A Collection Of Low-Carb News To Kick Off 2008

It's the dawn of a new year, but low-carb hasn't slowed a bit!

Waving goodbye to the end of another year simply means it's time to say hello to a new beginning as the calendar year turns over yet again. While 2007 was indeed a year to remember, I'm so looking forward to 2008 and all that awaits people who are contemplating, in the midst of, or head over heels about the amazingly healthy low-carb lifestyle.

Good things are happening all the time and it is always a pleasure to share with you the very latest in the wonderful world of livin' la vida low-carb. My commitment to you is to keep doing this in the new year so you'll always stay ahead of the game. In fact, I'm happy to share with you a collection of positive low-carb news right now to help kick off your 2008 the right way. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

BREAST CANCER MADE WORSE BY HIGH INSULIN LEVELS

I've shared with you many times over the past few years how researchers are beginning to see an unmistakable connection between the prevalence and growth of cancer tied to the existence of high levels of insulin in the body. Most notably was this Time magazine article on German researchers using a high-fat, low-carb diet to combat cancer in the most dire of patients with astounding results.

Now researchers out of Yale University have found that women with high levels of insulin in their body are likely to develop breast cancer. Although the lead researcher Dr. Melinda Irwin recommends "exercise and eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in fat," what they need more than anything is a sugar-free, low-carb diet rich in healthy amounts of fat, including saturated fat, to combat and prevent this disease.

The problem I have always had with generalized recommendations from people like Dr. Irwin who say we should "eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables with a low-fat diet" is that it is not backed up by the latest published research and in my opinion is simply a copout for providing guidance about which foods are better. Not all vegetables are good for you (potatoes and other starchy ones especially) and neither are all fruits (bananas alone have 29g carbohydrate in them!).

It's nice to see the research is finally showing the detrimental role that insulin is doing to our health brought on by a high-carb diet, but it's high time we start matching up our dietary recommendations to adequately take on these health challenges properly. Share your comments and concerns with Dr. Melinda Irwin about her study by e-mailing her at melinda.irwin@yale.edu.

IS THERE REALLY ANOTHER NEW ATKINS DIET BOOK?

You may have already heard about this new book, but in case you haven't it is not a misprint. There's a brand new Atkins diet book called The All-New Atkins Advantage: The 12-Week Low-Carb Program to Lose Weight, Achieve Peak Fitness and Health, and Maximize Your Willpower to Reach Life Goals that released on December 26, 2007 and is being marketed as an updated version of the low-carb diet made popular by the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins.


This Atkins book co-written by Dr. Stuart Trager and Collette Heimowitz

I've been reading through this "new" Atkins diet book and the overriding message that I am seeing is that there are different levels of carbohydrate tolerance for each individual and this book will help guide you regardless of the amount of carbs your body will permit you to eat. There are menus for varying levels of carbohydrate intake from 20g a day to 80g a day, so you never have to guess about what to eat.

Dr. Trager is a fitness expert who uses his experiences in Ironman competitions and implementing a low-carbohydrate nutritional approach to help others reach their weight loss goals. I've blogged about him previously in this blog post and he devotes a major portion of the book on specific exercises you can do to go along with your Atkins diet.

As for Collette Heimowitz, I've interviewed her at my blog before talking about the continuing role of Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. in the realm of diet, health, and nutrition. She has been a long-time supporter of livin' la vida low-carb sharing with others all the research and data supporting low-carb living.

I will likely be sharing a book review of The All-New Atkins Advantage as well as some possible giveaways real soon, so keep reading the blog for those updates! This looks to be a good book for anyone needing a little bit of extra hand-holding as you begin the low-carb lifestyle.

CAL-CARB CLICKER TO BE FEATURED ON QVC

A few weeks ago, my wife Christine and I shared with you some great low-carb gift ideas to share with people who are livin' la vida low-carb on special occasions like birthdays, Christmas, and other such events involving presents. One of those products I told you about was something called the Cal-Carb Clicker which allows you to keep track of your calories, carbohydrates, and water intake all in one device that's super-easy to use.

Well, this little gadget is gonna hit the big time on New Year's Eve as the clock strikes midnight to head into 2008 because it will be featured for the first time ever on the QVC television shopping network. If you are up late watching the ball drop in Times Square, then be sure to switch over to QVC to watch Sandy Martucci, one of the two sisters who invented this gizmo, talk about it sometime between midnight and 2 a.m. This thing is expected to blow the doors off of QVC and it's exciting that one of the things it measures is carbohydrate intake. AMAZING!!!

If the Cal-Carb Clicker does as well as QVC expects selling at around $12, then they will keep offering it as part of their regular programming. This is excellent news because more and more people are discovering the importance of carb control and this tool will help them keep better track of it. And that's a VERY good thing! :)

ARIZONA STATE RESEARCHERS RIP LOW-CARB DIETS

As much as all the evidence keeps pointing to low-carb as being one of the healthiest ways you could possibly eat, I have come to the conclusion that there will ALWAYS be somebody out there who thinks the sky is green. When it comes to the alleged healthiness of a high-carb diet, this guys takes the cake (both figuratively AND literally!).

Joining in on the lunacy are researchers from Arizona State University who put out this damning press release against low-carb diets recently that claims (among many things) ketosis from a low-carb ketogenic diet will kill you, your bones will dry up and crumble like a cookie, and your LDL cholesterol will go up so high your arteries will explode! Okay, maybe it wasn't filled with that much hyperbole, but it might as well have since all of those flimsy excuses are the same ones we've heard over and over again for years.

What do they recommend instead? Eating a more "moderate" level of around 120g of carbohydrates daily as a STARTING POINT and much more than that if you even dare try to exercise a little. They say your body needs carbs but we know better don't we? It's called gluconeogenesis and is a very natural part of human physiology and metabolism.

These pompous, self-proclaimed researchers--Carol Johnston and Pamela Swan--need to get off their high horse every once in a while to start living in the real world like the rest of us rather than the fantasy land of higher academia! I'm sure they'd LOVE to hear from YOU, so feel free to e-mail them at carol.johnston@asu.edu and PSwan@asu.edu.

NUTRITION DATA GIVES LOW-CARB DISCERNMENT ADVICE

If you haven't been to the "Nutrition Data" blog yet, then you are doing yourself a huge disservice because they offer some really fantastic information about diet, health, and nutrition. And they also are quite the fans of livin' la vida low-carb, too. In this recent post about dietary dogma against low-carb diets, an excellent response was provided by Monica Reinagel for people confused about how to discern the good information from the bad as it relates to low-carb studies that seem to contradict themselves (as will frequently happen when the zealots release their biased research while genuine studies show the truth).

I especially liked Monica's four tips about what to do for living healthy:

1. Do what works...If a low-carb diet is the only way for you to do it, then the possible risks are probably justified.

2. Consider your health history. If you are diabetic or have metabolic syndrome and have weight to lose, a lower-carb diet may be a better choice.

3. Monitor your risk factors. Regardless of which dietary dogma you ascribe to, have your cholesterol, triglycerides, and inflammation markers (CRP) tested on an annual or bi-annual basis.

4. Don't over-simplify...A diet rich in low-glycemic carbs like vegetables and legumes is not going to have the same negative effects as a diet high in high-glycemic carbs like rice cakes and white bread.

See what I mean...don't you LOVE it when you find someone of like mind? In 2008, make it a point to visit The ND Blog early and often! And let Monica hear from you about what you think of her site by e-mailing her at feedback@nutritiondata.com.

Speaking of this fabulous web site, I just had to share with you about a recent poll conducted by NutritionData.com that simply asked the question, "What motivates you to eat healthier?" Wanna know what the surprising results were depending on what part of the United States you live in? Check this out:

One-third of Americans want to look good (33.3%) and just under a third want to feel better. But the results of the poll showed that Americans have different motivations for eating healthier based on where they live.

- Americans living in the Heartland States want to change their diets to lower their risk of diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer

- People living on the East Coast of the U.S. eat healthier in the hopes that they will live longer

- People in the South and on the West Coast try to eat better in order to lose weight and/or look good

- Americans on the West Coast change their diets for the better so that they will have more energy

What do you think about this? Is it true based on where YOU live? This should be a lively discussion in the comments section. :D

A USER-FRIENDLY WEB SITE EXPLAINING LOW-CARB DIETS

Have you been looking for a page on the Internet that would accurately describe what the low-carb lifestyle is REALLY all about, explain in simple terms what makes this way of eating so effective, and put it in language we can all understand? Well, look no further than "Why Low-Carb Diets Work" by author Adam Khan. He did a yeoman's job of breaking it down in digestible chunks for virtually anyone to grasp the basic concepts of livin' la vida low-carb. Whether you are a low-carb expert or a novice, this one's WELL worth the read!

NEW STUDY CONFIRMS LOW-CARB FOR EPILEPSY TREATMENT

I've blogged about the use of a very low-carb ketogenic diet for seizure control in people with epilepsy and other neurological diseases before. In fact, I highlighted a web site called "Atkins For Seizures" that is a grassroots attempt to educate people who suffer from epilepsy about this potential dietary cure for their disease Now there's a study scientifically backing up this treatment method.

Lead researcher Dr. Kelvin Yamada, professor of Neurology at the St. Louis, MO-based Washington University School of Medicine, and his team of researchers found that the key to helping people with epilepsy the release of leptin brought about as a result of a ketogenic low-carb diet. The science is a bit complicated to follow, but the bottom line is livin' la vida low-carb was shown to help reduce the occurrence of seizures in laboratory rats.

This study was published in the December 20, 2007 issue of Journal of Clinical Investigation. You can e-mail Dr. Kelvin Yamada about his study at yamadak@wustl.edu.

LAURA DOLSON HELPS WITH "BABY STEPS" TOWARDS LOW-CARB

One of the greatest low-carb resources on the Internet is the About.com Low-Carb Diets page from Laura Dolson. She works tirelessly to provide accurate, informative, and professional information regarding anything and everything that has to do with the low-carb lifestyle. I wanna be like Laura when I grow up! :)

Recently, Laura shared a post entitled "Seven Steps to Greater Carb Control" that is essential reading for anyone who thinks livin' la vida low-carb is an impossibility for them. It's amazing how making some very minor changes in your current habits can reap huge rewards in both your weight and health management. I know from talking to Laura that health is a HUGE part of everything she does, so take some advice from someone who has been there and cares.

DIABETES HEALTH MAGAZINE PUBLISHES LOW-CARB SUCCESS

Now that the American Diabetes Association (ADA) has given the green light to low-carb for diabetics, it will be very interesting to see how many amazing stories of blood sugar control that start happening for people who will try this for perhaps the first time as a means for treating their diabetes. While the ADA is focused on the weight loss aspect of livin' la vida low-carb, it's what will happen as insulin production slows for Type 2 diabetics that will be the really fun thing to watch for.

But even before that has happened, there's a fantastic column in Diabetes Health magazine written by Riva Greenberg from the "Diabetes Stories" blog. She simply shared from her experiences following Dr. Richard Bernstein's plan for controlling her Type 1 diabetes.

Here's a quick excerpt, but be sure to read the whole column:

"I essentially eliminated refined carbs, such as white bread, white potatoes, rice, pasta, sweets, muffins, and starchy veggies. The result? My sugars indeed dropped. They were consistently lower, and my insulin doses dropped. Maybe best of all, I was no longer chasing high blood sugars - you know, the ones that come from refined carbs, where you just can't seem to knock them down all day. My Lantus dose went from 20 to 12.5 units, and my pre-meal Humalog was all but cut in half. The results were so dramatic and made my life so much easier that I never went back to my old ways."

Riva's story is merely the first in a long line of successes that are to come now the the ADA has given recognition and credence to the healthy low-carb lifestyle. If you have an amazing story you'd like to share about how low-carb has helped you control your diabetes, then please feel free to send it to me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. It's important for the ADA and other health entities like them to know that real people are getting healthy eating this way. THANKS for sharing!

DR. RICHARD FEINMAN'S SATURATED FAT COLUMN AT DLIFE

I had the privilege of interviewing one of the most brilliant low-carb researchers in the world today in June 2006--Dr. Richard Feinman from the Brooklyn, NY-based SUNY Downstate. He told me in that interview that he believed the ADA was close to coming out in support of livin' la vida low-carb and 18 months later he was right!

As a strong advocate of the metabolic science behind low-carb living, we have seen Dr. Feinman challenge the status quo and now he's at it again on the popular diabetes and health web site called dLife.

In a guest column called "What if Saturated Fat is Not the Problem?" he shares about some of the latest research behind saturated fat to reveal it's not the public health menace we've all been led to believe. He notes this study from University of Connecticut researcher Dr. Jeff Volek that found a diet low in saturated fat actually increases saturated fat in the blood compared to a diet high in saturated fat. Counterintuitive? You betcha, but that's what the data shows.

Here's a taste of classic Feinman at his best:

"Carbohydrate, through its effect on insulin, is the key player. Insulin not only sweeps up glucose from the blood but it also plays air traffic controller, making the call as to whether that glucose is turned into fat or is used for energy. Most importantly, insulin determines what happens to dietary fat — whether it gets stored or oxidized for fuel. In fact, insulin has so much control over how dietary fat is metabolized that when levels of fat are measured in the blood, they are not strongly associated with a person's diet. In other words, one person who has a high intake of saturated fat may turn out to have a similar ratio of saturated to unsaturated fat in the blood as someone who consumes very little saturated fat."

There's plenty more nuggets of truth to chew on in Dr. Feinman's column, so read the entire thing, print it out, and give it to your doctor and anyone else whose health you care about. This is a subject that we've only just begun to scratch the surface on and will be at the center of debate in the months and years to come.

3800 CALORIES A DAY FOR A MONTH AND NO WEIGHT GAIN?

We often hear from all those so-called "experts" who tell us we need to create a calorie deficit in order to manage our weight. But those of us who consume a high-fat, low-carb diet with no regard for calories have always believed that theory was bogus--but we didn't really have any way to back it up other than our own personal experiences.

Allow me to introduce you to a Wisconsin man named Jeff. Over the course of 30 days during the entire month of December, he has conducted an experiment on his own body a la what Morgan Spurlock did in his Super Size Me movie. Jeff attempted to eat as many calories as he possibly could on his 169-pound frame to prove you can maintain your weight as long as you keep your carbohydrates reduced.

Check out his daily log of calories consumed and a list of the foods he ate to average a whopping 3822 calories for thirty days in a row! His high day was on Day 5 when he hit 4620 calories and his low day was on Day 30 when he only got to 2998--three-fourths of which was FAT! WOW! You go Jeff!!!

Conventional wisdom regarding calories would say that Jeff should have gained close to 14 pounds on this diet of his. But guess what? He didn't gain 14 pounds. He didn't even gain 10 pounds or even 5 pounds. The shocking result--HE MAINTAINED HIS WEIGHT!!! Incredible! I'd love to interview Jeff about his little experiment if someone who knows him will have him e-mail me. THANKS!

DR. WALTER WILLETT ACKNOWLEDGES LOW-CARB DIETS

A friend of mine pointed me to a rather fascinating interview with Dr. Walter Willett, a nutrition expert from the Harvard School of Public Health. While I've both praised and been critical of Dr. Willett at my blog, I'm pleased to share this interview conducted by PBS and their "Frontline" program with you because it has some good information from this leading American health expert on a variety of subjects.

Yes, he still subscribes to the Ancel Keys theory regarding fat causing obesity among other things, there are moments during the interview that Dr. Willett comes to the defense of fat consumption and livin' la vida low-carb. Here are some of my favorite parts:

"The reality is that during this campaign for fat-free and reduced-fat products, actual fat consumption did go down, but Americans got much fatter during this period of time. Now of course lots of things were going on at the same period in time, but I think it's highly likely this focus only on fat calories to the neglect of carbohydrate calories has contributed to this epidemic of obesity."
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"The evidence that we accrued really suggested not only that the type of advice that people were getting was not useful, but it actually could be dangerous, because some people were eliminating the very healthy types of fat that actually reduce heart disease rates."
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"The thinking in nutrition about carbohydrates really had broken them down into two classes: sugars and so-called complex carbohydrates, which are mostly starches. The idea has been pushed that all forms of so-called complex carbohydrates are really the poster child of nutrients, and we should be eating them in large amounts. That's what the pyramid tells us to do. But in fact, these kinds of starches -- white bread, white rice, potatoes -- are starches that are very rapidly converted to glucose, really pure sugar, and almost instantly absorbed into the bloodstream. And these are the kinds of carbohydrates that we really should be minimizing in our diets."
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"Actually, careful studies have shown, demonstrated that you get a bigger rise in blood sugar after eating potatoes, a baked potato, say, than you do from eating pure table sugar. Really."
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"First of all, when the blood sugar goes skyrocketing up, the body wants to bring it back down. So our pancreas pumps out a big blast of insulin, and as a result, the blood sugar comes crashing down rapidly. In fact, in many people, after three and four hours, it overshoots and actually become a little hypoglycemic, and that rapid crashing down of blood glucose and insulin stimulates hunger. That would be no problem, except that it's often all too easy to go in the refrigerator or find a snack, and if we do that frequently throughout the day, that can add up to too many calories over weeks and months and years, and contribute to obesity.

Second, these high rises in blood glucose and insulin have a bad metabolic effect on the blood cholesterol fractions. Specifically the HDL, the good cholesterol, is driven down, and triglycerides, another type of fat in the blood that leads to heart attacks, goes up.

Third, after many years of demand for high amounts of insulin, the pancreas tends to give out. And at that point in time, we've got type 2 diabetes."
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"Interestingly, in traditional Asian societies, people were very lean, very active, and therefore had low insulin resistance. They could eat large amounts of rice, even white rice, in the diet and have low heart attack rates and have low rates of type 2 diabetes. But if you take that same person, and they [now] may be living in Beijing and driving a car and watching a television, and they put on a few pounds, they're going to have much more insulin resistance. So if you take that same diet, high in carbohydrate and white rice, they will have a much worse metabolic response and much higher rates of type 2 diabetes."
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"If you're overweight and living in the United States, and you go to a hospital and see a dietician, almost for sure, you're going to be put on a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet."
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"Dr. Atkins was saying as much as 30 years ago, that if we reduce our carbohydrate intake to quite low levels, that will make it easier to control our caloric intake and thus promote weight loss. As it turns out, there is a strong element of truth in that. A number of studies in the last year have looked in a very careful way, comparing low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets with reduced-carbohydrate diets, and in general people have done better on the reduced-carbohydrate diets in terms of their weight."

This was one incredible interview and I hope you take the time to read it all for yourself! While Dr. Willett is certainly no low-carb champion, he at least understands the mechanism behind why it works for those of us who choose it to manage our weight and health. This is something more health experts should get in the habit of doing.

Got some low-carb news you wanna share with me? I'm always happy to hear from my readers, so don't hesitate to e-mail me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.

High-Carb Ornish, Weight Watchers Diets Best For Heart Health? Better Think Again!

Dr. Yunsheng Ma contends high-carb diets best for cardiovascular health

With all the attention being placed on high-fat, low-carb diets again with the release of the new Gary Taubes book Good Calories, Bad Calories last week, you just HAD to know a study like this one was bound to mysteriously show up seemingly out of thin air so it would make headlines. Don't believe for a second this thing was not coordinated with the Taubes book release. It's just too conveniently timed if you ask me.

Lead researcher Dr. Yunsheng Ma, assistant professor of medicine at the University Of Massachusetts Medical School, and his colleagues wanted to pinpoint which of the most popular diet plans over the past five years is best for heart health by rating them in order for their ability to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Before I share the results of this study with you, let me just ask the obvious--how in the world can you accurately determine which diet plan is best for cardiovascular health when there isn't a consensus on what actually is at the root of heart disease to begin with? Traditional health promoters says it's the fat, but more modern and intelligent-thinking researchers are conducting studies that seem to point to carbohydrates as the culprit. So what good does a ranking of the diets do when the parameters for measuring it are in question, hmmmm?

Think about that as I share the results of this UMass study with you.

The researchers chose the most popular weight loss plans that have hit The New York Times bestseller list since 2002 for this study to analyze them using the creation from Dr. Walter Willett from Harvard University called the Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) as the standard by which to measure whether these various diets are "heart healthy" or not. This is a bit different from the USDA-recommended Healthy Eating Index which was the basis for the 2005 update to the much-heralded United States Department of Agriculture's newly revamped Food Pyramid.

Dr. Willett felt the USDA was woefully inept in their attempt to help people understand how to make their diet the best it can possibly be, which is why he created the AHEI. Here's what those supposedly new and improved guidelines entail according to the Alternate Healthy Eating Index parameters for the Healthy Eating Pyramid outlined in Dr. Willett's book Eat, Drink, And Be Healthy (let's see if they're any better than what the USDA came up with):

- Whole Grain Foods (at most meals)

The body needs carbohydrates mainly for energy. The best sources of carbohydrates are whole grains such as oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, and brown rice. They deliver the outer (bran) and inner (germ) layers along with energy-rich starch. The body can't digest whole grains as quickly as it can highly processed carbohydrates such as white flour. This keeps blood sugar and insulin levels from rising, then falling, too quickly. Better control of blood sugar and insulin can keep hunger at bay and may prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

Obviously, I disagree with the "body needs carbohydrates" assertion and have done just fine remaining energetic and alive without the need for the so-called "healthy whole grains" craze that has swept the nation in recent years. Sure, these may be better options than refined carbs, but they STILL turn into sugar in the body.

- Plant Oils

Surprised that the Healthy Eating Pyramid puts some fats near the base, indicating they are okay to eat? Although this recommendation seems to go against conventional wisdom, it's exactly in line with the evidence and with common eating habits. The average American gets one third or more of his or her daily calories from fats, so placing them near the foundation of the pyramid makes sense. Note, though, that it specifically mentions plant oils, not all types of fat. Good sources of healthy unsaturated fats include olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut, and other vegetable oils, as well as fatty fish such as salmon. These healthy fats not only improve cholesterol levels (when eaten in place of highly processed carbohydrates) but can also protect the heart from sudden and potentially deadly rhythm problems.

Fats are INDEED healthy and I mean ALL fat sources and not just from plants. Some oils/fats not listed here that should be include butter, coconut oil, lard, animal fat, and other saturated fats. When consumed as part of a low-carb diet, these fats are extremely beneficial to your health and will protect your heart. Believe it or not, eating fat is a major part of a healthy lifestyle.

Vegetables (in abundance) and Fruits (2 to 3 times)

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables can decrease the chances of having a heart attack or stroke; protect against a variety of cancers; lower blood pressure; help you avoid the painful intestinal ailment called diverticulitis; guard against cataract and macular degeneration, the major cause of vision loss among people over age 65; and add variety to your diet and wake up your palate.

It's very easy for people to just nod their head in agreement with the fruits and vegetables recommendation, but my problem with this is WHICH ONES? There's never a distinction between the good fruits and veggies (non-starchy, green leafy, low-glycemic) and the bad fruits and veggies (starchy ones like potatoes and corn and sugary like bananas and oranges). To me it's just an irresponsible copout to say "eat your fruit and vegetables" and never explain the differences between the good and the bad.

Fish, Poultry, and Eggs (0 to 2 times)

These are important sources of protein. A wealth of research suggests that eating fish can reduce the risk of heart disease. Chicken and turkey are also good sources of protein and can be low in saturated fat. Eggs, which have long been demonized because they contain fairly high levels of cholesterol, aren't as bad as they're cracked up to be. In fact, an egg is a much better breakfast than a doughnut cooked in an oil rich in trans fats or a bagel made from refined flour.

Yes, protein is indeed power food for your body, especially from fish because of the healthy omegas they contain, but I wouldn't get too worked up over saturated fat. Chicken and turkey are good choices if you like them, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with the saturated fat-heavy beef and pork either (we'll get to those in just a moment). I'm pleased to see eggs and their BENEFIT on satiety mentioned in a positive light because the dietary cholesterol contained in them does NOT raise your cholesterol as has been widely believed by most people.

Nuts and Legumes (1 to 3 times)

Nuts and legumes are excellent sources of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Legumes include black beans, navy beans, garbanzos, and other beans that are usually sold dried. Many kinds of nuts contain healthy fats, and packages of some varieties (almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios) can now even carry a label saying they're good for your heart.

Almonds have been found to be as healthy as fruits and vegetables and you certainly can't go wrong with eating nuts as a healthy snack on your low-carb lifestyle. But beans are another story entirely. I don't eat beans and haven't in the four years since I began my low-carb journey. Their high-carb counts are not conducive for my weight management program.

Dairy or Calcium Supplement (1 to 2 times)

Building bone and keeping it strong takes calcium, vitamin D, exercise, and a whole lot more. Dairy products have traditionally been Americans' main source of calcium. But there are other healthy ways to get calcium than from milk and cheese, which can contain a lot of saturated fat. Three glasses of whole milk, for example, contains as much saturated fat as 13 strips of cooked bacon. If you enjoy dairy foods, try to stick with no-fat or low-fat products. If you don't like dairy products, calcium supplements offer an easy and inexpensive way to get your daily calcium.

Again, the saturated fat issue isn't something to worry about. Getting the higher fat sources of dairy is BETTER for you than the low-fat ones. Besides, fat-free cheese is disgusting and the fat-rich ones are not only delicious but nutritious, too! Skip the regular milk and opt for low-carb ones like Calorie Countdown or even heavy cream instead to reduce the carbs. Don't skimp on the fat when you're reducing the carbs because it is your body's fuel on a ketogenic diet.

Red Meat and Butter (Use Sparingly)

These sit at the top of the Healthy Eating Pyramid because they contain lots of saturated fat. If you eat red meat every day, switching to fish or chicken several times a week can improve cholesterol levels. So can switching from butter to olive oil.

I couldn't DISAGREE with Dr. Willett more about red meat and butter because the saturated fat is NOT an issue when carbohydrates are reduced. This is something Gary Taubes illustrates beautifully in his book despite cutesy attempts by health groups like the American Heart Association and their "Bad Fat Brothers" campaign which I saw a television commercial about the other day. PUH-LEEZ! Keep eating butter and red meat while limiting your carbs and something amazing will happen--your HDL "good" cholesterol will go WAY up (a VERY good thing!) and your triglycerides will plummet to below 100. And recent studies have shown that these are better markers for cardiovascular health than LDL and total cholesterol anyway.

White Rice, White Bread, Potatoes, White Pasta, Soda, and Sweets (Use Sparingly)

Why are these all-American staples at the top, rather than the bottom, of the Healthy Eating Pyramid? They can cause fast and furious increases in blood sugar that can lead to weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic disorders. Whole-grain carbohydrates cause slower, steadier increases in blood sugar that don't overwhelm the body's ability to handle this much needed but potentially dangerous nutrient.

FINALLY! Something Dr. Willett and I agree on regarding a healthy diet. But he says to "use sparingly." I would contend DON'T USE AT ALL if you want to do your health a big favor. You don't need these empty, garbage carbs anymore, so why even bother with them. They only lead to heartache and pain--both figuratively and LITERALLY!

Multiple Vitamin

A daily multivitamin, multimineral supplement offers a kind of nutritional backup. While it can't in any way replace healthy eating, or make up for unhealthy eating, it can fill in the nutrient holes that may sometimes affect even the most careful eaters. You don't need an expensive name-brand or designer vitamin. A standard, store-brand, RDA-level one is fine. Look for one that meets the requirements of the USP (U.S. Pharmacopeia), an organization that sets standards for drugs and supplements.

Again, couldn't agree more about taking supplements, including fish oil. Couldn't and wouldn't live without them!

Alcohol (in moderation)

Scores of studies suggest that having an alcoholic drink a day lowers the risk of heart disease. Moderation is clearly important, since alcohol has risks as well as benefits. For men, a good balance point is 1 to 2 drinks a day; in general, however, the risks of drinking, even in moderation, exceed benefits until middle age. For women, it's at most one drink a day.

I'm personally not a drinker, but clearly alcohol is not a good choice for a healthy lifestyle. But the 1-2 drink a day recommendation by Dr. Willett must come with one disclaimer that people should know about before taking that drink--you WILL get kicked out of ketosis and fat-burning will cease until all the alcohol is used for fuel. Think of it as a super-charged carbohydrate that the body has to get rid of before stored fat will begin melting again.

Okay, now that you understand the criteria by which all of these diets were measured, each was given a score of 0-10 for each of the following seven conditions:

1. the ratio of white to red meat
2. ratio of polyunsaturated fat to saturated fat
3. quantities of fruit
4. quantities of vegetables
5. quantities of nuts and legumes
6. quantities of cereal fiber
7. quantities of trans fats.

As you can see, these are not a very low-carb friendly set of dietary stipulations from the get go, so the results should surprise no one. With 70 being the "perfect score," here's how the top ten diets did in a head-to-head face off using Dr. Willett's guidelines (and it shouldn't surprise anyone!):

Ornish (ultra low-fat diet)--64.6
Weight Watchers high carbohydrate--57.4
New Glucose Revolution--57.2
South Beach/Phase 2--50.7
Zone--49.8
2005 Food Guide Pyramid--48.7
Weight Watchers high protein--47.3
Atkins/100g carbohydrate--46
South Beach/Phase 3--45.6
Atkins/45g carbohydrate--42.3

The results of this "study" reminded me the Consumer Reports survey that came out about the various diets in June ranking them according to what is considered a "healthy" diet. Their criteria? Of course, it was the 2005 U.S. Food Pyramid! Obviously livin' la vida low-carb is NOT gonna do well and it didn't coming in DEAD LAST in that list just like it did this one.

The results of this "study" were published in the October 2007 issue of The Journal of the American Dietetic Association (not exactly friends of the low-carb lifestyle, mind you!).

All the ooohs and aaahs of the researchers about what they have done proclaiming to the world what they have "discovered" is nothing more than a meaningless attempt to denigrate and smear low-carb all over again. It would be like ranking Democrats and Republican candidates for president using the GOP platform as the standard. Obviously, the Democrats would not fare well in that list because the criteria is different for them.

And the same goes for livin' la vida low-carb. Actually, it quite a badge of honor that the Atkins and South Beach diets did so poorly because they DON'T adhere to the conventional wisdom regarding diet and health. Instead, they are an alternative way of eating that is helping people not just lose weight, but control their blood sugars, reduce their insulin production, and effectively manage their diabetes with reduced or completely eliminated medications.

Additionally, we've seen so many other areas of health improved from eating a low-carb diet which I have documented quite extensively here at my blog. Browse through my past articles and you will see some truly remarkable research into low-carb living that will make you wish you had been eating this way a long time ago!

Unfortunately for Dr. Ma, he wants nothing of the good news about low-carb diets to be seen or heard and is only interested in his narrow-minded view of heart health despite studies that clearly show the heart health risks of low-carb over the long-term are futile. But he turns a blind eye to this astounding research and instead acts surprised when the Food Pyramid doesn't do very well in his study.

"One of the unexpected findings is that the 2005 USDA Food Guide Pyramid, the current government recommendation, fared significantly worse than the New Glucose Revolution, Weight Watchers High Carbohydrate and Ornish plans," Dr. Ma noted. "The USDA dietary guidelines were originally devised to prevent nutrient deficiencies and it's clear that we need to modify or rebuild the pyramid to look into cardiovascular disease prevention, as it is the leading cause of death and disability for Americans. Americans deserve a better dietary guideline and recommendation."

Oh, I wholeheartedly agree that "Americans deserve better," Dr. Ma! But they also deserve to hear the truth regarding saturated fat and animal fat being a MAJOR part of a healthy lifestyle. The insistence of people like Dr. Willett to continually hammer the supposed harm that comes from saturated fat intake while all but ignoring the detrimental impact of all those carbohydrates he recommends is despicable. I know he's a highly-respected health "expert" in the United States, but that doesn't make him immune to being questioned.

Study co-author Dr. Sherry Pagoto, who is also an assistant professor of medicine at UMass as well as a clinical psychologist at the UMass Memorial Weight Center, said people should not only choose a diet plan for weight loss, but also for their health.

"Patients can lose weight with most dietary plans in the short term, but whether the plan they choose maximizes cardiovascular risk reduction over the long term should also be a consideration for patients and health care providers," he concluded.

I couldn't agree more, Dr. Pagoto! That's why I CHOOSE to be eating low-carb because my health has never been as good as it is today. Before I started on the Atkins diet in January 2004, I was on prescriptions medicines for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and breathing. I was 410 pounds on well on my way to diabetes, heart attack, and quite possibly even death.

But one year later, I had lost 180 pounds, cut 20 inches off my waistline, dropped FIVE sizes in my shirts, was more active than I had EVER been (and still am!), and, oh by the way, ditched all of those drugs and haven't taken a single one since! That's what that last-place ranking Atkins diet did for me, baby, and I'm proud of it, too.

Nobody--not Dr. Willett, not Dr. Ma, and DEFINITELY not Dr. Dean Ornish--will EVER be able to take this accomplishment away from me and so many others who have made low-carb their permanent and healthy lifestyle change. We did it despite those recommendations to eat a low-fat, low-calorie diet which had failed to keep the weight off of me over the years because I was constantly hungry and MISERABLE on those diets.

If people can hack the Ornish diet and they like it, then I tell them to GO FOR IT! But this study no more helps people decide which diet is best for them than it would for a city to put a stop light that stays red all the time at a busy intersection would. My advice? IGNORE THIS RIDICULOUS STUDY (and read a REAL comparison study instead) and keep on livin' la vida low-carb. You'll be so glad you did.

You can e-mail your comments and concerns about this study to Dr. Yunsheng Ma at Yunsheng.Ma@umassmed.edu. Let him hear how disappointed you are with him about this research that is nothing more than a not-so-veiled attack against low-carb.

10-3-07 UDDATE: The high-carb, low-fat apologists are delirious about this study as this WCAV-TV story with comments from a University of Virginia exercise physiology professor named Dr. Glenn Gaesser takes the findings and runs with it as gospel.

Check out these absurd statements he makes during the feature:

"I think there is a place for all types of food, it's a matter of balance and proportion."

Um, Dr. Gaesser, livin' la vida low-carb gives me all the "balance" I'll EVER need!

"Most studies indicate that people who consume a lot of carbohydrates generally are thinner than those who do not."

"Most studies" is a rather unilateral statement to make and I would challenge you to look at ALL the preponderance of the evidence concerning diets that are reduced in carbohydrates. While it is arguable those high-carb eaters are thinner, but I can say with confidence that the low-carb eaters are HEALTHIER! And that is more important!

If you want to keep the weight off Gaesser said try a low fat diet not low carb.

Nah, after losing a couple hundreds pounds, keeping it off for several years, and feeling healthier and better than ever before, I'm gonna keep on livin' la vida low-carb, Dr. Gaesser. No more suffering on a low-fat diet for me!

How about sharing with Dr. Gaesser how the low-carb lifestyle has changed your life by e-mailing him at gag2q@virginia.edu? I'm sure he'd be interested in hearing from people who have done very well eating this way. Tell him YOUR story!