The Gary Taubes vs. Mehmet Oz episode of the Larry King Live show was emblazoned wtih the overwrought title, “The Hottest Diet Debate Since Atkins.”
That got me thinking – there’s way too much conflict in the diet wars. (The fact that I unselfconsciously chose the phrase “diet wars” only supports my point.) Low-fat and low-calorie proponents tell low-carbers that we are clogging our arteries with saturated fat, killing too many animals, following fad diets, and must be delusional if we think that we can eat more calories and lose weight. We low-carbers, in turn, often fall prey to the temptation to accuse the low-fat folks of cooking the data, unintelligently following the conventional wisdom instead of thinking for themselves, not understanding how science is done, and having undue influence over public policy, food production, and the media. I am guilty of it, too.
I think a lot of LC eaters feel that we have to be on the defensive, because we spend so much of our time bucking the norm. It would be nice if we could all agree to disagree. I am not going to dispute the claims of people who claim to have lost, and kept off, significant amounts of weight on low-fat, low-calorie diets. If it works for you, do it. But my dream is that one day low-carb will be presented by the authorities as a viable option for weight loss and disease prevention, so that people can make informed decisions on what to eat without constantly feeling like they are fighting the tide. Because today, more than 5 years after the NYT Magazine article that generated renewed interest in LC, following LC is again just like swimming upstream, except without the spawning in the end. That, in my opinion, is ridiculous.
But that’s no excuse for avoiding civil discourse. In that spirit, then, let me list a few things we can all agree on:
- Donuts and French fries are bad for you. They are high in fat, high in carbs, AND high in calories.
- Green vegetables are good for you. They are low in fat, carbs, and calories.
- Trans fatty acids are bad for you.
OK, peeps, help me out here. I can’t think of any more.
Well, all right:
- Exercise is good for you.
I added that one sort of reluctantly. The role of exercise is controversial. Everyone agrees it’s good for you, but no one can seem to agree on how much, what kind, or why.
[racks brain for several hours]
Nope, still can’t come up with any. I was about to add “Drink 8 glasses of water a day,” until I remembered that I myself don’t believe that one. (Too much liquid, like too much food, aggravates my acid reflux, and so far I don’t seem to have died of dehydration.)
Ah, no wonder nutrition is a battlefield!
Still, we at least have a few points of agreement. So tonight, when I eat my salad, I shall raise my fork in honor of my low-fat friends and adversaries everywhere!
Migraine aura picture from 
Well said psipsina. Low carb should be an equally viable option to low fat. Everyone should find what works best for him or her without creating dietary dogmas.
Another area of agreement, even many in the low fat crowd, such as Mehmet Oz and Dean Ornish say that refined carbs are bad for you, just as we low carbers do.
Comment by Dan — October 24, 2007 @ 1:27 pm |
Beliefs, emotions and tempers always run high when it comes to discussing politics, religion and diets. Matter of fact, I lump diets into the religion category! To be more specific, diets could further be sub-classified as ‘cults’. That’s right, the low-fat cult, the low-calorie cult, the low-carb cult, the vegetarian cult, the vegan cult, the grapefruit diet cult, the cabbage soup diet cult, the master cleanser cult…the list goes on and on…you get the idea.
We have all gathered into our ‘camps’ and drawn the line in the sand…jeering, mocking and scoffing at each other by lobbing our ‘research’ grenades into each others camps. Sort of reminds me of a ‘food fight’ when I was in high school…it’s fun while it’s going on, but when it’s over…everybody’s a mess and in trouble, and no one even knows what it was about!
I agree that no one diet works for everyone. I am a low-carb lover, because it ‘just works for me’. I have always loved meat and have no problem living on it for the rest of my life. I’ve never been a veggie lover [there...I said it and it feels better] and am not now. I can live on meat, eggs, dairy, a little fruit and even less veggies. But there are tons of folks out there who are just the opposite and don’t like meat, but love veggies…and I don’t have a problem with that. Hey, eat what makes you happy. If low-fat or low-calorie works for you…wear it out, but don’t try to strong-arm me into your little cult.
Let’s all act like adults here, fore go the food fights and have civil, educated, intelligent discussions, panels and interviews that we can all learn from. As LC’ers we need not think that we ‘have the whole loaf’ and can’t learn a thing or three from the low-fat and low-calorie camp. We all need each other, and if we approach this with open minds we might all come away with a few ‘tricks’ to bolster our already great nutritional lifestyle.
Sadly, the Taubes vs Oz ‘discussion’ was no discussion at all! Dr. Weil was the only other guest who even talked about the book, its value and its benefits. Host Joy Behar, along with Oz and Jillian were all competing for ‘me time’ and promoting their own agenda. This ‘discussion’ was what I call a ‘good example of a bad example’. It benefited no one!
However, it in no way diminishes the value of Taubes excellent work. Every ‘camp’ will always have it’s own share of ‘idiots’ who are clamoring for attention and who demonstrate extremes, excesses and foolishness. I’m willing to overlook these folks, ’cause truth is, even low-carb has it’s own share of ‘em…I’m not bragging, just reporting.
And yes, it seems we can all at least agree that sugar and refined carbs are a major contributor to our weight problems here is the good ole’ USA. That my friend, is a start!
Thanks for another great post! Keep up the good work!
There Really is Life Without Donuts!
Ron, aka The Former Donut Junkie
Comment by Ron — October 24, 2007 @ 1:47 pm |
Ron, Dan – not everyone agrees that sugar is bad for you. Just google “frederick stare sugar,” and you’ll find out that he didn’t even believe sugar causes tooth decay, much less other health problems. (Before today, I didn’t think anyone seriously claimed that sugar was harmless to our teeth!) And lest you think Stare was some wacko flat-earth clown, he was actually the founder and first chair of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Scary, huh?
Comment by psipsina — October 24, 2007 @ 5:41 pm |
I really enjoyed reading the post. I bought Taubes’ book, but with everything else I have going on right now it may take me awhile to read it.
I definitely come from the “calories count and keep refined carbs (sugar, white stuff) very low” camp. I will also advise a person to eat their veggies.
That said, the best “diet” is the one that works for you. The one where you can maintain a healthy weight, enjoy delicious food, and be happy. I had a very good friend who was obese and hated exercise. She lost on Atkins and it worked for her. After she lost the weight she began to enjoy exercise and then started following a more balanced diet, higher in carbs (from veggies and whole grains). She lost her last 15 pounds that way to reach her goal weight. It worked for her. Whatever works. That’s the best diet in my humble opinion.
I personally support people who need to lose weight when they try low-carb diets because it reduces sugar so much and makes it easy to get foods of low nutritional value out of the diet. The calorie “bank account” can be used for foods that provide nutrition with the calories.
One other point I’d like to make is about the rejection of low carb. I have seen several examples where professional dietitians are planning modified low carb diets. The Biggest Loser diet is modified low carb too. I’d also put South Beach in that category.
I think as much as it appears we know about nutrition there is much more to learn. Hopefully we all can be more open-minded while searching for answers. Diets are very personal. Maybe that’s why they draw so much passion.
Rebecca
Comment by rebeccascritchfield — October 24, 2007 @ 10:44 pm |
Be careful with going too low fat crazy. Your body will shock and start storing fat as energy. Be sure to get good fats into your system from almonds, olive oils and eggs.
Comment by Nicholas David — October 25, 2007 @ 9:23 am |
Rebecca – thanks for your intelligent comments. My only quibble with anything you said is is your use of the word “balanced.” The notion of balance is socially constructed, and what might appear balanced to us would be very different than what our pre-Coca Cola, Victorian era ancestors considered balanced. And what appeared balanced to the Victorians might be very different than what hunter-gatherers eat (I’m using the present tense, because there are still a few hunter-gatherers surviving in the modern world). So what, exactly, is a balanced diet? You will never hear me use that term to describe any diet. Also, Dr. Atkins does suggest adding in more carbs, in exactly the forms you describe, as you get near your goal weight. It’s his way of helping people discover how many carbs they can eat without regaining the weight later.
Nicholas – thanks for dropping by! You won’t hear me disagree with you about fats, though I think my definition of what constitutes a good fat is different from yours. The closer a fat is to the state it appears in nature, the better it is for you. On this continuum, whole nuts, whole seeds, avocados, whole olives, butterfat, eggs, meat fat, and whole fish are even better than fish oil, virgin olive oil, and virgin coconut oil; and fish, virgin olive and coconut oil are better than processed nut, olive, and seed oils; which are in turn better than chemically altered hydrogenated oils. You might be surprised to see me put olive oil second in the hierarchy, but fats and oils are highly perishable once they are extracted from their naturally occuring forms, and oxidized fats are not good for you. I use a lot of olive oil, but I buy it in small quantities and store and handle it very carefully.
Comment by psipsina — October 25, 2007 @ 10:43 am |
hey… I think I found another point we can all agree on. The best fats (and foods for that matter) are the ones that come closest to natural state. Loving whole nuts (I actually prefer the taste of raw), avocado, and fatty fish. I prefer my beef lean cut with fat marbeling. I usually go for a filet or nice sirloin.
Thanks for the clarification on Atkins. I do now remember the part about re-introducing carbs.
Good insights about balance… too bad my blog name is “balanced health and nutrition” hahaha. I hear what you are saying, everyone can have their own idea of balance. I guess I just find the term to be flexible enough because so much of what we hear about is do this, don’t do that and I just can’t live in “black and white”.
Great to meet ya! I’ll be stopping by again!
Comment by rebeccascritchfield — October 25, 2007 @ 11:59 am |
Hi, Rebecca – sorry, your 2nd comment got stuck in my spam filters – I hope you didn’t take it personally.
Your blog looks familiar – I think I happened on it before.
You’re welcome to stop by any time. We low-carbers can get a bit defensive, and I am no exception. But I promise to try to keep the level of discourse here civil, most of the time.
Comment by psipsina — October 26, 2007 @ 1:27 pm |
Rebecca’s example of someone who lost weight first on Atkins, then took up exercise later at a lower weight, is addressed in Taube’s book with the research on energy expenditure with metabolic dysfunction.
Comment by Anna — October 28, 2007 @ 1:49 pm |