Here are more “this is what we’re up against” items from the news sent to me by readers:
The Diabetic Diet
By the diabetic diet, I of course mean a diet that will help you become a diabetic … even though that’s not quite what the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse had in mind when designing it.
In case you somehow overlooked it among the many other federal health agencies, the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NCD) is a division of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), which is a division of National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Ya know, I think what would really improve the nation’s health (NH) would be to add a few more layers (FML) to the federal government’s health bureaucracy (FGHB). After all, they’ve done such a bang-up job (BUJ) reversing obesity and diabetes over the years.
Anyway, here’s how NCD (a division of NIDDK) is telling people to eat to manage their diabetes:
Healthful eating helps keep your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, in your target range. Physical activity and, if needed, diabetes medicines also help. The diabetes target range is the blood glucose level suggested by diabetes experts for good health. You can help prevent health problems by keeping your blood glucose levels on target.
So far, so good. But what exactly is the target glucose level suggested by experts?
Target Blood Glucose Levels for People with Diabetes
Before meals: 70 to 130
1 to 2 hours after a meal: less than 180
Well, there you have it, folks: Diabetics should aim for post-meal glucose levels that are well into the “diabetic” range. I guess that “if needed, diabetes medicines also help” statement is more like a prediction than a suggestion. Of course, you pretty much have to set high blood sugar targets when your recommended diet looks like this:
Choose this many servings from these food groups to have 2,000 to 2,400 calories a day:
- 10 starches
- 4 vegetables
- 5 to 7 ounces meat and meat substitutes
- 2 milks
- 4 fruits
- up to 5 fats
Ten starches and four fruits. Good luck keeping your blood sugar below 180 if you’re already battling diabetes or pre-diabetes. For the diabetics who are more visually oriented, the NCD (a division of NIDDK) provided this helpful graphic as well:
Well, I can see why they grouped fats and sweets in the same category. They have nearly opposite effects on your blood sugar, but the important thing is that they both have an S and a T in their names. Put a couple more letters in between those, and you can spell out what I think of the advice handed out by NCD (a division of NIDDK).
Heart UK’s Ultimate Diet Plan
Britain’s equivalent (I guess) of the American Heart Association refers to itself in press releases as Heart UK – UK’s leading cholesterol charity. I was of course pleased to see that description. There are millions of people around the world who can’t afford foods high in cholesterol, and I’m all in favor helping them out. I’ll happily donate 100 dozen eggs.
Unfortunately, it turns out the cholesterol charity is anti-cholesterol, and they’re promoting a diet to lower cholesterol levels. Here’s their plan to “revolutionize heart health in the UK”:
Step 1 – Motivational behaviour strategies to drive dietary success and reverse negative consumption patterns.
Here’s the behavior strategy you need to adopt: go to the pantry and throw out everything that includes sugar or white flour. Then walk to the fridge and find some meat and eggs. Cook the eggs and meat and eat them. Then you’ll feel motivated.
Step 2 – Reducing saturated fat without compromising on treats and taste. Swapping a chocolate éclair for a hot cross bun is not life changing but the 93% saturated fat drop makes the life-saving recommendation to drop our saturated fat intake so much more achievable.
So a chocolate éclair is the key to avoiding heart disease, is it? Next you’ll be telling me to eat soy.
Steps 3, 4, 5, 6 – A pick ‘n’ mix of four cholesterol-busting foods!
- Soya foods e.g. soya milk and yogurt alternatives
- Products with plant sterols/stanols e.g. Alpro soya plus milk alternative, cholesterol lowering spreads, cholesterol-lowering yogurts.
- Nuts
- Soluble fibre from oats, other whole grain foods and beans and pulses.
They should’ve listed “nuts” last -– as a polite commentary on everything above it. Still, one out of four ain’t a bad hit-to-miss ratio for the typical do-gooder health charity. (I’m assuming the nuts weren’t roasted in some horrible vegetable oil.) As for the soy, absolutely, go for it … because what the world needs now is more men with boobs –- they’ll be more understanding when their daughters start puberty.
I must say, though, I can’t help but wonder why Heart UK – the cholesterol charity is so high on soy milk.
The UCLP Ultimate Teaching Tool is available to all health professionals free of charge. The UCLP has been funded by an educational grant from Alpro soya UK.
Boy, it’s really generous of Alpro soya UK to provide health professions with free literature recommending Alpro soya UK products to their patients. But if they were really smart, they’d team up with whichever company finally manufactures the manssiere.
Over the Counter Lipitor?
Surprise, surprise … now that the patent on Lipitor is due to expire, Pfizer is hoping to sell the stuff over the counter.
Selling a version of the drug to consumers without a prescription would allow Pfizer to retain some of the $11 billion in annual revenue that Lipitor has been generating.
However, a nonprescription version would not be available immediately after the patent on Lipitor expires because Pfizer would first have to convince the Food and Drug Administration that consumers could take the drug without a doctor’s supervision.
That’s a bit like worrying that heroin addicts may shoot up without a drug-dealer’s supervision.
An over-the-counter version of Lipitor would no doubt be welcomed by insurers because it would cost less.
I can see the advantage there. Ruining your muscles and your memory shouldn’t be expensive. You’ll need to save as much money as possible to pay for the walkers and the Alzheimer’s care.
In the past, the F.D.A. advisers have been concerned that over-the counter versions of statins could not be used safely, that some patients who did not need the drugs would take them.
I’d be worried about that too. It’s much better to have doctors prescribe cholesterol-lowering drugs to people who don’t need them.
Since high cholesterol is a symptomless condition, consumers would not know whether the drug was working without having their cholesterol checked periodically.
Don’t be silly … of course consumers will know if the Lipitor is working. They’ll wake up in the morning and say, “Holy crap, my muscles and joints are killing me! It must be the … the … Honey, what’s the name of that stuff I’ve been taking?”
MSN – the More S@#$ Network
MSN Health is, in my opinion, one of the worst offenders when it comes to handing out lousy dietary advice. Here are a couple of gems from a recent online article titled Get a Grip! 9 easy ways to help lower your cholesterol right now:
5. Double cholesterol whammy. Dietary cholesterol can elevate your blood cholesterol levels, but saturated fat has an even worse effect. However, the two are often found in the same foods, including meat, butter and full-fat dairy. So by limiting your intake of foods rich in saturated fat, you’ll also help reduce your intake of cholesterol.
Even Ancel Keys, the Grand Poopah of Lipophobes, admitted that dietary cholesterol has no effect on the cholesterol level if your blood. As for saturated fat, yes, it will raise your cholesterol … specifically, your HDL and your large, fluffy LDL. Those are both beneficial.
9. Check for tropical oils. Lots of products are now “trans-fat free” but in some cases, these fats are being replaced with saturated fats, such as palm and coconut oils. You may have heard that palm and coconut oils do not negatively affect cholesterol levels, but the research isn’t conclusive and palm kernel oil contains 80 percent saturated fat. Instead, look for products that use polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, which help lower LDL cholesterol.
Hey, now there’s a technique all the bad scientists can applaud: if a study doesn’t show what you want it to show, simply label the results as “inconclusive.” I’ve got news for you: if palm kernel oil and coconut oil did raise cholesterol, the results of those studies would be conclusive.
The Coconut Oil Supermodel
At least someone who spends a lot of time in her underwear knows not to fear coconut oil.
When a Victoria’s Secret runway model confesses her beauty secret, women will undoubtedly listen. Coconut oil is the new buzz in the beauty world, and now it’s been revealed that supermodel Miranda Kerr swears by it. She says that her shiny hair, perfect skin, and svelte body are the results of healthy living and daily use of this good oil.
Miranda Kerr, who famously bounced back to her pre-baby body just weeks after giving birth to her first child with actor Orlando Bloom, confesses in Daily Mail that her beauty secret is coconut oil. The supermodel says she dilutes the oil either in green tea or drizzles it over salads to keep her glowing. “I’ve been drinking it since I was 14 and it’s the one thing I can’t live without,” she tells Daily Mail.
For everyday beauty, coconut oil can be used as an all-over moisturizer, hair conditioner, and as a gentle eye make-up remover.
We’ll just pause here for a moment so the men in the audience can enjoy the idea of a Victoria’s Secret model using coconut oil as an all-over moisturizer.
…
Okay, guys, that’s enough. Naturally, the anti-saturated-fat hysterics had to reply to Ms. Kerr’s beauty advice:
US experts yesterday warned against consuming large amounts of coconut oil after Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr said the high-fat oil was the key to her clear skin, shiny hair and trim figure.
The World Health Organization has also warned the oil could contribute to an increased risk of coronary heart disease if taken to excess.
Keith Ayoob, director of the nutrition clinic at the Children’s Evaluation and Rehabilitation Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, said the oil will not give you the body of a supermodel.
It won’t? Rats! I’ve been sitting here spreading coconut oil all over myself hoping to look good in a bikini next summer.
“I can’t say I’d want people consuming lots of coconut oil. You should use it sparingly,” Ayoob said. “You want to cut back on saturated fats in your diet. I don’t know what benefit it would have for weight management because it has just as many calories as any other fat.”
Well, allow me to explain to you, Ayoob the Boob: the type of fat in coconut oil –- medium-chain triglycerides — is actually difficult to store in your adipose tissue, so you tend to burn it off instead. It’s also good for your mood and helps curb your appetite.
Kerr’s dose of four tablespoons a day adds up to about 460 calories, which Ayoob said was too much saturated fat for most people. “She’s getting two and a half times the amount of saturated fat I would recommend for a person consuming 2,000 calories per day,” he said.
Ah, well, if you don’t recommend saturated fat, that proves it’s bad for us. Sorry I didn’t recognize the logic in that sooner. I must’ve been distracted by the Ayoobs.
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@Alexandra- I drink that with breakfast, this morning alongside an egg and small sausage patty, which is typical. I ate my next meal almost 10 hours later.
@Dragonmamma/Naomi
OMG I love those! I make them with butter when I don’t have coconut oil and call them “chocolate buttercreams”. My little sister loves them.
JB, that was more pity than anything else. thought you were using your cheat day on sad, barely reheated airplane food. frankly that makes IF sound pretty good , LOL.
Just don’t bother if you have a layover the airport in San Jose California, it’s pretty bad. Portland, Oregon is great through.
Hey what’s so bad about frozen yogurt? Oh, they mean the conventional stuff. Greek yogurt + Da vinci+ whatever else looks good at the time (instant cofee, coconut cream, coconut, those berries that are starting to look a little shriveled) is great frozen , and it’s really filling.
Brooke, check out “Dr Oz and Apple juice” he finally stepped in something even the conventional wisdom experts called him on!
@Alexandra- I drink that with breakfast, this morning alongside an egg and small sausage patty, which is typical. I ate my next meal almost 10 hours later.
JB, that was more pity than anything else. thought you were using your cheat day on sad, barely reheated airplane food. frankly that makes IF sound pretty good , LOL.
Just don’t bother if you have a layover the airport in San Jose California, it’s pretty bad. Portland, Oregon is great through.
Hey what’s so bad about frozen yogurt? Oh, they mean the conventional stuff. Greek yogurt + Da vinci+ whatever else looks good at the time (instant cofee, coconut cream, coconut, those berries that are starting to look a little shriveled) is great frozen , and it’s really filling.
Brooke, check out “Dr Oz and Apple juice” he finally stepped in something even the conventional wisdom experts called him on!
Read the bottom letter, written by a doctor.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/opinion/letters/voice-of-the-people-sept/article_1c9e6cb6-8b77-5fe1-9fc2-f0727c743e10.html
Good grief … they just want us to require a doctor’s permission for everything.
Great article Tom! Entertaining and informative.
P.S. typo in the last sentence, “regonize”.
Fixed, thank you.
After working in many of these programs across NYC that promote a more vegan-based diet, and seeing no results whatsoever in preventing diabetes (if anything, it’s getting worse), I’m convinced that these programs are all heading in the wrong direction. I wrote about it yesterday here: bit.ly/pgv9dL You may want to add some of these to your list. Cheers.
Starch-based diets aren’t what diabetics need.
“Brooke, check out “Dr Oz and Apple juice” he finally stepped in something even the conventional wisdom experts called him on!”
Andrea, yes I heard about this, saw a snipet of a somewhat awkward interview with him the other day. But the real harm in children drinking so much apple juice stems from all the SUGAR that it’s laden with! Fructose, sucrose, every “ose” I believe is in there.THAT’S what’s going to kill our children, not traces of this “toxin” that Oz speaks of.. Just maddening!
Read the bottom letter, written by a doctor.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/opinion/letters/voice-of-the-people-sept/article_1c9e6cb6-8b77-5fe1-9fc2-f0727c743e10.html
Good grief … they just want us to require a doctor’s permission for everything.
Great article Tom! Entertaining and informative.
P.S. typo in the last sentence, “regonize”.
Fixed, thank you.
@Lila: There’s NO life & health saving magic in vegetables. Anti-nutrients in vegetables guarantee sickness & death for vegans/vegetarians and anyone relying on them too much. http://goo.gl/bDuIc
Miranda Kerr is awesome. This is all I have to say.
@Lila: In answer to your caveman question it should be noted that the cavemen that lived outside of the 20 degrees north & south latitudes where coconuts don’t grow made up for their lack of coconuts by eating EVERY BIT of the animals they killed for food, including the fats & fatty organs. This is a fact that most people forget, can’t relate to or overlook because our modern lifestyle has taken us far away from our connection with animals as a food source and the caveman lifestyle. Believe me, for all the effort required to hunt and kill an animal, if you’re a caveman you take ALL of the animal you can, especially the nutritionally dense fatty organs, and not just the lean steaks that look so pretty under the clear plastic wrap on the foam tray at the grocery store.
Don’t know if you know this or not, but all animals have a built in coconut called a skull, the inside of which is full of highly nutritious fatty proteins. You could even say animals are coconuts with legs, (or not). This fortuitous discovery allowed caveman societies to mobilize and travel far and wide in search of warmer climates & better secluded beach front property. It was also much handier than having an actual coconut tree that was rooted to the ground & that was too big & too heavy to carry anyway, and it even obviated the necessity of having to carry a supply of coconuts with them in their travels.
Since there was an abundance of animals back then all they had to do was catch any animal that happened to be around where ever they happened to be & crack the animal’s coconut open with a rock just as they had learned to do with real coconuts. That was also an easy task since prior to the development of asphalt & concrete paving to build the vast stretches of roads & parking lots needed to accommodate the hordes of travelling cavemen there were usually plenty of rocks laying around too.
But my how the times have changed, there is no longer an abundance of animals and rocks like there used to be, except for in zoos and all the already dead animals along the sides of highways. These days if you don’t have a license from the local or state government to kill an animal or to take rocks out of a riverbed to use in your landscaping you can get in heap big trouble, so most people have given up killing animals and are content to just buy their meat & rocks at the store. Sometimes the rocks are even on a tray and are covered with plastic wrap just like the meat.
But, sadly, most people these days, including many PhD’s and doctors, have no use for brains anymore or have forgotten where they come from & how to use them and give up on meat entirely and become vegan & vegetarian nutritionists and write many articles & run around telling people to not eat good animal meat & saturated fats and to eat 9 servings of blood thickening & protein glycating grains and carbohydrates instead, and that’s why the world is the way it is.
“Brooke, check out “Dr Oz and Apple juice” he finally stepped in something even the conventional wisdom experts called him on!”
Andrea, yes I heard about this, saw a snipet of a somewhat awkward interview with him the other day. But the real harm in children drinking so much apple juice stems from all the SUGAR that it’s laden with! Fructose, sucrose, every “ose” I believe is in there.THAT’S what’s going to kill our children, not traces of this “toxin” that Oz speaks of.. Just maddening!
@Lila: There’s NO life & health saving magic in vegetables. Anti-nutrients in vegetables guarantee sickness & death for vegans/vegetarians and anyone relying on them too much. http://goo.gl/bDuIc
Miranda Kerr is awesome. This is all I have to say.
@Lila: In answer to your caveman question it should be noted that the cavemen that lived outside of the 20 degrees north & south latitudes where coconuts don’t grow made up for their lack of coconuts by eating EVERY BIT of the animals they killed for food, including the fats & fatty organs. This is a fact that most people forget, can’t relate to or overlook because our modern lifestyle has taken us far away from our connection with animals as a food source and the caveman lifestyle. Believe me, for all the effort required to hunt and kill an animal, if you’re a caveman you take ALL of the animal you can, especially the nutritionally dense fatty organs, and not just the lean steaks that look so pretty under the clear plastic wrap on the foam tray at the grocery store.
Don’t know if you know this or not, but all animals have a built in coconut called a skull, the inside of which is full of highly nutritious fatty proteins. You could even say animals are coconuts with legs, (or not). This fortuitous discovery allowed caveman societies to mobilize and travel far and wide in search of warmer climates & better secluded beach front property. It was also much handier than having an actual coconut tree that was rooted to the ground & that was too big & too heavy to carry anyway, and it even obviated the necessity of having to carry a supply of coconuts with them in their travels.
Since there was an abundance of animals back then all they had to do was catch any animal that happened to be around where ever they happened to be & crack the animal’s coconut open with a rock just as they had learned to do with real coconuts. That was also an easy task since prior to the development of asphalt & concrete paving to build the vast stretches of roads & parking lots needed to accommodate the hordes of travelling cavemen there were usually plenty of rocks laying around too.
But my how the times have changed, there is no longer an abundance of animals and rocks like there used to be, except for in zoos and all the already dead animals along the sides of highways. These days if you don’t have a license from the local or state government to kill an animal or to take rocks out of a riverbed to use in your landscaping you can get in heap big trouble, so most people have given up killing animals and are content to just buy their meat & rocks at the store. Sometimes the rocks are even on a tray and are covered with plastic wrap just like the meat.
But, sadly, most people these days, including many PhD’s and doctors, have no use for brains anymore or have forgotten where they come from & how to use them and give up on meat entirely and become vegan & vegetarian nutritionists and write many articles & run around telling people to not eat good animal meat & saturated fats and to eat 9 servings of blood thickening & protein glycating grains and carbohydrates instead, and that’s why the world is the way it is.
@cancerclasses
Times have changed, but it’s still possible to get those organs. Whenever my dad cooks a whole chicken I always eat the heart, and I’ve developed a taste for bone marrow. I’ve also heard you can buy canned brains, and liver is a mainstream food even if it has a bad rep. My vegetarian friend says it sounds disgusting, but hey, we r who we r 🙂
@cancerclasses
Times have changed, but it’s still possible to get those organs. Whenever my dad cooks a whole chicken I always eat the heart, and I’ve developed a taste for bone marrow. I’ve also heard you can buy canned brains, and liver is a mainstream food even if it has a bad rep. My vegetarian friend says it sounds disgusting, but hey, we r who we r 🙂
Let’s get this straight. As much as I dislike the woman who married my future husband (Orlando Bloom), I have to admit, homegirl has a smoking body. And she famously lost her baby weight ridiculously quickly. AND she eats high amounts of saturated fat. Let’s review what we know:
1. Eating high amounts of saturated fat makes you fat.
2. Having a baby also makes you fat.
Given the mental state of the health experts advising everyone in the country and the scientific validity of their advice, I’m going to go ahead and just take the next logical step: Girlfriend is clearly a witch. Let’s get the stake ready, (not steak, that’s loaded with animal fat) grab some rope and matches and a couple of marshmallows while we’re at it (they’re low fat!!) and have ourselves a witch hunt. I have a forehead sized dent in my desk right about now.
Also, can you please share your recipe for a pre-work out protein shake?
Thanks!
My wife also snapped back to her previous size ridiculously fast after both pregnancies and eats a lot of saturated fat, so I may be married to a witch myself.
I drink the shake after the workout: 2 scoops Body Fortress whey protein powder, some ice, some water (or cold coffee), a bit of cream or full-fat yogurt, a packet or two of Truvia if I’m going for a sweeter shake flavor. I like the strawberry protein powder (great with the yogurt), and I also like the vanilla. I sometimes turn the vanilla shake into a chocolate shake by adding some unsweetened cocoa powder.
Let’s get this straight. As much as I dislike the woman who married my future husband (Orlando Bloom), I have to admit, homegirl has a smoking body. And she famously lost her baby weight ridiculously quickly. AND she eats high amounts of saturated fat. Let’s review what we know:
1. Eating high amounts of saturated fat makes you fat.
2. Having a baby also makes you fat.
Given the mental state of the health experts advising everyone in the country and the scientific validity of their advice, I’m going to go ahead and just take the next logical step: Girlfriend is clearly a witch. Let’s get the stake ready, (not steak, that’s loaded with animal fat) grab some rope and matches and a couple of marshmallows while we’re at it (they’re low fat!!) and have ourselves a witch hunt. I have a forehead sized dent in my desk right about now.
Also, can you please share your recipe for a pre-work out protein shake?
Thanks!
My wife also snapped back to her previous size ridiculously fast after both pregnancies and eats a lot of saturated fat, so I may be married to a witch myself.
I drink the shake after the workout: 2 scoops Body Fortress whey protein powder, some ice, some water (or cold coffee), a bit of cream or full-fat yogurt, a packet or two of Truvia if I’m going for a sweeter shake flavor. I like the strawberry protein powder (great with the yogurt), and I also like the vanilla. I sometimes turn the vanilla shake into a chocolate shake by adding some unsweetened cocoa powder.
I have started adding 4 Tbs of coconut oil to my wife’s protein shakes after seeing the absolutely spectacular results of Miranda Kerr. 🙂
Is she aware of this? Because she might find herself staring at a supermodel in the mirror one morning and start screaming.
Here is my morning protein shake recipe:
1 1/4 c water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 oz from strawberries
1 oz frozen blueberries
1 oz frozen raspberries
1 oz frozen blackberries
4 Tbs virgin coconut oil (seriously, even before I knew about Ms. Kerr)
1 scoop low carb protein powder (chocolate or vanilla). I use EAS or STS Whey Kwik Protein.
Blend together and enjoy!!! 9 net carbs and loads of anti-oxidants
I have started adding 4 Tbs of coconut oil to my wife’s protein shakes after seeing the absolutely spectacular results of Miranda Kerr. 🙂
Is she aware of this? Because she might find herself staring at a supermodel in the mirror one morning and start screaming.
Hey, Tom. Here’s the latest BS MSN is putting out there.
http://health.msn.com/healthy-living/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100280343>1=31036
At least they’re recognizing obese people aren’t just eating too much out of gluttony.
Here is my morning protein shake recipe:
1 1/4 c water
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 oz from strawberries
1 oz frozen blueberries
1 oz frozen raspberries
1 oz frozen blackberries
4 Tbs virgin coconut oil (seriously, even before I knew about Ms. Kerr)
1 scoop low carb protein powder (chocolate or vanilla). I use EAS or STS Whey Kwik Protein.
Blend together and enjoy!!! 9 net carbs and loads of anti-oxidants
Hey, Tom. Here’s the latest BS MSN is putting out there.
http://health.msn.com/healthy-living/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100280343>1=31036
At least they’re recognizing obese people aren’t just eating too much out of gluttony.
Did anyone see it? Bill Clinton on Rachel Ray this morning? Promoting his primarily vegetarian lifestyle, due to his need to reduce his cholesterol levels. Says he won’t even eat FISH because it contains some cholesterol, and when asked by Rachel what food he truly misses, he says, “EGGS!” ARRRGH!!!!!!!
I knew there was a good reason I never voted for him.
Did anyone see it? Bill Clinton on Rachel Ray this morning? Promoting his primarily vegetarian lifestyle, due to his need to reduce his cholesterol levels. Says he won’t even eat FISH because it contains some cholesterol, and when asked by Rachel what food he truly misses, he says, “EGGS!” ARRRGH!!!!!!!
I knew there was a good reason I never voted for him.
I loved your trick of mixing liquid sweetener, cocoa powder and coconut oil and letting it set up in the fridge. It was delicious!
I don’t have it often, but it’s a good treat.
Here’s another frustrating article that _almost_ gets it, but fails miserably:
http://health.yahoo.net/caring/5-foods-that-can-trigger-a-stroke
The article correctly points out the transfat hazards correctly enough, yet fails to point out that grains and carbohydrates themselves are just as likely to cause similar damage.
There is a diet soda study that is cited that has an interesting implication about it’s connection to stroke, but without more information, I’m really suspicious of this one, as it sounds like yet another observational study like the first.
It then goes on to cite a Swedish study that claims a 48% increase in stroke for red meat consumers, and touts that saturated fat is to blame. Given what we know about how other similar studies lump all red meats together, particularly smoked and processed meats, is that any surprise to anyone, assuming someone hasn’t gimmicked the numbers to look worse than they are? I’d really like to see the original study, but no link is provided in the article this or any other study. Betcha 10 to 1 it’s an observational study that doesn’t account for variables.
What I do see here is this: hydrogenated vegetable oils are horribly bad for us (thanks a freakin’ lot CSPI!), smoked and especially processed meats are also bad. Already knew that one.
Same old nonsense. The 48% rise in strokes is a 48% rise in risk factors. Big difference, as I explained in Science For Smart People.
I loved your trick of mixing liquid sweetener, cocoa powder and coconut oil and letting it set up in the fridge. It was delicious!
I don’t have it often, but it’s a good treat.
Tom…I love your sense of humor! If we don’t laugh, we’d just cry in frustration about the situation. Keep up the excellent work you do…informing, encouraging and entertaining.
Thank you.
Here’s another frustrating article that _almost_ gets it, but fails miserably:
http://health.yahoo.net/caring/5-foods-that-can-trigger-a-stroke
The article correctly points out the transfat hazards correctly enough, yet fails to point out that grains and carbohydrates themselves are just as likely to cause similar damage.
There is a diet soda study that is cited that has an interesting implication about it’s connection to stroke, but without more information, I’m really suspicious of this one, as it sounds like yet another observational study like the first.
It then goes on to cite a Swedish study that claims a 48% increase in stroke for red meat consumers, and touts that saturated fat is to blame. Given what we know about how other similar studies lump all red meats together, particularly smoked and processed meats, is that any surprise to anyone, assuming someone hasn’t gimmicked the numbers to look worse than they are? I’d really like to see the original study, but no link is provided in the article this or any other study. Betcha 10 to 1 it’s an observational study that doesn’t account for variables.
What I do see here is this: hydrogenated vegetable oils are horribly bad for us (thanks a freakin’ lot CSPI!), smoked and especially processed meats are also bad. Already knew that one.
Same old nonsense. The 48% rise in strokes is a 48% rise in risk factors. Big difference, as I explained in Science For Smart People.
Tom…I love your sense of humor! If we don’t laugh, we’d just cry in frustration about the situation. Keep up the excellent work you do…informing, encouraging and entertaining.
Thank you.
I see a lot of comments about avoiding soy and other legumes. I completely agree! Also beware of shampoos, moisturizers, and soaps as well because they may contain soybean oil (one should also avoid tea tree oil) which is easily absorbed through the skin! There are lots of good guides for making lard and coconut oil based lotions and soaps out there on the net or a person can always purchase something more natural such as doctor bronner’s soaps.
I see a lot of comments about avoiding soy and other legumes. I completely agree! Also beware of shampoos, moisturizers, and soaps as well because they may contain soybean oil (one should also avoid tea tree oil) which is easily absorbed through the skin! There are lots of good guides for making lard and coconut oil based lotions and soaps out there on the net or a person can always purchase something more natural such as doctor bronner’s soaps.
Talking about what we’re up against, have you seen this article:
http://www.foodrenegade.com/your-choice-of-food-fundamental-right/
My son posted it today on Facebook with the comment:
Why am I a libertarian? Because people like this exist, and sometimes they become judges or politicians.
Pretty scary stuff.
Yup, I saw that story. I’ll probably comment on it after I peel my head away from my desk.
Talking about what we’re up against, have you seen this article:
http://www.foodrenegade.com/your-choice-of-food-fundamental-right/
My son posted it today on Facebook with the comment:
Why am I a libertarian? Because people like this exist, and sometimes they become judges or politicians.
Pretty scary stuff.
Yup, I saw that story. I’ll probably comment on it after I peel my head away from my desk.
I just lost my father to Diabetes recently. If he were only to have a healthier diet, he would still be around. People need to really lookout for themselves who have this disease. Low carb and high protein is the way to go!
I just lost my father to Diabetes recently. If he were only to have a healthier diet, he would still be around. People need to really lookout for themselves who have this disease. Low carb and high protein is the way to go!
Buongiorno from Florence, Italy.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine? How sad that something named after one of the foremost scientific minds ever now means “Freakin’ Liars College of Medicine.”
Salute!
Einstein is rolling over in his parallel universe.
After working in many of these programs across NYC that promote a more vegan-based diet, and seeing no results whatsoever in preventing diabetes (if anything, it’s getting worse), I’m convinced that these programs are all heading in the wrong direction. I wrote about it yesterday here: bit.ly/pgv9dL You may want to add some of these to your list. Cheers.
Starch-based diets aren’t what diabetics need.