Yep, yep. Public service annoucement, if you will.
http://www.atkinsdietalert.org/
We were discussing the Atkin's diet on an earlier post of mine. Here are some answers to some of the questions that were posed to me, in a much more well-said way than I could ever accomplish.
4. "Meat doesn't boost insulin; only carbohydrates do that, and that's why they make people fat."
Popular books and news stories have encouraged individuals to avoid carbohydrate-rich foods, suggesting that high-protein foods will not stimulate insulin release. However, contrary to this popular myth, proteins stimulate insulin release, just as carbohydrates do. Clinical studies indicate that beef and cheese cause a bigger insulin release than pasta, and fish produces a bigger insulin release than popcorn.
Also, it is important to realize that different carbohydrate-rich foods have very different effects. Most cause a gradual, temporary, and safe rise in blood sugar after meals. Beans, green leafy vegetables, and most fruits are in this healthful category. The main exceptions are large baking potatoes, white bread, and sugary foods, which can cause an overly rapid rise in blood sugar.
5. "People who eat the most carbohydrates tend to gain the most weight."
Popular diet books point out that a carbohydrate restriction may induce ketosis as well as a reduction in energy intake, resulting in temporary weight loss. This has been misinterpreted as suggesting that carbohydrate-rich foods are the cause of obesity. In epidemiological studies and clinical trials, the reverse has been shown to be true. Many people throughout Asia consume large amounts of carbohydrate in the form of rice, noodles, and vegetables and generally have lower body weights than Americans - including Asian Americans - who eat large amounts of meat, dairy products, and fried foods. Similarly, vegetarians, who generally follow diets rich in carbohydrates, typically have significantly lower body weights than omnivores.
Health Risks
Despite press accounts of seemingly dramatic weight loss, the effect of high-protein diets on body weight is similar to that of other weight-reduction diets. Three recent studies (one at Duke University, a second at the University of Pennsylvania and a third at a medical center in Philadelphia) suggest that the average weight loss with high-protein diets during the first six months of use is approximately 20 pounds, or about half a pound per week. This is not demonstrably greater than that which occurs with other weight-loss regimens or with low-fat, vegetarian diets.4
There is nothing special about high-protein, very-low-carbohydrate diets. In fact, a recent review of 107 research studies on high-protein, low-carbohydrate weight-loss diets concluded that weight loss was associated with longer diet duration and restriction of calories, but not with reduced carbohydrate intake.
High-protein, very-low-carbohydrate weight-loss diets are designed to induce ketosis, an abnormal state that also occurs in uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and starvation. Over the long run, ketosis can contribute to a variety of physical problems, including calcium losses, increased risk of osteoporosis, and an increased propensity to form kidney stones.
High-protein diets typically contain higher-than-recommended amounts of dietary cholesterol, fat, saturated fat, and protein, and very low levels of fiber and some other important dietary constituents. The Nutrition Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism of the American Heart Association states, "High-protein diets are not recommended because they restrict healthful foods that provide essential nutrients and do not provide the variety of foods needed to adequately meet nutritional needs. Individuals who follow these diets are therefore at risk for compromised vitamin and mineral intake, as well as potential cardiac, renal, bone, and liver abnormalities overall."
Quite a risk to take to lose a few pounds.
Vegetarian is the way to go, people. Trust me on this. I am not kidding around. Besides, it's better for the environment and better for your mental well-being. I would feel too guilty to eat meat, having a good understanding of what a terrible, nasty, disgusting experience being a food animal in America equates to.
We were discussing the Atkin's diet on an earlier post of mine. Here are some answers to some of the questions that were posed to me, in a much more well-said way than I could ever accomplish.
4. "Meat doesn't boost insulin; only carbohydrates do that, and that's why they make people fat."
Popular books and news stories have encouraged individuals to avoid carbohydrate-rich foods, suggesting that high-protein foods will not stimulate insulin release. However, contrary to this popular myth, proteins stimulate insulin release, just as carbohydrates do. Clinical studies indicate that beef and cheese cause a bigger insulin release than pasta, and fish produces a bigger insulin release than popcorn.
Also, it is important to realize that different carbohydrate-rich foods have very different effects. Most cause a gradual, temporary, and safe rise in blood sugar after meals. Beans, green leafy vegetables, and most fruits are in this healthful category. The main exceptions are large baking potatoes, white bread, and sugary foods, which can cause an overly rapid rise in blood sugar.
5. "People who eat the most carbohydrates tend to gain the most weight."
Popular diet books point out that a carbohydrate restriction may induce ketosis as well as a reduction in energy intake, resulting in temporary weight loss. This has been misinterpreted as suggesting that carbohydrate-rich foods are the cause of obesity. In epidemiological studies and clinical trials, the reverse has been shown to be true. Many people throughout Asia consume large amounts of carbohydrate in the form of rice, noodles, and vegetables and generally have lower body weights than Americans - including Asian Americans - who eat large amounts of meat, dairy products, and fried foods. Similarly, vegetarians, who generally follow diets rich in carbohydrates, typically have significantly lower body weights than omnivores.
Health Risks
Despite press accounts of seemingly dramatic weight loss, the effect of high-protein diets on body weight is similar to that of other weight-reduction diets. Three recent studies (one at Duke University, a second at the University of Pennsylvania and a third at a medical center in Philadelphia) suggest that the average weight loss with high-protein diets during the first six months of use is approximately 20 pounds, or about half a pound per week. This is not demonstrably greater than that which occurs with other weight-loss regimens or with low-fat, vegetarian diets.4
There is nothing special about high-protein, very-low-carbohydrate diets. In fact, a recent review of 107 research studies on high-protein, low-carbohydrate weight-loss diets concluded that weight loss was associated with longer diet duration and restriction of calories, but not with reduced carbohydrate intake.
High-protein, very-low-carbohydrate weight-loss diets are designed to induce ketosis, an abnormal state that also occurs in uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and starvation. Over the long run, ketosis can contribute to a variety of physical problems, including calcium losses, increased risk of osteoporosis, and an increased propensity to form kidney stones.
High-protein diets typically contain higher-than-recommended amounts of dietary cholesterol, fat, saturated fat, and protein, and very low levels of fiber and some other important dietary constituents. The Nutrition Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism of the American Heart Association states, "High-protein diets are not recommended because they restrict healthful foods that provide essential nutrients and do not provide the variety of foods needed to adequately meet nutritional needs. Individuals who follow these diets are therefore at risk for compromised vitamin and mineral intake, as well as potential cardiac, renal, bone, and liver abnormalities overall."
Quite a risk to take to lose a few pounds.
Vegetarian is the way to go, people. Trust me on this. I am not kidding around. Besides, it's better for the environment and better for your mental well-being. I would feel too guilty to eat meat, having a good understanding of what a terrible, nasty, disgusting experience being a food animal in America equates to.