

    Because they are high in fat, they have been demonized by nutritionists and the media.

    They repeatedly claim that such diets are “unproven” or downright dangerous.

    However, since the year 2002, over 20 randomized controlled trials have examined the effects of low-carb diets on various aspects of health.

    Almost every one of those studies agrees that:

    Low-carb diets lead to significant decreases in blood pressure (82, 83).
    Low-carb diets where people are allowed to eat as much as they want cause more weight loss than low-fat diets that are calorie restricted (84, 85).
    Low-carb diets increase HDL (the good) cholesterol and decrease triglycerides much more than low-fat diets (86, 87, 88).
    Low-carb diets change the pattern of LDL (the “bad”) cholesterol from small, dense LDL (very bad) to Large LDL – which is benign (89, 90).
    Low-carb diets have powerful positive effects on type II diabetes, significantly lowering blood sugar and reducing the need for medication (91, 92, 93).
    If anything, low-carb diets appear to be easier to stick to than low-fat diets, probably because people don’t have to restrict calories and be hungry all the time (94).
    Even though low-carb diets are unnecessary for people who are healthy and active, studies show that they are extremely useful against obesity, metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes… which are some of the biggest health problems in the world.

    Despite these powerful results, many of the “experts” that are supposed to have our best interests in mind have the audacity to call low-carb diets dangerous and continue to peddle the failed low-fat diet that is hurting more people than it helps.

    Bottom Line: Low-carb diets are the easiest, healthiest and most effective way to lose weight and reverse metabolic disease. It is pretty much a scientific fact at this point.

    11. Everyone Should be Cutting Back on Sodium

    The health authorities constantly tell us to reduce sodium in the diet in order to reduce blood pressure.

    Whereas most people are eating about 3400 mg of sodium per day, we are usually advised to cut back to 1500-2300 mg per day (about 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of salt).

    It is true that reducing sodium can cause mild reductions in blood pressure, especially in individuals who have elevated blood pressure to begin with (95).

    But it’s important to keep in mind that elevated blood pressure itself doesn’t kill anyone directly. It is a risk factor, not necessarily a cause of disease.

    Interestingly, many studies have examined whether sodium restriction has any effect on cardiovascular disease or the risk of death. These studies consistently found no effect… even in individuals with high blood pressure (96, 97, 98).

    Other studies show that too little sodium can also be harmful, leading to adverse effects such as insulin resistance, elevated LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as an increased risk of death in type II diabetics (99, 100, 101).

    Overall, there is no evidence that healthy people need to cut back on sodium.

    Bottom Line: Despite sodium restriction being able to mildly reduce blood pressure, this does not lead to improved health outcomes.

    12. Sugar is Bad Because it Contains “Empty” Calories

    Many think that sugar is unhealthy just because it contains “empty” calories.

    This is true… sugar contains a lot of calories, with no essential nutrients.

    But this is really just the tip of the iceberg.

    Sugar, mainly due to its high content of fructose, can have severe adverse effects on metabolism and set us up for rapid weight gain and metabolic disease (102).

    When we eat large amounts of fructose, it gets turned into fat in the liver and is either shipped out as VLDL particles, or lodges in the liver to cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (103, 104).

    Studies in humans show that excess fructose can lead to insulin resistance, elevated blood sugars, elevated triglycerides, increased small, dense LDL and increased abdominal obesity in as little as 10 weeks (105).

    Fructose also doesn’t lower the hunger hormone ghrelin and doesn’t affect satiety in the brain in the same way as glucose. This way, sugar causes a biochemical drive in the brain to eat more and get fat (106, 107, 108).

    This applies to fructose from added sugars, NOT the natural sugars found in fruits.

    When consumed in excess, added sugar is associated with multiple diseases, including obesity, heart disease, type II diabetes and even cancer (109, 110, 111, 112, 113).

    Sugar is probably the single worst ingredient in the modern diet.

    Bottom Line: The harmful effects of excess sugar go way beyond empty calories. Sugar can have severe adverse effects on metabolism, leading to weight gain and many serious diseases.

    13. Fat Makes You Fat

    It seems to make sense that eating fat would make you fat.

    After all, the stuff that is making people soft and puffy is fat.

    For this reason, eating more fat should give us more of it.

    However, it turns out that it isn’t that simple. Despite fat having more calories per gram than protein or carbohydrates, diets that are high in fat do not make people fat.

    This depends completely on the context. A diet that is high in carbs AND fat will make you fat, but it’s NOT because of the fat.

    In fact, the studies consistently show that diets that are high in fat (but low in carbs) lead to much more weight loss than diets that are low in fat (114, 115, 116).

    click on numbers 4 the all the research material on this site

    http://www.businessinsider.com/13-nutrition-lies-that-made-the-world-sick-and-fat-2013-10?op=1

    On the topic of eggs: my father was born prematurely in 1924, in a rural hospital without a full time doctor and was not expected to live. But, until his mother was able to breast feed him (a period of several days I believe), the matron fed him on egg yolk. She said “They feed little baby birds on egg yolk. They feed baby bulls on cows’ milk.”

    so i guess that means we come from birds 😀

    If by ‘birds’ you mean ‘chicks’ as in those words colloquially used to describe women in the sixties … yeah, we all come from birds. You know, my dad really loved eggs fried in butter so the edges went crispy. Lacey eggs he called them. There should be a happy ending but he died of a heart attack aged 42, and my mum said it was because he ate too many eggs. Or it might have been because he was a premmie and had a weak heart from the beginning. He was pretty fit and not overweight.

    RoBa

    roba
    sorry 2 hear about ur dad

    my grama died of a heartache & 95 (her daughter died)

    she always had 3 eggs in butter one day & bacon & eggs another day

    nice description lacy eggs

    well i’m off 4 the weekend enjoy it

    Great Post!!!!
    15 Foods to Help You Lose Weight

    But there are certain foods which will truly help you drop those extra kilos. These will not only keep you fit but also save you from many cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, strokes, etc.

    Here are 15 food and beverages to help you lose weight:

    1. Cinnamon: Adding cinnamon in food helps control post meal insulin spikes, which makes you feel hungry. It also helps lowering blood sugar and cholesterol.

    2. Fruits: Citrus Fruits are rich in vitamin C and foliate. They help in digestion of fatty foods and remove roughage. Other fruits like apple, pear and sugarcane that take time to chew and fill you up also help to reduce weight.

    3. Eggs: These are the best source of protein and help you feel full in the stomach longer. The yolk contains antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and essential fatty acids.

    4. Green Tea: A powerful beverage with great effect on fat loss. It contains antioxidants, caffeine, fat burning EGCG and helps in fighting cancer too.

    5. High Fibre Cereals: Cereals provide the bulk in our food and fill up few calories. They comprise chapattis, cornflakes, dhokla, idlies, poha, etc.

    6. Nuts: Nuts are the fatty food that actually help to burn the fat and curb your hunger. In fact, they are healthy fats with high levels of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. They also have fibre and protein. Besides, they are convenient to eat and have longer shelf life.

    7. Olive Oil: Olive oil is good for middle-aged people, especially women. Users can have olive oil in their food or can add olives themselves in the salad.

    8. Potatoes: Potatoes are not behind fat problem as is widely thought. It’s the way we cook and eat them. When eaten without fatty garnishing, i.e. baked or boiled, they are good in the diet. They can be mashed and eaten with pepper and lime. Or you can go for a potato salad.

    9. Salad: Salad is a premium source of fibre in the food. We can prepare it with asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, carrots, cucumber, green beans, radish, spinach and tomatoes. We can have them in fat-free sandwiches also.

    10. Salmon: An excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids, salmon can burn fat content. In addition, it has high levels of protein.

    11. Soup: Dal, mushroom, tomato and vegetable soups are very nutritious without having any fat content. But avoid cream soups and fatty garnishings.

    12. Sprouted Pulses: Sprouted pulses gain fibre and vitamins. They help in the slimming process when eaten raw.

    13. Vinegar: Vinegar is great filler. It slows the movement of food from stomach to intestine, hence making you feel full longer.

    14. Yogurt: It contains only 56 calories if made from cow’s skimmed milk. It also fulfils the need of calcium, protein and vitamins. When taken with chopped fruits it can act as a delicious dessert.

    15. Water: Along with all these, we should have lots and lots of water because it has no calories at all.

    There is no magic diet for weight loss. These foods either fulfill our appetite with lesser calories or increase the metabolic rate of our body, enabling the body to process food faster.

    By implementing some simple changes in our eating habits and adding these foods to our daily diet, we can lose weight and maintain a healthy, fit body.
    – See more at: http://www.themedguru.com/20090810/feature/15-foods-help-you-lose-weight-86126983.html#sthash.UJ4r53B4.dpuf

    Thanks for this very interesting read!
    Stef.

    Two very informative reads. Thanks to both of you.

    Two great posts thanks wiltldnrUSA and surender

    surender

    now no longer doing

    5. High Fibre Cereals: Cereals provide the bulk in our food and fill up few calories. They comprise chapattis, cornflakes, dhokla, idlies, poha, etc.

    replacing it w/ walnuts berries popcorn coconut avocados

    Adding another highly neglected food group to this list.

    16. dried beans, lentils, chickpeas. Yes they are low calorie. High in fibre. HIgh in vegetable protein, versatile and a good option for vegetarians to eat 2-3 times a day and stop worrying about protein. Its what the vegetarian indians eat in addition to eggs and dairy. But you don’t have to eat them in a curry to get their benefit. Mediterranean and middle eastern cooks, not to mention south americans and africans even have been using these foods for eons in many of their most delicious dishes. Its only us anglos who hardly know what to do with them. What’s more if you insist on eating meat, a little bit of meat in a bean dish is a great combination and costs less and saves the planet more.

    Thanks to all the posters, this is such good info. I’m very glad to read about olive oil, latest I heard is only use it raw, when heated it becomes a saturated fat, and now who cares. It tastes much better than the canola when sautéing my veggies. again thanks and keep feeding me info.

    hello wiltdnr USA I just found you wonderful post on food lies. I think my DR has had me follow every one of these. I have found since starting 5/2 that I really have no interest in breads or carbs, but I do enjoy my morning wheetabix with blueberries.

    Marks,

    To save you having to read my own rambling, i’ve just copied some info from a useful article. Read the whole article to learn more. As yet i don’t know what all this translates into in Celcius.I would suggest not using olive oil for deep frying but its probably fine for everything else. I have never noticed smoke coming off my food in the kitchen.

    Even though frying with olive oil doesn’t form trans fats, it’s important to not heat olive oil – or any cooking oil – past its “smoke point,” the temperature at which it starts to burn. After an oil burns, its flavour and nutrient content decrease. Overheating extra-virgin olive oil will also destroy some of its beneficial phytochemicals. (Extra-virgin olive oil is cold pressed from olives using minimal heat and no chemicals. As a result, it retains the highest amount of phytochemicals and nutrients compared to “olive oil” or “light olive oil,” which have been refined.)

    It’s best to choose a cooking oil with a smoke point above 400 degrees, since most foods are fried at a temperature between 350 and 450 F. Extra-virgin olive oil (smoke point 410 degrees), olive oil (436-468 degrees), canola oil (400-475), grapeseed oil (420), peanut oil (440), sunflower oil (440), safflower oil (510) and refined coconut oil (436-468) are all suitable for stir-frying and sautéing.

    Cooking oils with a lower smoke point include unrefined coconut oil (350 degrees), flaxseed oil (225), hemp oil (330) and unrefined walnut oil (320). Flaxseed, hemp and unrefined walnut oils should not be used for cooking since heat destroys their essential fatty acids. These oils should be used as a condiment, in salad dressings or is smoothies and stored in the refrigerator

    http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/ask-a-health-expert/does-using-olive-oil-for-frying-create-trans-fats/article15808171/

    Dear wiltdlnr,
    Thank you for this great post. Surely, one of the greatest mistakes ever done about dieting one was underestimate the importance of protein and natural fats and pump carbs into our body believing it would boost the metabolism or whatever. I already know everything in the article but it is such important stuff that we can never pay sufficient attention. I cannot believe eggs, lean meat and protein in general were condemned for decades! In fact, these are the healthy food s we need to stop the craving for biscuits and cookies.

    wiltldnrUSA

    Great post!

    When Reading posts here on tfd, I see many People saying don’t eat carbs and so on.
    Wholegrain pasta, Brown rice etc. is not bad for you! Don’t label all carbs as one!

    Stick to the standard dietary recommendations.

    Your brain needs the carbs! Don’t og on a Atkins diet. Normal nutritionists do NOT recommend this!

    When you stop With Atkins you gain back the lost conciderably fast.

    People should not read all these slander-blogs and unconfirmed gossips of Foods that you should not eat.

    My most important “diet” is cutting out sugar and refined substances.

    Eat Fish, lean meats, veggies, fruits, beans, nuts etc.. And don’t eat altered Foods – processed, refined, added etc..

    Then you can try the 5:2 diet 🙂

    Good Luck!

    eat i agree with you on some points. But i don’t even think that white pasta is bad for you. It has a lot of protein in it. whole grain bread is fine too. whole grain pasta does not taste good and i’m not fond of brown rice so i eat basmati which is low gi.

    And normal nutritionists are likely not to have a read a single book on the subject. They only read studies from their side of the fence. I met a fat diabetic educator nurse the other day. Why is she so fat still. I asked her about low carb. She didn’t have a clue but just put out the same ideas as you’ve just done. She admitted to not having looked into it or tried it but like everyone else, just tells the same misinformation over and over again.

    Yes refined carbs really are the problem but a lot of people can’t stop eating pasta and bread one they start. At least that’s why they insist. And there are also more nutritious foods than brown rice and wholegrain pasta. I think if its white and you like it, have it but in moderation.

    My white pasta size is down to 50g a serving from 100g. And i am very happy with that. I don’t eat bread most days. I have rice if it fits with the rest of what i’ve cooked. But a lot of people (i used to be like this) eat much the same thing day in and day out and its pretty nearly all bad and unhealthy with too few vegetables.

    And then on to low carb diets. Perhaps you need to do a little bit more research. Try reading a book like the art and science of low carb, or one of atkins earlier books, or talk to some of the people who have done low carb for a long time.

    I agree if you come off it suddenly you are at risk of piling it all back on. An adjustment period is needed. Luckily i was able to make this adjustment. But all the weight will not automatically come back on. Some of it will be water weight but as to the fat, it will only come back on at the usual rate and if you go back to eating as before when you were not restricting calories. And that’s probably what most people do. So this is no different than going off any other diet.

    However the point i would like to make is lowering carb intake over all seems to be a good idea – certainly it helps keep your appetite under control, significantly.

    And as for the brain needing carbs, well the jury is still out on whether certain athletes can perform as well on a low carb diet but everyone else will be able to adapt. After a short while on low carbs, your body starts to make its own brain food called ketones from fat. Before that it will get any extra it needs from converting protein. So at the beginning of a low carb diet you are told to take in extra protein for this purpose.

    Also many health authorities are significantly behind the times and under educated. One scientist in the field of weightloss stuff (who educates doctors) tells me that in med school doctors do not learn much about nutrition so they are also undereducated.

    I would point out my own gp seems to have failed at 5:2 fasting! I figure she must be depressed. But as far as i’m concerned all the same reasons for failing at diets apply to this one as much as they do to any other.

    LIke most diets, this diet does not take into consideration, human psychology.
    The problem is, website like this never really indicate who is quitting their diet. So you never what the success and failure rate is.

    I was as a big a skeptic as you about low carb diets at the beginning of the year. AFter listening to someone evangelise about them for six months, i decided i would try it out. I first started at 100carbs which was nice. And then i wanted to try ketosis and went down to 40 carbs. But i missed too many of my favourite healthy foods so i just stopped suddenly.

    After a week or two being a bit wonky because of still eating a lot of fat (that’s the reason why people tend to put on weight after going off this diet), i decided to do a one day water fast which failed by lunch time. That’s when a forum mentioned reminded me again about 5:2 and i decided to start.

    So i stopped doing low carb but that doesn’t mean its a bad diet. It may be a very good choice for some people. – people who love meat a lot, people who have a ton of weight to lose, people who are diabetic.

    Certainly low carb may be much much better than low fat diets.

    So the guy who was evangelical about it, was on a paleo diet but he was also drinking milk. He is thrilled with the weight he’s lost, the taste of his foods, the reduction in all his weight related ailments and pains. And is just thrilled with life. I think he must have been a very obese person to begin with. Anyway if this style of diet rescues one person from disease an misery, then its good.

    @pattience – I totally agree with you. People need to remember it is called “low carb” not “no carb”. Most vegetables contain carbs as do pulses (quite a bit). Its’s the highly concentrated ones (pasta, rice, bread) that are the problem and of course anything with added sugar. They have found that the reason fat got such a bad name was that a lot of fatty food contain sugar (cakes, biscuits etc) and it is the sugar that is the problem not the fat.

    I have reduced carb intake these last two weeks and I feel amazing. I say I reduced not cut them out. Yesterday I had a sandwich of sunflower and rye bread with cucumber filling for lunch simply because I was out in town and it is easier to bring along eat in the hand. If I hadn’t done that I would have succumbed to popping into one of those enticing snack bars or restaurant and would have found it much more difficult to deny the baguette with lovely fillings (and the combination of those would have been a problem.
    I am not saying that I will never eat rice or past or indeed bread ever again of course not. If my cravings were too big I would of course have the occational carb meal. But it is what we choose to eat PREDOMINANTLY is what shapes us not occasional food choices.

    @eat4health Everybody has to find a WOE that makes them feel well and above all a way of eating that they can sustain. Sustainability is the key whatever the diet. All diets work for the duration of the diet, but we need to find a healthy way of eating that does not stop or else we pile it on again.
    I also used to have quite firm ideas about food and what was good for you. Now I think different ways of eating are worth trying out if the diet seems to be in line with what our ancestors ate because this is how we have evolved and they certainly did not eat the amount of carbs and especially not the processed carbs that is consumed today. Processed carbs have only been around for a few hundred years, not much in respect to human evolution. If it was OK for our ancestores why should it be bad for us? If I am out with friends or visiting, I can join in because the next day I happily return to the WOE that makes me feel good.

    This is the bit i disagree with.

    “If it was OK for our ancestores why should it be bad for us? .”

    I don’t think low carb or paleo is what our ancestors ate. That part of the diet is just spin. It may have been what they thought when they came up with it but scientists have shown that our paleolithic ancestors, were not low carbers by doing isotopic analysis of the bones which leave traces of the foods that were eaten.

    Apart from that, they tended not to cook their meat much and modern people do so many things that paleo people did not do. Even the foods themselves have completely changed. You’d have to eat all wild food only to eat anything resembling a paleo diet.

    There’s a good TED talk on you tube about it but i can’t tell you how to find it. sorry. Its given by a woman. I wished i’d favourites it. in fact i thought i had but can’t find it.

    @pattience thank you – good points to think over – will certainly watch that video. I agree it makes sense that we cannot really eat like our ancestors since we would not be able to eat half the plants, roots and seeds and berries they ate predominantly.

    Loved that post. Its so true. Especially when talking about Low Fat and Low Carb, Protein, Meat ect. So many LIES !!!
    My only critisism might be: It’s ok to say that people should reduce the Sodium and Saturated Fats in their diet. Even if there might be studies which don#t support this advice, it’s still not gonna harm and “safer” to do so.

    I’m sorry but some of the points in this article is ‘popular misinformation’, take it with a grain of salt. The studies were floored, and have studies with counter arguments. People love to buy books that call out the mainstream nutritional knowledge being wrong. And websites love to put up articles like this because it creates a great ad revenue. especially the gluten one, has been proven completely bull by the same people who did the intial studies suggesting it was bad in the first place.

    from the author of the article himself ‘The main goal of this site is to search the scientific literature for true answers, preferably from randomized controlled trials, which are the gold standard of research.’

    then he provides an article in which some of his points contain zero control trials.i think a lot can be learned from epidemiological studies sure, but not isolated things like some of these points. this guy is obviously very in favour of low carb high fat diets for weight loss and health but when you look around the world, what are the countries with no obesity eating? usually high carbohydrate.

    the problem occurs in the western world because a high carbohydrate diet here is refined nutrition-less garbage that tastes good, whereas countries with no obesity who’s primary diet is high carbohydrates actually eat real food.

    Thank you for the excellent post. And thank you for taking so much time to post such great information.

    The information seems the same as what I just read in Dr Perlmutter’s book Grain Brain. I just posted a request for Dr Mosely’s opinion on the information in that publication as there does seem to be a lot of low fat talk on this forum?
    Good luck. 🙂

    Hi Nelly and welcome:

    I’m not aware that Dr. M has ever responded to a post on this site.

    However, there is no need for him to do research on your topic – there is an abundance of such research. Some of it is posted on this thread – just look through the posts and you will find more information than you probably have time to take in: https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/the-basics-for-newbies-your-questions-answered/

    Good Luck!

    Thank you Simcoeluv for your kind assistance. 🙂

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