The idea that protein and fat are “too expensive” to feed the world is a bit of a myth plus some miscalculation, addressed by ex-vegetarian Lierre Kieth in her book _The Vegetarian Myth_. For example, the math for the amount of land and water it takes to raise cows assumes that you’re feeding grain to the cows. Raising cattle on grass instead means they graze on marginal land unsuited to farming, making use of more land overall.

Maybe we can feed 6B, maybe not, but the “conventional wisdom” starts with some bad assumptions.

Dr Mike Eades recommended Lierre’s book here:
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/lipid-hypothesis/the-vegetarian-myth/

We all did evolve on Starches, from the Tubers. So yes our body will not develop any bad effects solely from simple starch. Yes grains have many other things in addition to starch that cause problems. White Rice and potatoes are not bad though, as long as you don’t have insulin resistance or leptin resistance.

Both Insulin resistance and leptin resistance are caused by Fructose. The high Omega 6 in our diet is the main culprit that causes damage to the Liver and arteries. Giving up these two will allow a person to become healthy. Even fat loss will come but slowly. Fat loss can be enhanced by keeping insulin low for a long time. Low carb diets keep the insulin low forever, so are very conducive to losing fat.

My personal theory is that humans cannot handle a large amount of protein. I would think that anything above 100gms of protein per day on an average human is too much. The excess will get converted to glucose, at some cost to the body. The fuel for the body must come from fat or starch. Fat is the preferred source, but starch is acceptable. Complex carbs keep the insulin high for a longer time and are not entirely acceptable.

Potatoes and Rice are not nutrient source, they are just fuel sources. Nutrients must come from animal sources. Plants are poor sources of nutrients for humans.

Interesting article about the tubers. What would be interesting to know is if humans with access to tubers ate them preferentially or considered them a food of last resort. Dr. Al Sears told me the hunter-gatherer tribes he’s observed eat plant foods when the hunting is poor.

Too much protein with too little fat is definitely a bad idea. It can lead to “rabbit starvation.”

If all carbs are bad for us then this would represent a massive change in the way their bodies’ process food. These people eat high carb diets (even by today’s standards) with no signs of insulin sensitivity, overweight or heart attack. This would not be the case if all carbs are bad for us.

The Japanese are also an example of this.

One thing that these two cultures have in common is a very low intake of sugar and bad fats (omega 6) – both horrible for the human body as you discussed in your documentary. I believe that these two things lead to insulin resistance and not a high intake of easily digestible carbohydrate.

I think you’d find that if you put these two cultures on a diet of flour and sugar – even if you kept there carb levels static – they would soon gain weight and show other signs of metabolic syndrome.

- Jonathan

Ps. I just finished your documentary and enjoyed it immensely – I’m glad that there are people out there trying to educate the public against the dogma.

I don’t think all carbs are created equal, either. The more refined, the worse they are. Sugar, HFCS and white flour will definitely lead to insulin resistance more rapidly.

Glad you enjoyed the film.

I believe that if your body hasn’t become insulin resistant then any starch you eat will simply be processed by your body to no ill effect. This is seen in the Kitavans who get 69% of their calories from high-glycemic index carbohydrates (mostly starchy root vegetables).
source:http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/11/fructose-index-is-new-glycemic-index.html

However if you are insulin resistant (if your overweight) then any amount of sugar/starch will increase blood sugar leading to increased insulin and increased fat storage.

- Jonathan

There are populations who have adapted to the local starches over the millennia. Even in America, about a quarter of the population is apparently (for lack of a better term) resistant to becoming insulin resistant. Those people are like my son, who can live on junk food and soda and never gain a pound. He didn’t inherit this trait from me, of course; his mother (not my wife) used to drink a dozen or more beers every day and never gained a pound either. But no one would point to her as proof that beer doesn’t make people fat.

I agree that too much fructose is bad news for the liver. I suspect that high fructose corn syrup, with its slightly higher proportion of fructose (55% versus 50% in table sugar) may have tipped the balance towards more obesity and more liver disease.

Good luck with the diet.

If the third world ate a high-protein/high-fat diet, we would not be able to support the world’s population’s food supply. Since carbs are cheap, governments need to promote high carb diets as the only way to affordably feed the world.

Interesting, but since I can afford to eat better, I definitely will be.

MKS

I think he may have a point. Grains are what allowed the world population to grow to 6 billion. If I lived in an impoverished country, I’d rather eat wheat or rice than starve.

http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/China-Study.html

Good stuff. Thanks for the link.

Haven’t heard of it, but I’ll see what I can find. Now you’ve got me curious about it…

No, it’s YouTube, embedded. I’m using FireFox, and it’s there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wqZPwNypZc

I dont know if you have seen this before but it annoyed the hell out of me!

Oh my god, that’s horrible! And people I think I was paid by McDonald’s … this video is a commercial for Kellogg’s.