Weight Watchers has just announced new meal plan with “more choice”- including unlimited pasta, rice, oatmeal and potatoes!
Eating unlimited amounts of the wrong types of carbohydrates is a recipe for Diabesity – and a spectrum of other health issues!
People who regularly consume soft drinks have a higher risk of an early death, researchers have found, with the trend seen for both sugared and artificially sweetened drinks.
While experts say the study cannot prove soft drinks are a driver of an increased risk of death, they say the work – which is the largest study of its kind – supports recent public health efforts to reduce consumption of soft drinks, such as the UK’s sugar tax.
“Our results for sugar-sweetened soft drinks provide further support to limit consumption and to replace them with other healthier beverages, preferably water,” said Dr Neil Murphy, a co-author of the research from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization.
A recent diet “fad”? – craze has been the increasing popularity of the Carnivore Diet.
I think the reaction of most practitioners like myself who work with patients and provide them with guidance on personalized diets is that the Carnivore Diet is probably extreme and potentially unhealthy. I think most individuals think of plant materials as inherently healthy: vegetables and some fruit content are considered to be part of a healthy diet. The fact does remain however that plants incorporate into their make up anti-nutrients which are designed to help prevent animals from eating them. Giving the GI tract a temporary break from exposure to antinutrients can be very beneficial to some individuals who are dealing with GI inflammation, leaky gut and related conditions.
And this seems to be one of the potential benefits of the Carnivore Diet, and it may in fact prove to be a temporary dietary intervention worth considering for individuals dealing with some of the mentioned GI issues.
This is probably also the case with the Ketogenic Diet: there is still some question as to whether long term adoption of the Low Carb / High Fat diet is beneficial: I think what is key with this type of diet is transitioning into keto adaptation so that one’s metabolism is metabolically flexible so it can easily transition between utilizing the sugar as well as the fat – ketone energy burning pathways.
One of the best sources for patient education about the Low Carb / High Fat (Ketogenic) Diet is the website: DietDoctor.com.
Following is a well balanced – and referenced article on the Carnivore Diet from DietDoctor.com.
One of the key issues regarding the Carnivore Diet at this point in time is the fact that there is very little published research on the topic.
Key considerations / takeaways from my perspective include the following:
– organ meats should be included in any diet as part of a healthy diet- deficiencies such as folate and other micronutrients may result from the long term adoption of the Carnivore Diet- there is some question as to what changes might occur in the microbiome by adopting this type of diet- not all people achieve complete success on a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet that is rich in vegetables- anecdotal evidence suggests that the Carnivore Diet may be beneficial in reversing or improving challenging health issues such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, depression, migraines and others- “there is no clear scientific proof” that we need to eat vegetables at all- Dr. Steve Phinney is concerned about potential electrolyte deficiencies in sodium, magnesium and potassium in the carnivore diet
Sinking our teeth into the carnivore diet:what’s known, what’s not
1. Why explore carnivore eating?
2. What to eat
3. Potential benefits
4. Experts weigh in
5. Testimonials and advocates
6. Ancient past
7. Paleomedicina in Hungary
8. Intestinal permeability
9. Colon cancer?
10. My one-month trial
Read More:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/po1ggolimjjq8ej/What%27s%20With%20the%20Carnivore%20Diet.docx?dl=0
I wanted to share with you today an article which appeared on the Green Med Info website: “Wheat Cardiotoxicity: As Serious as a Heart Attack”.
This article is based upon an article written by Loren Cordain:
“It was actually Loren Cordain, Ph.D., author of the Paleo Diet, who (to our knowledge) first pointed out the inherent cardiotoxicity of wheat. In the March 2008 edition of The Paleo Diet Newsletter, Cordain explains in an article titled, “Whole Wheat Heart Attack Part2: The Role of Dietary Lectins,” how dietary lectins, as found in wheat, promote the formation of fatty streaks and mature atherosclerotic plaque in the arteries”.
Lectins have received a recent surge of developing awareness as a result of the recent work and book written by Steven Gundry, MD
The prevailing attitude – one that I personally agree with that I have gathered by discussing this topic with many individuals within the practitioner community is that yes lectins can be important, however it is not something that everyone needs to be fanatical about in terms of avoidance.
It may be a factor to consider in individuals that are dealing with such conditions as autoimmune conditions, gut health etc. and short term elimination from the diet is worth considering to remove one potential causative agent.
Cordain’s hypothesis – echoed by Sayer Ji, the founder of Green Med Info is that lectins consumed with whole wheat products may be involved in the progression or acceleration of athersclerosis.
There has been a lot of excitement recently with the arrival on the market of plant based burgers which simulate “the real thing” – traditional burgers made of meat: I have tried them myself.
But the key question is: are they healthy?
The first place to start when considering this is the label to look at the ingredients:
Strike Number One:
One of the ingredients in these products is canola oil: highly processed canola oil extracted under extreme heat and pressure does not belong in a health promoting diet!
Strike Number Two: and The Final Strike:
We live in a toxic world and avoiding chemicals sprayed on fruits and vegetables makes good health sense.
Some fruits and vegetables are more problematic vs. others in terms of chemical content: a good resource for this information is the Environmental Working Group:
This is the organization which annually publishes the “Dirty Dozen” list: a list of the twelve most heavily sprayed fruits and vegetables.
Not only this but the EWG also lists the fruits and vegetables that are the least likely to cause issues with respect to chemical exposure.
Eating organic always makes sense however it can get expensive and these lists can serve as good guidelines to be able to choose which fruits and vegetables to buy organic – and those for which conventional may be okay, or at least less problematic.
A Simple Cleaning Solution for Fruits and Vegetables
Trying to remove chemicals from the surfaces of fruits and vegetables makes sense to minimize exposure: there are now compounds sold in stores which can be used for this, however here is a simple recipe you can make at home for this purpose.
If you have access to it, 1 tablespoon of food grade hydrogen peroxide can also be added to the mix.
Make sure to follow usage instructions and avoid skin contact.
2. Stir the mixture and then transfer to a spray bottle
3. Spray on fruits and vegetables
4. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes
5. Rinse off with water
6. Give items a final visual inspection
Enjoy your produce with less health damaging chemicals!