About.com Low Carb Diets

What the Large Food Companies Don't Want You to Know

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:59:32 +0000

The great documentary "Food, Inc." is out on DVD, and I highly recommend it. One of the big revelvations is how hidden much of the process of producing our food is. The filmmaker, Robert Kenner has said in an interview that he spent more in legal fees doing this movie than his past 15 films combined, and "I think I could have had greater access if we were doing a film on nuclear terrorism than if we were doing a film on food." This is truly an eye-opening and important movie in many ways. Check out my description and review of "Food, Inc.", and then go rent it!

Image Courtesy of River Road Entertainment

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DVD Review: My Big Fat Diet

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What the Large Food Companies Don't Want You to Know originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 14:59:32.

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Quick Low-Carb Breakfasts

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:59:33 +0000

Do you remember the days when you could grab a bagel, or dump some cereal in a bowl and then be out the door? Protein tends to involve...well, cooking. But a low-carb breakfast does not have to be a drawn-out affair. I have assembled a bunch of tips to quickly send you on your way in the morning with fuel for the morning under your belt. Check out my tips for Quick Low-Carb Breakfasts.

Photo © iStockphoto

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More Low-Carb Breakfast Ideas

Readers Share Breakfast Ideas

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Quick Low-Carb Breakfasts originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 21:59:33.

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Of Mice and Media

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:37:43 +0000

Think about the health-related stories you've seen in the media recently, particularly ones related to diet. How much helpful information have you been given? How much education about science and how it works? If you pay attention to such things, as I do, most of what you've seen probably has to do with single studies about how this diet or that diet is related to this or that health outcome. But how helpful is this, really?

In the vast majority of cases, not very. Sure, occasionally there are large important studies that track tens of thousands of people over decades. These may give us some reason to sit up and take notice. But for the most part, scientific knowledge does not come from knowing the outcomes of single studies. It comes from the gradual assembly of many many studies, some of which may contradict each other, or at least seem to. (By figuring out why the seeming contradictions are occurring we can learn a lot.) But relatively seldom will you see a piece of science news that actually tries to give readers a context for the information they are being presented with, or to synthesize the results of the scientific data on a subject. Unfortunately, as the number of paid positions for science reporters shrinks, the ones left have less and less time to write these types of reports.

This all becomes even more of an issue when reporting about research where animals are used to try to understand human biology. For one thing, it's somewhat hit or miss whether the rat or the mouse (especially the genetically-altered one) responds as humans do. For another, animal studies are a perfect set-up for reporter bias.

I've done it myself when reading diet studies done on animals - if the conclusion agrees with what I already think is probably true, I see it as confirming evidence. If not, well, what the heck, it's just an animal study, right? I feel it is part of my job to fight this impulse, but unfortunately I see signs of it everywhere in the media.

A few weeks ago, a study was published in a journal called Molecular Neurodegeneration. Of the thousands of diet studies which are published every year, somehow this one rose to the surface, and after I saw an article about it, I gave the study a glance. It seemed to be the kind of basic science study that doesn't tell us much in and of itself, but might be fodder for more experiments. In other words, not something that it is helpful to report about. But over the next weeks, articles about the study kept popping up in my Google Alerts until now there are well over one hundred of them, with headlines such as "High Protein Diet may increase risk of Alzheimer's Disease" and "High Protein Diet Shrinks Brain". Even worse, many of the articles go on to suggest that the high-protein diet the mice were on is similar to the Atkins Diet. A tabloid even used the headline "Atkins Diet Makes Your Brain Shrink".

When you actually read the study, you find that mice (genetically altered to be prone to Alzheimer's disease) were fed one of four diets (normal, low-fat, high-fat, high-protein), and the diet that was most similar to the Atkins diet is not the high-protein one at all, but the high-fat one. The high-protein diet was 60%(!!) protein, much higher than recommendations of the Institute of Medicine and virtually everyone else. No big shock that it had negative effects (in this case, the brains of the mice were 5% lighter). And yet, the articles in the media had lines such as "A link between a high protein Atkins diet and a significantly reduced brain mass has been identified by scientists." Misleading, and total hogwash!

The study, and the report based on it, has issues that are problematic, but these were never even mentioned in the media reports. For example, the article starts out by stating that diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and fish have been shown to be protective against Alzheimer's disease. This could be true, but the test diets were totally lacking in any of those foods. So even if mouse chow with a certain mix of protein, carb, and fat is shown to be problematic, that says nothing about a situation where humans are eating actual healthy food. This is obviously pertinent to human beings, but is not mentioned by even one of the articles about the study which I read, nor was the fact that the body weight of the high-protein diet was also the lowest. Were these mice underweight? We aren't told. If they were malnourished, could that make their brains smaller? (To humans, a 60% protein diet is unpalatable and could conceivably cause a person to not eat enough for basic nourishment.) These are only a few of the very obvious questions which were not asked.

On the other hand, there have been animal studies about low-carb diets which were only reported by a very few media outlets. In one, rats were given either a high-fat, low-carb diet or a moderate-carb, moderate fat diet. It turned out that the rats on the low-carb diet were better able to handle stress. In another study, rats with spinal cord injuries recovered more quickly on a low-carb diet than on a high-carb one.

Are any of these studies significant to human beings? Only time will tell. But it is interesting which one is getting all the attention (and misreporting).

Photo: Sandy Jones/Getty Images

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Of Mice and Media originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 20:37:43.

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It�s Pumpkin Time!

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:59:03 +0000

Pumpkin is one of those vegetables that is almost emblematic of fall - it makes us think of harvest, of holidays, of frost, of lengthening nights and the oncoming winter. Pumpkin is one of the winter squash family with the least carbohydrate, plus it's chock full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. It's also delicious in everything from soup to dessert. Once you start experimenting, you'll realize pumpkin can be a year-round nutritious addition to your diet. So let's get started trying some delicious Low-Carb Pumpkin Recipes.

.Photo © Cody Mummau

Low-Carb Pumpkin Recipes:

Low-Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake

Low-Carb Pumpkin Pie

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

It�s Pumpkin Time! originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 19:59:03.

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Tell Your Low-Carb Story!

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:30:28 +0000

Often in blog comments or on the Forum, people tell us of the great changes they have experienced from reducing carbohydrate in their diets. People talk about weight loss, blood sugar control, and other health benefits from low-carb eating.

I'm really happy to announce that I have a new tool available so that my readers can share their stories in a place that will be easier for others to find and be encouraged. I have divided the stories up into three categories: weight loss success, blood glucose control, and other health benefits. You do not have to have reached your ultimate goal to share with others - we are all on a path to our goals, and encouragement along the way is always appreciated!

Where to Share Your Success Stories:

Where to Read the Stories

More Low-Carb Tips from Readers Here

Photo © MB Photo

Tell Your Low-Carb Story! originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 12:30:28.

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Free Grilled Chicken at KFC

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:59:34 +0000

Tomorrow, Monday, October 26, 2009, KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is offering a promotion of free grilled chicken. No coupon required - just show up and ask! I personally have no tried this product, as it is not wheat-free, but I know many people like it. For more about the grilled chicken and more about low-carb eating at KFC, check out my review of KFC.

Photo: David Silverman/Getty Images

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Free Grilled Chicken at KFC originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Sunday, October 25th, 2009 at 14:59:34.

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Getting Ready for Halloween

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:59:35 +0000

It's that time of year - Halloween is on its way! There are lots of tricks to staying low-carb and sugar-free on Halloween. But for those with enough willpower to just eat one or two pieces, I have compiled a list of the Carbs and Calories in Halloween Candy so you can check out your favorites.

Photo: LWA/Getty Images

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Easy Sugar-Free Fudge

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Getting Ready for Halloween originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 19:59:35.

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Low-Carb Emergency Preparedness

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:59:32 +0000

Where I live, seven miles from the San Andreas Fault in California, we just passed the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake, which devastated some areas of towns near where I live. As if that weren't reminder enough of the importance of emergency preparedness, last Tuesday we got almost 11 inches of rain from the remnants of a Pacific typhoon! We lost power and phone service for most of the day. Good reminders of how important it is to keep water and food supplies available for storms, earthquakes, and other emergencies, which prompted me to put together this list of low-carb emergency food. (It's also great for when you just don't feel like running to the store!)

Photo © Igor Terekhov

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Your Low-Carb Pantry

Low-Carb Vegetables

Low-Carb Emergency Preparedness originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 19:59:32.

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Be Careful Where You Get Your Burgers

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:59:39 +0000

Recently, there was an alarming article in the New York Times by Michael Moss: E. Coli Path Shows Flaws in Beef Inspection. Although the article is decidely not for the squeamish, I think it's important for us all to understand where our food is coming from. Over the last few years, there have been increasing outbreaks of food borne illness, including two major recalls of contaminated ground beef this past summer.

The Moss article specifically investigates a 2007 E. Coli outbreak linked to ground beef from the Cargill company. The E. Coli strain (O157:H7) involved in that outbreak is potentially deadly, with only a few bacteria sometimes being sufficient to make someone very sick or even kill them.

Because Cargill and other large meat companies refuse to talk about their processes with journalists, or allow them into their facilities, much of the information was gained from confidential records leaked to the reporter. This lack of open information has become a major issue for anyone who wants to find out how much of our food is produced. (For more information on this subject, I recommend the recent documentary Food Inc, soon to be released on DVD.)

In the case of the Cargill hamburgers (labeled "American Chef's Selection Angus Beef Patties"), Moss found that there are potential problems at every step of a massive operation that combines meat and scraps from sources thousands of miles apart, including South America. He reported that they "were made from a mix of slaughterhouse trimmings and a mash-like product derived from scraps that were ground together at a plant in Wisconsin. The ingredients came from slaughterhouses in Nebraska, Texas and Uruguay, and from a South Dakota company that processes fatty trimmings and treats them with ammonia to kill bacteria." Furthermore, "Those low-grade ingredients are cut from areas of the cow that are more likely to have had contact with feces, which carries E. coli".

Some of the most shocking revelations involved not only the lack of testing, but the avoidance of it. Moss states that "many big slaughterhouses will sell only to grinders who agree not to test their shipments for E. coli, according to officials at two large grinding companies." You heard that right - they avoid testing in any way that will identify the source of the contamination!! Large meat suppliers do test their products, but the system is clearly inadequte. Moss reports that a recent test was performed where meat which was deliberately infected with E. Coli was sent to laboratories involved in meat testing. "Some missed the E. coli in as many as 80 percent of the samples."

Apparently, Costco is one of the few large meat distributors that tests its source meat and trimmings before grinding it together to sell. In turn, it tries to get its sources to clean up their acts. This has led at least one supplier, Tyson, to refuse to sell to Costco.

Who is watching over all of this? Well might you ask! The USDA is supposed to, but it seems that when producers don't follow their own safety plans, often nothing is done to force compliance.

As Moss says, "Neither the system meant to make the meat safe, nor the meat itself, is what consumers have been led to believe."

What can we do? Meat producers would like us to think that following the usual safety guidelines for cooking and handling beef is enough to protect us, but this turns out to sometimes not be enough. Nothing gives you a 100% guarantee, but these alternatives should help:

Buy from single-supplier sources, or from ones where the source is clearly labeled. Sometimes health food stores carry beef from identified sources, but don't assume that "XYZ Ranch" contains beef from only one ranch - ask questions about the source.
Buy from small local ranchers whenever possible.
Eating grass-fed beef avoids the enormous containment facilities which are most likely to lead to meat contamination. Besides the meat is better for you, and better for the animals.
Buy cuts of meat such as chuck roasts and have the butcher grind them for you. Better yet, grind your own. Using a meat grinder, or even a food processor, can work for this.

Be Careful Where You Get Your Burgers originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Saturday, October 17th, 2009 at 19:59:39.

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Spaghetti Squash Season

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:01:32 +0000

Although spaghetti squash keeps well and you can get it most times, this is the time of year when the new crop comes into stores and Farmer's Markets and is also when my How to Cook Spaghetti Squash page rises to the top of the charts.

Did you know that a cup of regular spaghetti has 40 grams of usable carbohydrate (and 220 calories), whereas a cup of spaghetti squash has only 8 grams of usable carb and 42 calories? Plus, that cup of spaghetti squash is much more "nutrient dense", containing more of most vitamins and minerals than the spaghetti. Fall is a great time to stock up on spaghetti squash, which will keep a long time in a cool dry place. It can be used in almost any way you'd use pasta - great with pesto, for example.

Photo of Spaghetti Squash by Tammany

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Spaghetti Squash Season originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 19:01:32.

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