Low carb diet risks

[Purron]

I know lots round here are lowering carbs for health and weight control. DH and I have been very diet conscious lately. I'd be interested in your comments on this.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/health/research/14nutrition.html

 

[traineeinvestor]

It seems to suggest that low carb, [-]semi-[/-]vegetarian diets are the way to go.

Quite frankly, I'd die of cullinary boredom on that kind of diet.

 

[haha]

I know lots round here are lowering carbs for health and weight control. DH and I have been very diet conscious lately. I'd be interested in your comments on this.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/health/research/14nutrition.html

I would have to go to the Med Lib and read the study, and then think for a while before I could make an informed comment on these findings. I will do that, and I thank you for bringing this study to my attention.

One thing that does jump out is that it is pretty well established that cured meats do promote both cancer and heart disease. The entire effect reported here, if it is indeed real, may be due to the cured meat problem, which I do accept.

Ha

 

[Khan]

If not eating Twinkies will make me die a week earlier... who cares.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I know lots round here are lowering carbs for health and weight control. DH and I have been very diet conscious lately. I'd be interested in your comments on this.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/health/research/14nutrition.html

Purron, I read the original meta-analysis and the results are not entirely applicable. For instance, fruit intake was not accurately measured between the low fat group and low carb groups. I believe there may be unique risks to beef intake but the evidence is low quality.

My impressiosns: low carb is better than usual carb intake; protein intake is safe in general assuming normal kidney function, absence of gout etc. Best evidence suggests low carb, balanced protein and low glycemic carb intake is beneficial, and dark meat is best used in small doses. Fat intake is best derived mostly from plants and fishies.

This is based on good but not definitive evidence since long term diet is hard to study. Hope that helpsl

 

[NW Landlady]

Really weird. I don't know why but I eat low carb & lotsa nuts & some veggies. Article says that's the way to do it. How did I know this

Yes TI, it is boring, but you can make it interesting if you want to.

 

[Khan]

Personally my diet is somewhere between Mediterranean and Atkins maintenance.
The healthy part is that I am retired and not stress eating.

 

[TooFrugal]

For me I feel best on a modified Paleo diet. Meat but also lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts and beans, too.

I tried low carb and my skin dried out. It starting cracking and flaking. I marvel at the number of people who seem to thrive on low carb diets. It just didn't work for me at all. I did lose weight but didn't feel good and the dry skin was down right scary.

 

[Nords]

I'd be interested in your comments on this.

Less meat and more fruit is probably a good idea, but it can lead to an awfully boring diet. Chicken & fish are a lot more interesting with Mexican & Thai spices.

The odd part is that your digestive system (and its bacteria) adapts after 4-6 weeks, and if you go back to your old diet then you're not happy. I occasionally check the calibration with fettucine alfredo or an ice cream sundae and it's not pretty...

 

[haha]

I tried low carb and my skin dried out. It starting cracking and flaking.

That is interesting, I eat very low carb and I have very oily skin and always have had. I am getting up into the dry skin age too, but doesn't happen to me.

Ha

 

[kyounge1956]

It seems to suggest that low carb, [-]semi-[/-]vegetarian diets are the way to go.

Quite frankly, I'd die of cullinary boredom on that kind of diet.

Never mind boredom, I'd die of starvation, because I've never figured out how it's possible to be low carb and vegetarian at the same time. Maybe my vegetarian info is outdated—I only know the complementary protein combinations of legumes, grains and dairy. The way I eat isn't really a low-carb diet as such, because I eat plenty of veggies and fruit, but I don't see how to get enough protein from vegetarian complementary combos, without also enormously increasing the amount of grain-based foods I eat in a day. Not that I'd mind that, I love bread and pasta and oatmeal and rice! I wouldn't mind cutting down the amount of meat in my diet either, to save money and decrease my environmental footprint, but I'm afraid to try, lest I regain the thirty pounds I lost by limiting my intake of grains, pasta, bread etc. Is there really such a thing as low carb vegetarianism? Book or website suggestions anyone?

 

[crispus]

I have been low carbing for quite a while. IMHO it is the only way to loose weight and keep your triglycerides and BG low. Here is an interesting link on the subject. Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes: The Antidote to the Obesity Epidemic?

 

[RonBoyd]

Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes: The Antidote to the Obesity Epidemic?

This book and author comes up quite often in this Forum:

Early Retirement & Financial Independence Community - Search Results

One of the better threads was started by Trombone All:

http://www.early-retirement.org/for...-bad-calories-book-report-synopsis-46963.html

 

[Moemg]

I went low carb six months ago and I feel so much better . I have more energy and I've lost weight . I did not totally eliminate carbs just cut way back. I also realized that when I eat carbs I just crave more carbs and it's a vicious cycle .

 

[happy2bretired]

I went low carb six months ago and I feel so much better . I have more energy and I've lost weight . I did not totally eliminate carbs just cut way back. I also realized that when I eat carbs I just crave more carbs and it's a vicious cycle .

I've cut back on bad carbs (starchy carbs - cookies, cake, crackers, BREAD) over the last year too and my weight has shown a great improvement. Most people tend to eat more meat in place of the lost carbs, but I've found, for me, that I'm better off replacing my lost carbs with more carbs - just low calorie carbs - mostly veggies. My protein comes mostly from Greek yogurt, hummus, beans (maybe 1/2 cup or less) and chicken or fish (maybe 3-4 slices of a roasted chix breast) a few times a week, but not every day.

When I want something a little more wicked...I go out to eat and eat anything I want, just in moderation. I only go out for my treats maybe once a month or so.

 

[mickj]

For me I feel best on a modified Paleo diet. Meat but also lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts and beans, too.

I tried low carb and my skin dried out. It starting cracking and flaking. I marvel at the number of people who seem to thrive on low carb diets. It just didn't work for me at all. I did lose weight but didn't feel good and the dry skin was down right scary.

beans are a no-no on the paleo

Paleodiet Foods

 

[lets-retire]

I thrive on a 60/20/20 diet. Definately not low carb, since 60% of my calories come from carbs. The rest are from protien and fats. Then again I suffer from an addiction to hard exercise.

 

[kyounge1956]

(snip)
When I want something a little more wicked...I go out to eat and eat anything I want, just in moderation. I only go out for my treats maybe once a month or so.

I have also given myself one day a month I can eat anything I want. I knew starting off that I'd never stick to my plan if I had to choose between stuffing and pie at Thanksgiving dinner!

 

[HFWR]

Some sample links regarding Paleo, and the problems with SAD (standard American diet). At least, according to these blogs...

No grains, no sugar, more saturated fat, less or no PUF (polyunsaturated fat), i.e. no industrial oils.

Others go so far as to eliminate fruits, and many vegetables as well, but I'm not buying it... \

Primal Blueprint 101 | Mark's Daily Apple

PaNu - P

Hyperlipid: Getting fat (1) staying fat

 

[crispus]

I try to keep my net carbs under 60 grams a day. It has been very easy to do. I still eat some fruit (usually berries with homemade heavy whipped cream)and lots of colorful vegetables. I cut out starchy veg. like corn, potatoes, and cut out rice and most grains. I eat all the full fat meat that I want along with generous amounts of cheese and small amounts of seeds and nuts.

My skin is better then ever and I am not hungry. I have type II Diabetes and this WOE had kept my BS down. I also on special occasions about once a month eat without restrictions. It takes about 3 days to recover from these breaks. Believe me I wish I could eat all the cheese curls and my moms pasta that I want.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I have found that I do best in the diet department if I do not feel deprived or think of certain foods as "forbidden". Fortunately my preferences are for fresh fruits and vegetables, salads (mix my own dressing which is olive oil, sherry vinegar and salt and pepper), lean meats and fish, whole grains, and nuts. I never eat white potatoes or white bread or white rice or non-whole wheat pasta, except in a restaurant or when I am a guest in someone's home. I avoid refined sugars as much as possible and do not buy any products whose ingredient list sounds like a chemistry experiment. My dietary Achilles heel is cheese (usually buy cheeses made with part-skim milk but not always) and wine (which I save for week-ends only and never more than two glasses in a day). I try to quit eating when I feel full, eat slowly and think about quality, not quantity. So far so good as am in the "normal" ranges on the charts for my height and weight.

 

[Khan]

As someone else mentioned eating carbs can cause a craving for more carbs.

Over Labor Day Weekend (while my guest was here) I gained about 4#, probably because of sandwiches, potato chips, and the salt in prepared food.

I sent the bread, potato chips and beer home with him.

Have now dropped the 4#.

 

[igsoy]

If this is the same "study" they were discussing on my paleo forum, comments included:

Diet amounts were self reported and inexact, this was not a controlled study.

It seems the average "low carb" intake in the "low carb" study was 165 grams/day. While that is "lower carb" than the american diet full of twinkies, chips and mountain dew, it is pretty far removed from the small amount usually recommended by the low carb gurus. Therefore the first paragraph in the article saying that this made it look like Atkins was bad for you is a ridiculous interpretation, because no one was reporting Atkins levels of low carbs. Atkins maintenance levels are more like 50-90grams/day.


I also wanted to mention that some people are saying the red meat is what can be bad for you... the paleo diet thoughts on that would be that you should eat red meat that is grass fed and finished, rather than raised on grain feed, this makes its fat the healthier kind (balanced omega6 and omega3 fatty acids creates less inflammation in the body). This also makes it more expensive, so that can be tough for some of us frugalistas.

 

[hankster]

I've been doing low carb for the last 12 years. I admit to falling off the wagon several times for a period of 1 to 4 weeks (Holidays, vacations, etc.) Every time I do, the results are the same: pants start to get tight, indigestion starts to flare up, feeling lethargic as my blood sugar does "the wave".

If I stay with adequate (not excessive) amounts of meat protein, non-starchy vegetables and modest servings of fruit, the above problems gradually go away. DW sees the same results with her eating habits. I'm glad we have each other for mutual support. It would be a lot harder to stay on track if she brought home ice cream, cookies, pastries and other diet killers that tempt me to misbehave.

 

[happy2bretired]

Every time I do, the results are the same: pants start to get tight, indigestion starts to flare up, feeling lethargic as my blood sugar does "the wave".

It would be a lot harder to stay on track if she brought home ice cream, cookies, pastries and other diet killers that tempt me to misbehave.

Over the last year with my new eating pattern, I no longer have any GERD and stopped with the Prilosec and Tums completely.

I also have found that since I'm now living alone, that those sneaky cookies and cakes no longer find their way into my cupboards and that's a big plus.