Young Writer Buys Into The Lies About Low-Carb Hook, Line And Sinker

The Fredericksburg, Virginia-based Free-Lance Star published this op-ed piece today from someone with a lot of opinions about youth and dieting in America today. Not surprisingly, her description of livin' la vida low-carb is just a wee bit off base.

Talking about the eating habits and perceptions of how teenagers should look these days, the author of this column said there is an "obsession with weight loss" everywhere you look these days with diet programs and exercise equipment blaring across our televisions.

Now don't get me wrong. Being healthy and fit is wonderful. But it has gone too far.

Well, the packaged version of "healthy and fit" has gone too far. The little things that people can and should do have not gone far enough. Education, education, education.

Then the writer of this story starts to lay into what is perceived to be the worst diet on the planet. Can you guess what it is?

"With the Atkins Diet, people were eating tons of meat and very little else. How is that healthy? Didn't anyone inform Dr. Atkins that red meat causes heart problems? And that it is possible to ingest too much protein?

I feel like I'm repeating myself, I feel like I'm repeating myself. Well, probably because I AM. I have address the meat-only and healthiness issue here and the impact of eating more protein as part of the low-carb lifestyle on your heart health here and here. This person has no idea what they are talking about in regardings to livin' la vida low-carb.

But the article does say that the Hollywood image of beautiful by being as thin as you can possibly be at any cost is way overrated and I could not agree more.

"Television and movie stars do nothing but make the problem worse. Stars like Lindsay Lohan set the example that it's OK to be a walking skeleton, and nothing is done."

What is the recipe for staying "fit and healthy" according to this columnist?

"Exercise three to four times a week and eat three well-balanced meals."

Not necessarily. While we should exercise a MINIMUM of 3 times a week, some people can get away with a little less and others will need a whole lot more. There is no set standard for everyone because we are not all the same.

As for the "well-balanced meals," what the heck does that mean? My low-carb foods are much more "balanced" than the ones I used to eat when I weighed 410 pounds. Some may say it's just not healthy eating a low-carb diet. My only response to them is to show them a picture of what I used to look like before I started eating this unhealthy way. Most people change their minds.

"You don't have to starve yourself, eat nothing but red meat, regurgitate your meals or take diet pills. All you have to do is pay attention to what you eat and walk around the neighborhood a few times a week. Next time you're thinking about losing weight, don't worry about what pills are available, how many carbs you're eating or how many ribs you can see when you inhale. Just eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in a healthy dose and go running or walking. It's the safest, easiest way to stay healthy and fit. And that's important, because no one should want to look like a famine victim."

I would suspect the author of this article is a young girl in her late teens/early 20's who is trying to help her peers deal with this issue. I applaud her for that. But it would lend greater credibility to her arguments if she would just do a little bit of research about what she writes about in regards to the Atkins diet and low-carb eating. She's bought into the hype the media has thrown at her and that's such a shame.

A message to the author of this story: Hey, how about coming by the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog the next time you need information about the low-carb lifestyle. I'd be happy to share with you THE TRUTH about low-carb rather than the lies the media continues to spread on a daily basis!

Otherwise, you'll continue to buy into the lies about low-carb hook, line and sinker!