Diet PlansCategory Archives

An interesting dietary study from 1931

There was an interesting dietary study done in 1931. They conducted a controlled dietary trial using a large variety of diets, ranging from 800 to 2,700 calories. Before they did that, they put all patients on a 1,000 calorie diet of varying types. Here are the stats for the average daily losses for the 1,000 calorie diets:

High-carbohydrate/low-fat – 49 grams
High-carbohydrate/low-protein – 122 grams
Low-carbohydrate/high-protein – 183 grams
Low-carbohydrate/high-fat – 205 grams

In other words, the patients on the low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet lost 4 times what those on the high-carbohydrate/low-fat diet lost. In another commentary on this diet, Barry Groves said that some patients actually gained weight on the high-carbohydrate/low-fat diet.

It was expected that on the 1,700 and 2,700 calorie diets, patients would not lose weight. In fact, all but three did lose weight.

In their conclusion, Lyon and Dunlop said: “The most striking feature … is that the losses appear to be inversely proportionate to the carbohydrate content of the food. Where the carbohydrate intake is low the rate of loss in weight is greater and conversely.”

Barry Groves says in Trick and Treat that the high-fat diet is preferable over the high-protein diet because excess protein creates waste products that stress the organs such as the kidneys. Fat burns cleaner in the body.

References:
Lyon DM, Dunlop DM. The treatment of obesity: a comparison of the effects of diet and of thyroid extract. Quart J Med 1932; 1: 331.
Barry Groves. Trick And Treat – how ‘healthy eating’ is making us ill. 2008.
Barry Groves’ site: http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/

Roxann Higuera
November 19, 2011
Diet Plans, Research
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Trying a ketogenic day

I’m looking forward to taking a low-carb high-fat break today. I think it’s going to be good for my mental health, literally. Here’s some background on what I mean by that. I’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Treatment is working well, so my mood has been even. Bipolar disorder, including my case, is often treated with medications originally developed to treat epileptics. Epileptics are often treated with a ketogenic diet. A ketogenic diet is a low-carb high-fat diet. The ketogenic diet used to treat epileptics resembles the induction phase of the Atkins diet in that it is recommended that patients consume 20g or less of carbohydrates. The resulting diet can get as much as 90% of its calories from fat. There is some conjecture in scientific circles that since a ketogenic diet works for epileptics, it just might work for those with bipolar disorder, too, since the medication is often the same. Tests in rats have shown promise, but the theory has not yet been formally tested in humans. I have tried a ketogenic diet before and felt quite good on it. Since a ketogenic diet works well for weight loss, too, this should not hinder me that way.

References:
El-Mallakh RS, Paskitti ME. The ketogenic diet may have mood-stabilizing properties. Med Hypotheses. 2001 Dec;57(6):724-6.
Murphy P, Likhodii S, Nylen K, Burnham WM. The Antidepressant Properties of the Ketogenic Diet. Biol Psychiatry. 2004 Dec 15;56(12):981-3.

Roxann Higuera
October 27, 2011
Ketogenic Diet
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Soy and hormones

If you suspect that you may have hypothyroidism, consider eliminating soy.  Soy is a potent goitrogen.  You can find out more about goitrogens here.  Apparently, several fruits and vegetables are also goitrogens when eaten raw.  There’s a list of them on the link.

I’ve had problems of a different sort before with soy.  In one of my big weight loss efforts, I was on the Medifast diet.  Virtually all of the program foods on Medifast are soy.  Time of month became much heavier, and I was more irregular.  Soy is known to affect hormones.  For one, it has phytoestrogens that mimic the estrogens in the body.  Feeding a baby soy formula is like giving it five birth control pills a day.  To make matters worse, most of the soy in the United States is genetically modified, including the soy used by Medifast.  I thought about doing that diet again this time, but I decided that I did not want to expose myself to that much soy.  There’s some in the NutriSystem foods, but it doesn’t comprise nearly as much of the diet.

Roxann Higuera
October 26, 2011
Medifast
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The HCG Diet

There’s a page that lists the articles and research on the HCG Diet published in medical journals.  It’s here.  The FDA does not endorse the diet.  HCG is not approved for weight loss; however, doctors are permitted to use drugs approved for other purposes as they choose.  The HCG Diet is very strict and unforgiving of cheats.  It takes tremendous dedication to follow this diet.  Supposedly, the reward is, if followed through the stabilization phase, that one’s metabolism is reestablished so that one does not gain the weight back.

Roxann Higuera
October 22, 2011
HCG Diet, Research
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Benefits of weighing every day

I’ve been weighing every day since October 10, 2006.  I’ve learned quite a lot about how my body handles different types of food that way.  For instance, I’ve learned that salt is no big deal for me.  Carbohydrates will jack up my weight by as much as two pounds the next day.  My weight goes up a little around that time of month, but it didn’t do that when I was on the Medifast diet.  Antibiotics can also cause weight gain. The process of weighing every day has been very educational. Had I not done it, I would not have known my body so well, and I would not have known what my problem foods are.

Everyone is different, and you may have different results.  If you decide to weigh every day, be objective about it and treat it like a science experiment.  Be sure your charting also includes ways to check your week to week weight. Weight may fluctuate day to day, but if you’re on plan, you should see consistency in weight week to week, whether maintaining or losing. Tracking your food is also an important part of the process. Track your food well so that when the scale goes up, you can look at your intake to see what changed—not just the calories, but also the macronutrient mix and specific foods, since any of these can make a big difference. Then you’ll know, “If I do this, then that will happen.” This will help you to make conscious decisions about your eating as well. You can say to yourself, “I know that this will happen if I eat that food, so I think I’ll avoid it.” or “I’m willing to take the hit.” Soon, you won’t be surprised, either, and you’ll also know what to do to correct problems. Using the objective scientific mind helps minimize the emotional reactions.  Even so, if you find yourself getting overly emotional about daily fluctuations, this process may not be for you.

Roxann Higuera
October 17, 2011
Medifast
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Why meat must be part of our diet

Prehistoric Hunters
Prehistoric Hunters in a Cave Painting

Vegetarians and vegans like to tell us that we should eat a largely carbohydrate diet. I disagree. They like to say that our diet should resemble that of gorillas and chimpanzees since they are supposedly our nearest evolutionary relatives. But our digestive systems are very different from theirs. Barry Groves explores those differences at length in an article on his site. Our digestive system resembles that of carnivores more than it does that of herbivores.

Dense carbohydrates are a very recent addition to the human diet. Agriculture did not occur until about 10,000 years ago; and in some areas such as northernEurope, agriculture did not arrive until about 5,000 years ago. Prior to that, humans were hunter/gatherers. Modern day hunter/gatherer diets tend to be largely meat-based with a preference for the fattiest portions. It is clear from the bone piles found at sites where prehistoric human remains have been found that the prehistoric diet included a lot of meat as well. Their cave paintings depict hunting, not agriculture. And the bones of those prehistoric humans showed that they were much healthier than us. They were taller, and they did not suffer from degenerative diseases such as arthritis. Those in the northern climates particularly would have been eating a meat diet because the ice age would not have allowed much vegetation to grow.

On the other hand, arthritis, obesity, and heart disease are apparent in Egyptian mummies, a society where grains predominated.

References:
Barry Groves. Should all animals eat a high-fat, low-carb diet? (This article compares our digestive system with herbivores and carnivores.)

Roxann Higuera
October 14, 2011
Paleo Diet, Research
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Master Cleanse

I tried the Master Cleanse with my daughters a couple of years ago.  That’s the lemonade cleanse, for those not familiar with it.  That turned out to be a REALLY bad idea.  It broke my metabolism, and I started gaining lots and lots of weight like crazy beyond what my caloric intake would justify.  Nothing would stop it.  All I could do was watch while the pounds piled back on.  I think the Master Cleanse may have messed up the flora in my intestine.  Lately, my weight has stabilized some.  I consider the Master Cleanse to be a dangerous diet.

Roxann Higuera
October 8, 2011
Diet Plans
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Veganism is not for me

I have decided that veganism is not for me.  I followed what should have been a good diet with lots of vegetables, legumes, and some sprouted grain bread.  I was eating whole, natural foods.  I was having problems with lethargy and generally low mood.  My primary medical issue is a mood disorder.  It is vitally important that I do what is necessary to protect a stable mood.  Apparently, that includes eating meat.  My total cholesterol was 147.  That is too low.  Low total cholesterol below 160 is linked to depression and other mental disorders; so I must keep my cholesterol levels up, and eating meat helps do that.

I’ve read posts from other failed vegans.  I did well to give it up after only three months.  The health problems could have gotten much worse.  They say the average vegan lasts about six months before they give it up due to health issues.  Given that the problems I was developing are hot-button issues for me that I consider to be potentially fatal, I did not delay my exit from veganism.

[Edit: This post was recovered from my old Exploring Veganism blog.]

Roxann Higuera
June 9, 2011
Veganism
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B-12 shortage?

I ran into some difficulties that I believe were related to veganism. As I told my doctor, I had problems with physical depression. My mood was fine, but I did not feel like doing much of anything. I was sleeping too much. Also, the corners of my mouth were cracking. I knew that B-12 deficiency could create such problems. The most common vitamin B-12 deficiency symptoms include tiredness, being irritable, finding it hard to concentrate, difficulty remembering things, and in extreme cases, psychosis or depression. The mouth corner cracks are apparently a more obscure symptom. This puzzled me because I was taking a multivitamin that included B-12.

Someone on the Vegan Fitness and Nutrition team on SparkPeople mentioned that there are different forms of B-12. Cyanocobalamin is an artificial form made with cyanide. It is commonly used in supplements. That was the form used in my multivitamin tablets. Another form, methylcobalamin, is natural. It is more readily absorbed. It is the specific form needed for nervous system health, according to an article by Dr. Peter D’Adamo.

Jarrow Formulas Methyl B-12
Jarrow Formulas Methyl B-12

I bought a bottle of Jarrow Formulas Methyl B-12 1000. I felt better very quickly. I also noticed that I was having fewer problems with my eyes. I had noticed over the past couple previous months that my eyes were not adjusting quickly after reading. The speed of accommodation was much improved after starting to take the Methyl B-12. Since I saw such good improvement, I decided that perhaps I should change my multivitamin as well. I discovered that multivitamins produced by NSI are formulated with methylcobalamin. When I run out of my current multivitamin, I will be switching to NSI Synergy Basic Multi-Vitamin Version 3.

[Edit: This post was recovered from my old Exploring Veganism blog.]

Roxann Higuera
March 23, 2011
Veganism
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Conflicting advice

I’m currently reading The Schwarzbein Principle: The Truth About Losing Weight, Being Healthy, and Feeling Younger by Diana Schwarzbein, M.D. It seems everybody has a different idea of what constitutes a good diet. In her book, she says that fats and cholesterol are important. She also likes to use hormone replacement therapy to keep estrogen levels up. She told stories about how clients on vegetarian diets had high blood cholesterol levels, and they were helped by adding eggs and meat to their diet. And yet, we’ve got The China Study, a massive epidemiological study, and other studies as well telling us that a plant based diet is superior for health. It’s difficult to know how to reconcile the information. To her credit, Dr. Schwarzbein does have a chapter on The Committed Vegetarian in her book in which she says the following:

Again, I never discourage anyone from eating a vegetarian diet. I discourage eating a bad vegetarian diet of cereals, pasta, breads, and sweets. A good vegetarian diet emphasizes tofu, seeds, legumes, nuts and whole grains, such as barley and quinoa, to get all the protein you need. A good vegetarian diet also provides essential fats from avocados, olives, and oils. You must mix and balance foods to get the needed nutritional balance at every meal. It is more work to eat a good vegetarian diet than it is to eat a meat-based diet, but it can be done.

My guess is that it’s only more work until one establishes the habits of a balanced diet. Then it becomes second nature. Right now, it’s still work for me to figure out how to do this right.

[Edit: This post was recovered from my old Exploring Veganism blog. Veganism ultimately proved to be an inappropriate approach for me.]

Roxann Higuera
August 16, 2010
Veganism
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