Archive for the ‘Diet’ Category
Healthier Without Wheat – Redux
Filed under: BookNote, Diet, Nutrition, Seattle | Tags: BookNote, Diet, Nutrition, Seattle
Comments (4) In an earlier post, I mentioned having attended a talk given by Dr. Stephen Wangen, author of Healthier Without Wheat: A New Understanding of Wheat Allergies, Celiac Disease, and Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance.
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Healthier Without Wheat: A New Understanding of Wheat Allergies, Celiac Disease, and Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance. |
In that post, I said I’d follow up after having completed the book, so here’s the post I said I’d write.
The short summary is it should be an eye-opening book for anyone. Dr. Wangen has taken up this issue in a previous book entitled The Irritable Bowel Syndrome Solution as well in his clinical practice where he has become a ‘go-to’ person for those with wheat allergies, gluten intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Given I’ve been on the dietary fringe for some time, it’s easy for me to underestimate the extent to which this book pierces deeply entrenched notions about what’s ‘good’ and ‘healthy’ for you. Think about it, this book essentially makes the assertion that this staple of life (bread of life) should be treated more like a toxin and should only be consumed as a last resort, given its metabolic effects on the body.
As is often the case with books written by clinicians in active practice, it has more then its fair share of testimonials/case studies. While I understand this approach appeals to lots of people and makes the whole thing less dry for most, I skip over most of them. But they’re there for you if you want them.
Found his explanation of the origin of cereal grains and the differences and commonalities among them fascinating. He includes a ‘family tree’ of grains that include all the ones we find in common use today: wheat, oats, corn, rice, spelt, etc.
Having known very little about IBS, celiac disease and the like, it was enlightening to have him clearly delineate the differences among these conditions and state categorically that these ‘conditions’ only persist as long as you consume the offending item (wheat or gluten as the case may be).
The only major issue I had with the book is the repeated reference to an extremely wide range of symptoms that might lead you to consider whether you might have an allergy/intolerance. There were instances where, after I read the list, I wondered what adverse condition was left out. So that’s where I’d include a gain of salt. He also spent a lot of time describing the diagnostic methods he uses to make a determination as to what might be at the root of issues you’re seeing. Got a sense that these sections were more directed at his peers whose patients might pick up the book and ask their doctor’s about it. Wouldn’t want to leave out stuff that would clearly show you knew what you were doing since the book is likely to wind up in the hands of other physicians either directly or indirectly.
So, the bottom line is it is well worth the read if you or someone you care about has issues with wheat or gluten. It is also of interest to those who are not so wedded to our revered food staple (bread) that they might be considering giving it up to better their health.
21 Life Lessons from Jimmy Moore
Filed under: Blogging, BookNote, Diet, Nutrition | Tags: Blogging, BookNote, Diet, Nutrition
Comments (2) About a month ago I had the privilege of meeting the internationally known low-carb blogger Jimmy “Livin’ la Vida Low-Carb” Moore. This opportunity to meet was afforded to me in connection with the American Society of Bariatric Physicians conference about which I wrote at the time.
Well he seemed like a fun and engaging enough fellow based on his blog, podcast and YouTube channel (busy guy!), but it’s nothing like meeting a person face to face. It’s hard to imagine anybody who wouldn’t like Jimmy. He’s fun, doesn’t take himself overly seriously and, at the same time, has a real thirst for knowledge which he shares with his readers. And, by the way, managed, through diet and perseverance, to rid himself of over 180 excess pounds by switching to a carbohydrate-restricted diet back in 2004.
So you can imagine my good fortune to be offered a signed copy of his most recent book 21 life Lessons from Livin’ la Vida Low-Carb.
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21 Life Lessons From Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb: How The Healthy Low-Carb Lifestyle Changed Everything I Thought I Knew |
The book book is organized around 21 lessons. Some about diet and nutrition (“Low-carb is much more than a diet” and “Low-carb is not even close to being a fad diet”). Others about life lessons (“If you put yourself out there on the internet, people will judge you” and “If you put yourself out there on the internet, people will love you”). Anyway, you get the drift. Weighing in (heh, he said ‘weighing in’) at 471 pages, he could have benefitted from the deft hand of a skillful editor, but the passion and the sincerity surely come through.
Throughout, Jimmy is his open, self-critical, yet always upbeat self. He’s been through a lot in life and you can’t help but admire his optimism. He’s become a friend now (thanks for the mention on your blog, by the way) and while I had admired him from afar and wished him health and success, having met him and gotten to know him, I can say that great things couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
Keep it going, Jimmy!
Scientific American – going low-carb?
Filed under: Diet, GlycemicLoad, Lipids, Nutrition | Tags: Diet, GlycemicLoad, Lipids, Nutrition
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One more bit of evidence that we may yet see the worm turn as it regards the complex of misconceptions and falsehoods surrounding diet. None other than Scientific American has published in its May issue an article entitled: Carbs against Cardio: More Evidence that Refined Carbohydrates, not Fats, Threaten the Heart.
The central study cited was originally published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It was a meta-analysis (combining data from a number of studies) that found “no association between the amount of saturated fat consumed and the risk of heart disease.”
No association.
Here’s another salient quote:
The finding joins other conclusions of the past few years that run counter to the conventional wisdom that saturated fat is bad for the heart because it increases total cholesterol levels. That idea is “based in large measure on extrapolations, which are not supported by the data,” Krauss says.
Check out the article. One more nail in the coffin of the lipid hypothesis.
Flexitarian – if you can’t be as ‘good’ as a vegetarian
Came across this sign at my friendly company dining establishment. the message is clear: while not everyone can be the superior and exalted vegetarian (I mean, many of us are mere mortals), but you can bask in their reflected glory if you just skip meat once a week. It’s Easy. Once a week. Skip Meat. Then you can be a Flexitarian. Sounds a little like a noble band of intrepid travelers who, by dint of their own extraordinary self-discipline have attained the perfect flex mix and go forth to convert the inflexible.
On the other hand, could be a caped superhero who swoops in on meals of those who have yet to skip their meat meal in the current week. Wonder where the meat would go?
It just seems a bit odd to me that we have come to conclude that vegetarianism is a pinnacle of dietary conduct and that anything that gets you closer to it is to be lauded.
To my mind, it is a dietary choice that has tradeoffs like other well-considered choices. Not morally superior. Just different (see previous post discussing The Vegetarian Myth for context). That said, it is expressly not preferable for me. It does not work for me personally on a number of dimensions.
Well, right after taking this picture, I got a little breakfast:
Mmm. Now that’s a flexy meal 
An evening with Dr. Eenfeldt
The hits just keep on coming!
Due to the vagaries of life in the wake of the aforementioned volcano (which, by they way is more than a simple inconvenience for many thousands of people), I had the opportunity to spend an evening with a great physician and blogger, Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt. In fact, a mention on his blog sent my traffic to heights it had never seen (hope there’s more to come of that).
Here we are, just chillin’ at our place after dinner. With his unfailing politeness, he managed to endure my incessant prattling on about subjects quite far afield. We managed to touch on Jonas Colting, Malcom Gladwell, Gary Taubes, Michael Eades, Jackie Robinson, Jeremy Rifkin, Marcus Borg, Jimmy Moore and more. come to think of it, he did catch the next thing smokin’ out of Seattle on Tuesday. Coincidence or something more ?
But is wasn’t all just talk. We managed to get Andreas through his first Super Slow/Body By Science workout at the PRO Sports Club. It’s clear he hits the gym on a regular basis, because he nailed it the first time through. I won’t reveal his weight and times under load, but I will say he may need the XL weight machines if he wants to follow up with this at home. Remember Andreas, give yourself a good recovery time.
… and to all my new readers from Sweden, Välkomna!
Hangin’ with the Bariatrics
Filed under: Diet, Nutrition, Seattle | Tags: Diet, Nutrition, Seattle
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I mean, how silly can you get. I’m spending a perfectly glorious, warm, sunny Sunday morning/afternoon in Seattle (yes, I said ‘sunny’ and ‘Seattle’ in the same sentence – in April, no less) indoors with a those who are inclined to attend an obesity conference convened by the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP). This I did of my own volition and with specific intention. I did not simply stumble upon this crew while rollerblading the Burke-Gilman Trail. If the term ‘weirdly obsessed’ comes to mind, no worries. Gary Taubes used those exact words to describe me.
But there I was. Loving it, and regretting that I hadn’t had the opportunity to spend more time with this group during their time in Seattle. For one, I had the opportunity to meet a whole host of authors whose works have greatly contributed to my thinking about diet, nutrition and wellness – without whom my current state of health and fitness would have been considerably less. I certainly would not have started this blog. The ASBP is a medical professional association (physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, clinical researchers, etc.) focused on treatment and management of overweight patients. In addition, however, it has become a magnet for those who are actively seeking to re-orient our dietary priorities world-wide.
The majority of the (admittedly self-selected) clinicians who I heard speak and with whom I spoke directly, are convinced that significantly-restricted carbohydrates is the ‘front line’ of obesity treatment and prevention. This is not to say there is not a diversity of thought on many issues. One issue that engenders a great deal of discussion is the extent to which pure ‘energy balance’ contributes to lipogenesis. My sense this is an issue that will continue to rage, but I was very surprised to see a near consensus that restriction of easily digestible carbohydrates (sugars/starches) is a major contributor to obesity (more specifically, lipogenesis). Before you go ‘well, duh!’ a scant few years ago this view was literally scoffed at by anyone with a string of initials behind their name (save the very few and proud), so don’t start with the ‘everybody knows this’ stuff.
I had an opportunity to meet and speak with meet Michael Eades (missed Mary Dan by a whisker), Eric Westman, , Mary Vernon (both principles in IMS along with Gary Taubes), James Wortman, Stephen Phinney, Andreas Eendfelt (careful, it’s Swedish), Jimmy Moore and Nora Gedgaudas. Wow, that’s a lot for one day! Even got an opportunity to experience some sloppy ‘Protein Style’ burgers at the local Red Robin with Jimmy and Christine Moore, Andreas and friends. A very fun group!
… and that’s not all. Owing to the ongoing bizarre activities of a certain Icelandic volcano, Andreas gets to enjoy a bit more of our hospitality. Perhaps a super slow/Body by Science workout this evening. Stay tuned.
Thanks to all of you for your warmth and hospitality. This weekend was just the inspiration I needed to step up my efforts. Watch out!
Gary Taubes’ talk at Swedish
Filed under: Diet, Nutrition, Seattle | Tags: Diet, Nutrition, Seattle
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Well, I was able to attend the talk this morning (4/15) at the First Hill location of Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. While it was much the same talk that may be found online in a number of places, it’s always interesting to see the reaction of the people who attend. My guess is there were about 50-60 people there. While Gary noted there were few ‘white coats’ in the audience, I did notice more stethoscopes than white coats and the questions suggest the kind of crowd you’d expect to attend a “Grand Rounds.”
He warned the audience that he’d likely to go over. Even so, he appeared rushed in that he was trying to get through all all the slides in a reasonable amount of time. He spoke for a good hour & 15 – even with skipping a few of the the more involved topics towards the end of the presentation. Within a couple of hours after the presentation, the video from the talk was online and available for streaming. You may find it here (although, I did not get on camera, I did manage to get a couple of questions in during the Q&A period). Can’t say there was a general theme to all the questions posed, but there were some pretty narrowly-stated questions that surprised me a bit – about specific insulin response based on diurnal patterns or specific-meal insulin responses. The reason this surprised me is because the entire emphasis was on the cause of lipogenesis (fat accumulation) over a much broader window of time and what the causes of that lipogenesis might be. While it’s possible intra-day fluctuations might be a major cause, it seems highly unlikely.
One of the questions I posed was to inquire about Gary’s thoughts regarding Dr. Robert Lustig’s emphasis on fructose being the major culprit in the surge in world-wide obesity (marked increase in fructose consumption – sugar and HFCS – and a corresponding reduction in dietary fiber). I found that there have been talks between Gary and Dr. Lustig about writing a book together. That would be an interesting pairing, although my gut tells me Gary prefers to work alone.
While it’s a little unfair to deliver the presentation’s conclusions without all the supporting material, I do so here to encourage you to view it so you can be better educated and to be able to think more clearly and critically about the dietary guidance you do get.
- Obesity is a disorder of fat accumulation, not energy balance (not overeating and sedentary behavior).
- Fat accumulation is regulated fundamentally be insulin and dietary carbohydrates – “carbohydrates driving insulin driving fat”
- Increasing fat accumulation will cause compensatory increases in energy intake and/or decreases in expenditure.
- The only non-pharmaceutical remedy is to restrict or remove the causative agent – the carbohydrates
Worth your while to watch:
http://videomedia2.swedish.org/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=cd8c7aa15bc94a0486f4ee9b66ef8f8f
Thoughts on “Good Calories, Bad Calories”
Filed under: Diet, Gary Taubes, Nutrition | Tags: Diet, Gary Taubes, Nutrition
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In a recent post referring to an upcoming visit to Seattle by noted author and nutrition science rabble-rouser, Gary Taubes, I referred to having already completed a post on his book Good Calories, Bad Calories. Well, the reason why I couldn’t find it is because it was on my blog 1.0 (on spaces.live.com) but I had never transferred it. This post was mostly a recap of the summary of the book with a few comments. Even reading it now, I’d be hard pressed to improve on it. I posted it back in July of 2008 after I had just finished the book.
Almost two years on and I’ve ‘piled on’ more information from lots of great authors (Michael and Mary Dan Eades, Mark Sisson, Joe Mercola, Loren Codrain and many others), but the core paradigm shift that was kicked off by GCBC has had the most lasting effect. While I don’t have a dramatic 100 lb. weight loss story (mine is a very modest 20 lb), I’m constantly reminded of how differently my body functions and looks. It’s a big reason why I have come to regard senescence as mostly optional.
Stick with me over the next 50 years (or so) and see how I’m doing.
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July 24, 2008
Recently completed Good Calories, Bad Calories and will never look at food the same way again. My synopsis would be no better than the text from the web page … it’s a great synopsis. It’s way worth it to read the book. At 640 pages (actually, the main text is only 460 content-packed pages – not much fluff, here) it ain’t no joke but really worth it!
Description
In this groundbreaking book, the result of seven years of research in every science connected with the impact of nutrition on health, award-winning science writer Gary Taubes shows us that almost everything we believe about the nature of a healthy diet is wrong.
For decades we have been taught that fat is bad for us, carbohydrates better, and that the key to a healthy weight is eating less and exercising more. Yet with more and more people acting on this advice, we have seen unprecedented epidemics of obesity and diabetes. Taubes argues persuasively that the problem lies in refined carbohydrates (white flour, sugar, easily digested starches) and sugars–via their dramatic and long-term effects on insulin, the hormone that regulates fat accumulation–and that the key to good health is the kind of calories we take in, not the number. There are good calories, and bad ones.
Good Calories
These are from foods without easily digestible carbohydrates and sugars. These foods can be eaten without restraint.
Meat, fish, fowl, cheese, eggs, butter, and non-starchy vegetables.
Bad Calories
These are from foods that stimulate excessive insulin secretion and so make us fat and increase our risk of chronic disease—all refined and easily digestible carbohydrates and sugars. The key is not how much vitamins and minerals they contain, but how quickly they are digested. (So apple juice or even green vegetable juices are not necessarily any healthier than soda.)
Bread and other baked goods, potatoes, yams, rice, pasta, cereal grains, corn, sugar (sucrose and high fructose corn syrup), ice cream, candy, soft drinks, fruit juices, bananas and other tropical fruits, and beer.
Taubes traces how the common assumption that carbohydrates are fattening was abandoned in the 1960s when fat and cholesterol were blamed for heart disease and then –wrongly–were seen as the causes of a host of other maladies, including cancer. He shows us how these unproven hypotheses were emphatically embraced by authorities in nutrition, public health, and clinical medicine, in spite of how well-conceived clinical trials have consistently refuted them. He also documents the dietary trials of carbohydrate-restriction, which consistently show that the fewer carbohydrates we consume, the leaner we will be.
With precise references to the most significant existing clinical studies, he convinces us that there is no compelling scientific evidence demonstrating that saturated fat and cholesterol cause heart disease, that salt causes high blood pressure, and that fiber is a necessary part of a healthy diet. Based on the evidence that does exist, he leads us to conclude that the only healthy way to lose weight and remain lean is to eat fewer carbohydrates or to change the type of the carbohydrates we do eat, and, for some of us, perhaps to eat virtually none at all.
The 11 Critical Conclusions of Good Calories, Bad Calories:
- Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, does not cause heart disease.
- Carbohydrates do, because of their effect on the hormone insulin. The more easily-digestible and refined the carbohydrates and the more fructose they contain, the greater the effect on our health, weight, and well-being.
- Sugars—sucrose (table sugar) and high fructose corn syrup specifically—are particularly harmful. The glucose in these sugars raises insulin levels; the fructose they contain overloads the liver.
- Refined carbohydrates, starches, and sugars are also the most likely dietary causes of cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, and the other common chronic diseases of modern times.
- Obesity is a disorder of excess fat accumulation, not overeating and not sedentary behavior.
- Consuming excess calories does not cause us to grow fatter any more than it causes a child to grow taller.
- Exercise does not make us lose excess fat; it makes us hungry.
- We get fat because of an imbalance—a disequilibrium—in the hormonal regulation of fat tissue and fat metabolism. More fat is stored in the fat tissue than is mobilized and used for fuel. We become leaner when the hormonal regulation of the fat tissue reverses this imbalance.
- Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are elevated, we stockpile calories as fat. When insulin levels fall, we release fat from our fat tissue and burn it for fuel.
- By stimulating insulin secretion, carbohydrates make us fat and ultimately cause obesity. By driving fat accumulation, carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism and physical activity.
- The fewer carbohydrates we eat, the leaner we will be.
Gary Taubes’ Seattle Swing
Filed under: Diet, Gary Taubes, Nutrition, Seattle | Tags: Diet, Gary Taubes, Nutrition, Seattle
Leave a Comment Readers of these pages know that if I were to point to one book and one author
who most inspired me to take an entirely new look at nutrition and diet it’s Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. I touch on it on an early page I wrote for my blog, but I’m afraid I gave it short shrift. Why? Perhaps because I talk about it so much, I assumed I had written about it too, so let me explain.
No. There is too much. Let me sum up.
Gary Taubes is an award-winning science writer who, for years, has trained his sights on science that doesn’t pass his ‘sniff test’ and peeled away the layers of obfuscation, self-interest and cutthroat politics that often dominates science. Unlike the calm, rational, evidence-driven image we assume rules the roost when it comes to all matters of science, we find that (just like in any other human endeavor), sometimes that which can be objectively verified is superseded by orthodoxy, group-think and big money. As it turns out, this is especially true as it regards dietary science.
To put things the the proper context, it is exceedingly difficult to come to definitive, one-size-fits-all answers on dietary questions. There can be no blinded, controlled trials of different dietary approaches in the real world (hmm, I can’t tell, is this broccoli or an apple fritter I’m eating?). There are almost incalculable variables involved, so the certainty we strive for in science, is barely applicable to this field.
Yet and still, there has been a nutritional orthodoxy of which we are all familiar:
- If you want to lose weight you have to burn more calories than you consume
- Stay away from fat
- A calorie is a calorie is a calorie (I think you get the picture).
In short, Good Calories, Bad Calories painstakingly and in astounding completeness and detail dismantles this dietary orthodoxy and leaves it like a steaming, quivering, gelatinous mass that cannot be reconstituted. The central tenets are:
- Some calories are actually worse than others if your aim is to limit the amount of fat you store
- Foods that quickly raise insulin levels prompts the body to store fat
- Dietary fat (for various reasons) actually associates with a lower propensity to store fat in the body
I’m leaving a whole lot out, but I did say this was a ‘sum up.’ In the three years since GCBC was published, I have seen enormous changes. We are now starting to see more clinicians and researchers take these issues seriously and I’m actually starting to be hopeful for change. So to the real topic of this post.
The American Society of Bariatric Physicians and the Metabolism Society are sponsoring the “Western Regional Obesity Conference” in Seattle April 14-18, 2010. This is an amazing opportunity to hear some leading researchers speak on the many topics related to diet, nutrition and weight loss AND a great opportunity to get an update on Gary Taubes’ work. You will find Gary and many others cited in the program (PDF) for the event.
In addition to his appearance at the conference, he will also be delivering his lecture that lays out his obesity hypothesis in detail at both Swedish Medical Center and University of Washington Medical Center:
Why We Get Fat: Adiposity 101 and the Alternative Hypothesis of Obesity
Date: Thursday, April 15
Swedish Lecture
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM
Swedish Medical Center/First Hill – Glaser Auditorium
U of W Lecture
12 noon – 1pm: Lecture
1-2pm: Q&A
Hogness Auditorium (A420)
Let me know if you’ll be attending.
Support Lierre Keith
Filed under: BookNote, Diet, Nutrition | Tags: BookNote, Diet, Nutrition
Leave a Comment Readers of this space will recall my recent recommendation of The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith.
I’m writing about it again because I wanted to inform you that Lierre was a victim of a punk attack last week – apparently by those who were threatened by her message. Never mind Lierre lives with a severe spinal condition that renders her a physical threat to no one. Never mind that she was simply using well-put words to educate. While I cannot say I agree with all she says, I am extremely grateful for her contribution. However, some people who felt so threatened by the words sought to do her harm because of them.
My immediate, visceral reaction is one of utter disgust that someone would do this. My second thought (once my frontal lobes become engaged) is I can only imagine how utterly bereft one must feel in order for this act to make you feel better somehow. Must be quite an unbearable existence.
Have a nice grass-fed steak next time, instead of taking your frustrations out on those with whom you disagree.
For the rest of us, I encourage you to buy Lierre’s book. My post goes into all the reasons why it would be worth your while based on the books merits. All the more reason to support Lierre now to drive home the point that such acts only make the target of such cowardly acts stronger.
The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability
